3 things we clearly learnt about Watford after their 1-1 draw v Birmingham | OneFootball

Rob Edwards’ undefeated run as Watford boss continued last night after the Hornets drew away from home against Birmingham City in the Championship.

The hosts had taken the lead in the first half against the run of play, with Scott Hogan finding George Hall marauding into the Hornets box for his first Birmingham City goal.

Despite going behind, Watford continued to dominate the ball, and eventually found an equaliser just past the hour mark.

Ken Sema’s driven ball into the box was guided in by Rey Manaj for his first Watford goal.

In torrential rain and tricky conditions, Watford continued to press for a winner, but Birmingham remained resilient, with both sides ultimately sharing the spoils on the night.

With that being said, here are three things we learned about the Hornets during the match.

Mentality switch

Having been relegated from the Premier League last season, it became the norm to see Watford heads drop when going a goal behind.

It would be quite easy for the players to revert to that mentality in the Championship given that was just a few months ago, but you can see there has been a switch.

When Birmingham took the lead, Watford kept their heads up and continued to dominate, probing for an equaliser until they eventually found one.

It’s a stark shift in mentality from last season, which has also been evidenced by some defensively resilient displays already this season.

Quiz: Can you remember the score the last time Watford played at these 26 stadiums?

1 of 26

1. Portman Road

1-0 loss 1-0 win 2-0 loss 2-0 win

Edwards trusts Asprilla

Last summer, Watford struck an agreement to sign young Colombian attacking midfielder Yaser Asprilla.

Ahead of the new season, the Colombian linked up with the club and, despite it appearing like it would take some time for him to settle in, he was thrown in from the start away at St. Andrews last night.

That shows an immense amount of trust in the youngster, and he did nothing to damage this.

The 18-year-old showed glimpses of his ability and played some nice touches throughout the night, unphased by the occasion.

Rob Edwards had the following to say about the young midfielder, via Watford club media, after the match: “A nice little shout out for Yáser on his first start.”

“He did great.

“He looks about nine years old, like he shouldn’t be on the pitch.

“But wow, he’s got some personality, some ability, and some fight about him as well!”

Patience with Davis

Last but not least, we learned that Watford fans may have to be patient to see much of Keinan Davis.

There was much excitement when his arrival was confirmed recently, however, he only made the bench last night for the Birmingham clash.

Not only that, but when Rob Edwards took off Vakoun Bayo, he opted for Rey Manaj as his replacement, rather than Davis.

In the end, Davis came on late in the game with just minutes to spare, perhaps suggesting he is not quite match fit just yet.

As such, it may be a couple of games before we get to see him start for the Hornets.