This morning (Thursday June 22) saw the announcement of the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship fixtures, with supporters having eagerly anticipated the news.

The release saw the Hornets confirmed to play Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road (Saturday August 5) in the opening match of the season. Meanwhile, the final encounter of the term comes against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium (Saturday May 4).

With the first week of pre-season coming to an end, the squad have been put through their paces as the countdown to the curtain-raiser begins.

Ahead of that clash, we have spoken to four members of the squad to gauge their reaction to the newly-released fixtures.

James Morris

“I always look for the first game and the last game when the fixtures come out. And now Southampton are in the league, my former club, I’ve kept an eye on when we will play them.

“When you see the fixtures have come out, you know what’s coming and that’s when you start getting excited.

“Now things start to ramp up and training has been really good. I’ve been getting to know the boss [Valérien Ismaël] and how he wants us to play. It’s been really enjoyable to learn a new style of play and be back with all the boys. Now our eyes are on that first game.”

Tom Dele-Bashiru

“The first match is against Queens Park Rangers and I’m really looking forward to that. I think I played them twice when I was on loan at Reading. One of those games was really exciting because we were 3-1 down and we came back to make it 3-3.

“My eyes are drawn always to the first and last matches. I’m really excited now to get going.

“For me, my time at Watford has been stop and start because of my injuries. I’m hoping now I can stay fit and really help the team during the season. Everyone is looking really sharp and I’m really excited to get on the pitch.”

Ryan Andrews

“The first home match against Plymouth (August 12) will be really important. You always want to play in front of your supporters. That will set the tone.

“If I’m honest, I don’t look at the fixtures too much. It’s important to take it game-by-game and not to look too far ahead. It’s about hitting the ground running. I’m looking forward to playing against QPR as well. When you look at previous matches with them, they have gone both ways so it should be a competitive one.

“Training for that first game has been really good and Valérien Ismaël is very certain on how he wants us to play. He has been drilling it into us from an early stage. I’m hoping it will be a very good season for us.”

Joseph Hungbo

“The fixtures look good and I’m excited. For me, it’s about hitting the ground running in the first two and going to Blackburn Rovers where we will come up against a really tough team. It’s about trying to cause every team problems.

“It’s always bittersweet when you play a former team. I know we play Huddersfield in November. I have built up a lot of great relationships with people on and off the pitch there. I can’t wait to be back at the John Smith’s Stadium, but I have a job to do and I want the three points. It will be great to see everyone, but bring it on.

“It’s been a really intense start to pre-season and the boss has been really demanding in what he wants. He wants to press with intensity and to work as a team. It’s all about the team. There is a good vibe around the place and hopefully we can showcase everything when the first game against QPR rolls around.”

Sync Your Calendar!

Click HERE to sync your online/mobile calendar with all Watford’s 2023/24 fixtures. Just select ‘Sky Bet Championship’ from the dropdown, and then ‘Watford’.

The calendar adjusts to your time zone and will automatically update throughout the season, so you’ll never miss a match!

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