Young Hornets duo George Abbott and Adrian Blake were delighted to book their place in the next round of the FA Youth Cup following a 3-0 win over Lincoln City.

Forward Blake etched his name onto the scoresheet twice after the half-time interval, with both goals coming from the penalty spot, while captain Abbott helped maintain an important clean sheet marshalling the ball away from danger.

The pair were pleased to see an improved second-half performance after struggling to make an impact in the opening period.

Abbott said: “I thought during the first-half it was quite tough and they were on us from minute one. I thought we were quite poor in the first 45 minutes, maybe even 60 minutes, but once we got into the game I thought we dominated.

“Then we had the class of Adrian [Blake] and Tobi [Adeyemo] up front. Tobi won the first and then Aaron [Benn] won the second, and Adrian put them both away.”

Blake added: “The first-half was quite sloppy and it took us time to get going. If it stayed like that then we would have lost the game, so we had to wake up. In the second-half, from the get-go I felt we went after it and the result showed. Obviously, in the end we got that 3-0 win and we can’t complain.”

Abbott and Blake have been at Watford since they were young, rising through the ranks almost simultaneously. As a result, the pair get on well and motivate each other during training and matches.

Blake continued: “George is experienced and the Under-17 captain of Wales previously, so it’s a pleasure playing alongside him. Every day I try to learn from him.”

Abbott explained: “Adrian is a brilliant teammate to have in the team. If things are ever getting tough and you need that little bit of class, we know that Adrian can give us that.

“And that’s the same with Michael [Adu-Poku] on the other side and Aaron [Benn] who came on – I thought they were brilliant as well.

“I think we have a great relationship and we have been teammates since I joined at Under-12s. Adrian has been here since Under-6s and Under-7s, so we have a great relationship.”

Having secured their place in the fourth round of the competition against Everton, Abbott and Blake are excited to take on their Merseyside opponents in the New Year.

Abbott added: “The FA Youth Cup is a special tournament and a special cup to try and win. Playing under the lights with quite a few fans is brilliant and we just look forward to Everton and we are ready to go.”

Blake said: “Everton won’t be as easy as this game, so we are up for it and we are ready. I back us against any team. We are ready for it.”