Head Coach Slaven Bilić has called on his Watford side to channel the character and application displayed during the impressive 1-0 win over Norwich City earlier this month, ahead of Saturday’s home clash against Blackpool.

The Hornets remain plagued with a series of injury problems in the build-up to the Graham Taylor Matchday at The Vic, following last weekend’s brave Emirates FA Cup exit at the hands of Reading when the Croatian boss made 15 changes to his squad and handed out five senior debuts.

While acknowledging the situation remains bleak - despite the potential return of midfielder Hamza Choudhury - during his pre-match conference, Bilić hailed his squad’s attitude and commitment on and off the field over recent weeks.

And, though he expects a tough game against Michael Appleton’s Seasiders - who sit in the relegation zone but beat Premier League Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup last time out, and triumphed in the reverse fixture in October - he is expecting another gutsy performance from his charges that he hopes can yield all three points.

“We know playing Blackpool is going to be a big challenge,” said Bilić. “We always talk about how the Championship is so tight, and there are no games where you can relax. Every team in this division has their own goals.

“They’re a competitive side. We were dominant on the ball, but we lost the last game against them because we couldn’t cope with their counter-attacking and our defending wasn’t good enough, but we know what to do to change that.

“It’s true we’re still in in a tough situation with injuries, but it is what it is. We’re not going to moan about it, we’re going to get on with it, and the Norwich game showed what we can do when we’re all driving forward.

“It’s the Graham Taylor Matchday, and of course that will add to our motivation. Unfortunately, I never met him, but I’m aware how important he is to this club’s history and I know it’ll be a special occasion for everyone.”

The first home game of the New Year could provide Watford supporters with the opportunity to see recent arrivals João Ferreira and Matheus Martins in action for the first time, with the latter’s involvement depending on the confirmation of his visa.

With Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné having also officially joined the club during the ongoing transfer window, Bilić is hoping for more activity alongside the return of some of his injured stars.

He said: “Ferreira is likely to be involved against Blackpool, because he’s fit and he’s trained with us. Koné played his first game last weekend, and Martins is with us too.

“We know we need more numbers available to us, but our targets are more or less the same as they were before the injuries started to bite.

“The Academy lads that have stepped up recently have done well and played without fear, which put a smile on my face. Some of them will remain in my mind to be considered if we need them going forward.”

Watford currently sit fourth in the Championship table with 20 matches of the season remaining, and though they are 11 points off the automatic promotion places Bilić knows there is still plenty to play for.

He added: “We know it’s a big gap, and that the one below us is very small, but we also know that three or four games in the Championship can change everything.

“We’re taking it game by game, just trying to get as much as we can out of each match. If we win a lot of our games and pick up some momentum, anything can happen.”