Players sensed at half-time they would go on to win the game
The fortress that Vicarage Road has become saw one of its most exciting finales in some time, but it was an ending the players felt would materialise.
Captain Dan Bachmann said the mood in the dressing room at half-time was that Watford would win the game, despite trailing Portsmouth 1-0.
“To win it with pretty much he last touch of the game sums us up at home – we always find a way even if we’re not at our best,” the keeper reflected.
“For us to dig deep and win the game in the end, it always feels like that’s going to happen for us at The Vic at the moment.
“At half-time, we could sense in the dressing room that we were going to win the game.
“It doesn’t always work out that way in football but we had a feeling that we were going to give ourselves the best chance possible.”
Bachmann said he and his defenders were constantly talking about the need to stay patient and stick to the game plan.
“I kept saying to Polly and Ports to keep our heads and just stay calm,” he remarked.
“We scored after 57 minutes and there was loads of time left.
“I kept telling them not to make rash decisions, and they did brilliantly, kept the ball well, stayed patient and kept putting the pressure on the opposition and we kept our heads in terms of discipline.
“That was very important and I’m really pleased with the performance.”
Bachmann was a long way from the penalty decision, but he was much nearer a foul that he thought the referee misjudged.
“I didn’t see the penalty, but if we’re talking about refereeing decisions, one thing’s for certain - how the tackle on Polly was not a red card I’ll never know,” he said.
“Everyone, including the Portsmouth fans and the player who made it, was expecting a red card.”
There was, of course, a red card shown – after the final whistle to Kwadwo Baah, who received a second yellow card for celebrating in front of the Portsmouth fans in an obvious attempt to wind them up.
“He didn’t need to do what he did and he knows it,” Bachmann admitted.
“I had a word with him straight away and tried to stop him going there. Sometimes, emotions get the better of him.
“The bottom line is he doesn’t need to do it. He’s done his talking on the pitch, but he’s still young and it got to him.
“That’s part of football. It’s disappointing from KB’s point of view because he’ll miss the game on Sunday because of something so unnecessary.
“But football is a game of emotions, and sometimes they get the better of you.
“Every single footballer has made a mistake in that sense when it comes to emotions.
“You can’t always control them. We should do, but we’re human. In this case, KB got a little bit excited but right through the game he took a lot of stick from the Portsmouth fans.
“That’s the reason he did it – he got a lot of abuse from them throughout the game.
“There shouldn’t be too much made of it – he’s a 21-year-old player and I’m sure he’ll learn from it.”
Bachmann added with a smile: “For about two minutes I felt like a bouncer outside a nightclub – I just kept holding people back!”
