Nigeria midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru was pleased to play his first 90 minutes with the Watford first-team in the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday, but was disappointed with the way they let a three goal lead slip away in 3-3 draw with League One strugglers Tranmere Rovers.
Dele-Bashiru opened the scoring for the Hornets in a positive first-half during which they scored three goals.
However, a second-half fightback from Tranmere for a final 3-3 scoreline means Watford will now have to visit Merseyside next week for a replay, and Dele-Bashiru is keen to learn from the mistakes made during the Saturday’s game.
He blames The Hornet’s poor second half on lack of organisation.
“It was tough, being my first 90 minutes,” Dele-Bashiru told the club’s official website.
Also Read – FA Cup: Balogun Subbed Off In Brighton’s Home Loss; Dele-Bashiru Scores, Success Bags Assist In Watford Draw
“Towards the end, I was struggling a bit but it was a great feeling. The crowd were very vocal, very supportive and it was just good to make them proud and show them what I can do. Mapps [Adrian Mariappa ] was giving me a lot of advice, telling me to stay switched on and not to lose concentration. I then had to help Callum [Whelan] when he came on. The older players gave lots of support.
“It was a good feeling to get my first goal as I’ve been working hard in training and it was exciting to show what I can do, but the result wasn’t what we wanted. We kind of lost our organisation in the second half.
“In the first half it went well, we had possession of the ball but they changed formation in the second half, they pressed us high up and we were forced to kick it long at times and give them the ball. We could have dealt with the pressure better and created more options for each other on the ball. But there are positives to take and we can go and do it right in the replay.”
Dele-Bashiru is now eyeing up his next first-team opportunity, something he has been told will come by head coach Nigel Pearson.
The 20-year-old says the boss has motivated the players to work hard and prove themselves since his arrival last month.
“He’s just a good guy,” said Dele-Bashiru.
“He motivates all the players, he tells us our chance will come and that you have to take it when it does. He demands a lot from everyone. I’ll keep working hard in training and show that I’m ready to play.”
