Each of Watford’s last three Championship victories have seen them come from behind, and while that displays great character it’s not a method of victory that is sustainable.

Indeed, going a goal down in league games has been a problem all season so far, and while obviously contributing to the lack of clean sheets it also means the Hornets are having to win games the hard way.

It’s something that has to change.

“For me, no, you cannot sustain that over a longer period,” admitted Tom Cleverley.

“We’ve conceded the first goal in seven of the nine games, and I said to the players after the game at Preston that you cannot go into a game at this level and wait for something to happen.

“You just cannot go 1-0 down game after game.

“We have to be the aggressors, we have to be on the front foot, we have to gain superiority in games.

“Does that open you up? Unfortunately it does sometimes, but that’s the type of coach I am. I won’t wait for something to happen.”

Of course, the upside to continually fighting back is it underlines a strong character within the squad and a never-say-die attitude.

“The character in the squad is top, and the poorer performances are genuinely blips,” said the Watford head coach.

“We’ve had spells or whole halves where we’ve not been at the races, and if we eradicate that then we’ll be in a much better place.

“The time is now to address that, as we’ve six games in the next block and four of them are away from home in some tough environments.

“I would praise the character of the squad and the reaction to setbacks.

“I like to focus on the positives but I can’t just turn a blind eye to some of the things we need to improve upon, nor will I.”