Watford captain Troy Deeney says he felt under more pressure taking his penalties in an empty stadium against Newcastle, than in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley during last season’s FA Cup semi-final.
Deeney scored twice from the spot on Saturday as Watford beat Newcastle 2-1 at Vicarage Road.
The win was a huge one for Nigel Pearson’s side, who are three points clear of the relegation places with three games to go.
And Deeney has revealed the pressure on him to score the penalties on Saturday was greater than against Wolves in last year’s FA Cup semi-final.
“It was probably more pressure than the Wolves one because we know what’s at stake,” Deeney told Watford’s website.
“We can’t afford to be naive to the situation that we’re in. We’re in a relegation fight.
“It’s a massive win but we’re ready to go Friday [against West Ham]. I don’t want to get carried away with it, it’s not ground-breaking stuff but the biggest thing for me and a lot of people at this club is making sure that next season we come back to a Premier League football club when the fans are eventually allowed back in. That’s the most important thing.”
