1:00pm Saturday 4th September 2010
By Frank Smith
Watford's latest member of the ‘300 Club’ is already looking towards the next milestone and plans to prove the doubters wrong along the way.
Lloyd Doyley made his 300th appearance for the Hornets in the 1-0 defeat to Leeds United but with two years left on his contract, the fans’ favourite hopes he can reach at least 400.
Doyley admits Saturday’s performance was disappointing and stated he would prefer if the international break had not been this week.
“I prefer to play Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday because if there is a defeat you can put it right straight away and you don’t have too long to think about it,” Doyley said.
“At the moment it is difficult to work on things because of all of the international players away so the squad is a little bit slimmer and we can’t work on certain things.
“I prefer to have another game and get on with it. But I guess at the same time, we can have a few days off ourselves to reflect on how we have done so far and take all the positives from our start.”
Watford began the season well with five points from their first three games but then followed it up with two defeats in a week.
However, Doyley said spirits remain high inside the camp and the young squad are keen to prove their doubters wrong.
“People writing us off does bring the squad together,” Doyley said. “Every commentator and every newspaper pundit put us to go down this season and it is a bit disheartening but it is up to us to prove them wrong and that is what we intend to do this year.
“The Championship is a very close league – two wins can push you right up the league and two defeats could see you right down the bottom. So we are going to take every game as it comes and prove people wrong.”
Doyley pin-pointed his only professional goal against Queens Park Rangers last season as one of the highlights of his career so far, along with the play-off semi-final win over Crystal Palace in 2006 and making his debut five years earlier as a 27th-minute substitute for Micah Hyde in a 3-3 draw with Birmingham City at Vicarage Road.
Doyley spoke to the Watford Observer minutes after the Hornets had completed the loan signing of left-back Andrew Taylor.
The 27-year-old is now expected to return to right-back but says he is not fussed either way.
“I describe myself as a defender now because I will play wherever,” Doyley said. “I have been playing left-back for the last 18 months so this is my position now, it doesn’t faze me anymore.
“When people ask me ‘what position are you?’ I say ‘I play anywhere along the back four, left-back, right-back, wherever you want me to play. I can fill in at centre-half if you want me to’.
“I don’t know what the boss’ plans are so I don’t know if I will be moving back to right-back, I will just take it as it comes.
“But obviously signing another left-back will help our squad as we do not have many left-sided players so Andrew is definitely welcome.”
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