A slow and considered approach to the ball, followed by a firm shot into the bottom-left corner.

There was no running on the spot, big arcing runs to the ball, temporarily pausing or a hint of a Panenka – and when Tom Dele-Bashiru takes a penalty, you’re very unlikely to see any such tricks.

“I don't believe in any of the theatrics you can get around penalty-taking,” said the midfielder after netting the 84th-minute winner against Sunderland.

“You just need to focus on getting the right contact with the ball and putting it into one of the corners.

“I like a short run-up. I look into the keeper's eyes and I'm confident.

“With penalties, the attacker has the advantage. As long as you hit the target and keep it low you always have a chance of scoring.”

Dele-Bashiru looked confident and comfortable taking the spot-kick.

“I didn't feel any pressure with this penalty,” he said.

“I'm very good at handling pressure situations. I really dial in my focus on the matter in hand to make sure I score the penalty.

“Penalties are something I'm very confident about and we practice a lot. I always back my ability to score from the spot.

“Taking penalties in training is different to a game, where there is pressure. But you have to stay focussed.

“I said early in the season that adding goals to my game would be very important for me. Adding goals and assist will take my game to the next level.

“I've been working hard in training to improve on that.”

The midfielder paid tribute to the role substitute Kwadwo Baah played in turning a draw into a victory.

"We had to hang in there, then KB came on and changed the game for us,” said Dele-Bashiru.

“He's a great player, he won the penalty and I dispatched it.

“KB does it all the time in training. He's been at Watford for a while but this season the manager has said he has a new energy, a different focus and he's really dialled in.

“The lads are buzzing for him.

“He's frightening. The qualities he has are explosive. In a one v one, he can beat anybody. I'm very happy for him.”

Dele-Bashiru also spoke highly of fellow goalscorer Festy Ebosele.

“He's such a good player - very explosive and so quick.

“He hasn't played much since he arrived, but he came in for the Cup game against Manchester City and then started again against Sunderland. He's doing really well.

“The way we play, it's important to get the wing backs high up the pitch, so he'll always be in a position to score.”

Like his manager, Dele-Bashiru felt the match turned at half-time.

“It was literally a game of two halves,” he said.

“First half, we were in control and we had a few chances to kill the game off - counter-attacks where we could have done better with the final pass or with the decision making in the final third.

“In the second half we lost control of the game a bit.

“Sunderland improved, scored early in the second half then came at us with a lot of energy, spending a lot of time in our half.”

The need to maintain the impressive form at Vicarage Road since Tom Cleverley came in is not lost on Dele-Bashiru.

“At the start of the season, Tom and the coaching staff spoke to the boys about making Vicarage Road a fortress.

“It's very important to us to reconnect with the fans because they really push us on. Now we take real confidence from going into home games. We've made that reconnection.

“There have been a lot of ups and downs in the past but this season feels really different.

“That spell without a home win last season was really difficult.

“You always want to win every game and it's not like we went into games not trying or not giving our best, but sometimes these things happen.

“Since Clevs has come in, there's a new belief.”

Dele-Bashiru also spoke of the role Cleverley has played in improving him personally.

“The gaffer's great. When he came in last season, he put a lot of confidence into me.

“He told me his plan for me and how he wants to play, with me getting on the ball a lot. In training, he's always giving me ways to improve and taking my game to the next level.

“Honestly, for me he's one of the best coaches I've had.

“He understands the club inside out, speaks with a lot of authority and gets his ideas across. 

“He's a great guy away from football as well.

“Since he came in, we have won or drawn games that we would have lost before he took over.”