Head Coach Slaven Bilić stressed that he and his Watford squad know there is no time to lose as they bid to keep themselves in the promotion picture, ahead of the visit of Preston North End at Vicarage Road tomorrow (Saturday March 4, 3pm KO).

The Hornets currently sit eighth in the Sky Bet Championship table with 12 games to play, 14 points off the top two but just four behind local rivals Luton Town in sixth and with three of their next four games on home soil.

Though defeated by high-flyers Sheffield United last time out, Bilić has taken heart from the last five games that also yielded three successive draws and a victory over West Brom, and with the improved fitness of his players he is hopeful of kickstarting a winning run against Preston.

He said: “We were disappointed with the result last week of course, but I thought we controlled large periods, we contained them and we were good on the ball. It was only really in the final third that we weren’t good enough.

“But there were positives, like Imrân [Louza] playing just under an hour and some of the other recent returnees getting more minutes, like [Ken] Sema and João [Pedro] again. Everything is positive, because the guys’ fitness has got better, and now I expect us to play even better.

“We know we have to kick on, and that now is the time for the results. You can’t calculate how everything is going to go, but make no mistake, we’ll be going for 36 points from these next 12 games. We know where we are, but we are optimistic because this is the point of the season we looked at as being really important, and we knew we had to get to it without dropping too far away in the table.

“We still have a few players out injured, but I’d say now we’ve got 90 per cent of the players we’d use in these last 12 games, and they’re all getting stronger as we go on. We’re not happy with how some of the previous games have gone but we’re still in the running, and we believe that we have the tools to pick up good results, starting tomorrow against Preston.”

Having faced both Sheffield United and league leaders Burnley in their last three games - as well as the in-form West Brom - and come away with four points from a possible nine, Bilić acknowledged that the prospect of playing four teams (Preston, QPR, Birmingham and Wigan) sat below them in the standings during March represents a good chance to strengthen their top-six hopes.

But, well-acquainted with the English second-tier, the former Croatia boss insisted that the Golden Boys can only look as far ahead as their next game, with Ryan Lowe’s Lilywhites having demonstrated their quality in the reverse fixture in August.

“Some games do look easier on paper, but we know that good performances don’t come from paper,” he said. “We need to make that our motivation, and use these upcoming games to give us confidence, while also remembering that we haven’t got time to waste now.

“For now we just need to focus on getting a result against Preston. We are fully aware of how they play, and they are a good side who don’t concede many goals, but we will be ready to go.”

Finally, Bilić gave a mention to young Brazilian star João Pedro, who has showcased his maturity with the captain’s responsibilities in recent weeks, and fellow forward Keinan Davis, who the Head Coach is hoping can have a big influence on upcoming results.

“I speak to João on a daily basis, and I think he’s really enjoyed that extra responsibility,” added Bilić, 54. “He’s still very young but we know how good he is, and he’s a great person to have around the rest of the guys both on and off the pitch.

“Everyone says how good a player Keinan is, and he is a special talent. He is a big, physical guy, but he also has an unbelievably soft touch. The only thing he has been lacking recently is goals, but I’m confident he can play a big part in helping us to success up to the end of the season.”