Defender James Morris was pleased with Watford’s gutsy performance as they came away with a 2-0 win over Blackpool in the Sky Bet Championship.

The Hornets applied the pressure early and had Blackpool on the back foot, and were unlucky not to go one up early on when an Ismaïla Sarr effort struck the crossbar following a corner.

Morris was part of a starting backline that was able to keep the visitors quiet throughout the match, but when the two sides went into the break level, Head Coach Slaven Bilić’s changes and half-time words could be seen as the turning point in the game.

“In the first half, we were probably the better team,” Morris said. “It was just that end product, it was that last ball. They tried to disrupt us, and I think in the first half that’s what they did.

“[Bilić] told us to keep doing the same things, keep doing what we’re good at, and I think that’s what showed at the end. We got the end result, got the goals and got the win.”

An abundance of youth has been on display at Watford in recent weeks, including senior debuts for the likes of Academy starlets Tobi Adeyemo and Jack Grieves, who once again made an impact against Blackpool. On Adeyemo’s home and league bow for the Hornets, the 17-year-old forward was able to break the deadlock and put his side ahead four minutes after entering the action.

On the moment, Morris commented: “It was brilliant. I remember just seeing [Adeyemo] score, putting his hands on his head in disbelief. It’s a great feeling to have someone from the Academy come on and score and help us win the game.

“It’s brilliant for him, he’s worked really hard. Scoring in front of that home crowd is amazing for him. The boys came on and did brilliantly, and we managed to capitalise and get two goals.”

The shutout against the Tangerines made it two clean sheets in a row in the league, and Morris - who has now started consecutive Championship matches - played an important role in preventing Blackpool putting the ball in the back of the net, ultimately helping the Hornets secure all three points.

“We can only do our job as defenders, and if we keep a clean sheet, we give ourselves the best chance of winning the game,” he said.

“That’s massively important [Watford’s clean sheet], two in a row now, Norwich City away and here today. We have another big opportunity [in the next fixture against Rotherham] at home in front of the fans, to get another three points and help us climb the table.”