Defender James Morris couldn’t hide his delight after completing 90 minutes of his full league debut for Watford, as the injury-plagued Hornets secured a dramatic 1-0 win at Norwich City.
Having featured four times off the bench in all competitions earlier in 2022/23, the 21-year-old was drafted in at wing-back from the start in Norfolk, and impressed with a battling display that epitomised the attitude and resilience shown by the whole team.
Vakoun Bayo’s 86th-minute winner secured a hard-earned three points for Slaven Bilić’s men - ending a run of successive festive defeats - and Morris was delighted to have marked his special personal milestone with a win.
“I’m absolutely buzzing!” Morris said. “The fact we’ve come away with the three points is obviously the main thing, and the fact it was my full league debut made it even better.
“It was hard work! Obviously playing wing-back you have to get up and down the flank, so it’s tough, but it’s always worth it when you get the three points at the end.
“I played next to Craig [Cathcart], and he was talking me through the game all the time, encouraging me. It was the same for everyone - every time I did something well the lads gave me encouragement - and obviously being my first start that gave me some confidence, and helped me perform well.”
A tally of 11 unavailable players before kick-off was increased by three in Norwich, with Samuel Kalu, Keinan Davis and Christian Kabasele all limping off during the match, and Morris insisted the whole squad deserved credit for the attitude and commitment shown in such adversity.
He said: “The last couple of games weren’t what we wanted, but we’ve come here today, all worked together, and you could see that team spirit on the pitch. We lost another three players to injury today, and we’ve got players playing out of position, but we all stuck together, which made the win even more enjoyable.
“We had the better chances during the game, and we deserved the win. The late winner makes it that extra bit sweeter, and we’ll all go away with big smiles after the way we’ve approached the situation we’re in.”
On a personal level, Morris is itching to add to his six Watford appearances so far, and after making his professional debut in the Emirates FA Cup against Leicester City last season, he is hopeful of more minutes in the same competition at Reading on Saturday (January 7, 12.30pm KO).
And finally, the former Southampton starlet paid tribute to the 1,886 travelling Watford supporters at Carrow Road, who he said played an integral role in the team’s first win of 2023.
Morris added: “I’m just trying to keep working hard, and if I get minutes I want to keep performing well. That’s what I’ll be looking to do during the rest of the season and beyond.
“The fans were brilliant throughout the game, and it was great when we all went over at the end. It’s an amazing feeling to go over to them and thank them for coming all this way, and reward them with the three points!”
