Philip Zinckernagel and Xisco Munoz have praised the Watford FC ground staff, claiming the Vicarage Road pitch helps them win games.

A number of away trips this season have seen the Hornets playing on muddy surfaces and quagmires upon which it is difficult to play an attacking, passing game.

After the goalless draw at Coventry City earlier in the season, club captain Troy Deeney said "games at places with pitches that aren't up to standard will catch people out" and Watford have been keen to keep their own pitch up to as high a standard as possible.

Following the postponement to football midway through last season, the Hornets took the opportunity to pull up the pitch and lay new turf, which seems to be paying dividends this season. It has not gone unnoticed by those using it the most.

At the end of his post-match press conference on Saturday, following a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, head coach Munoz offered his thanks to the ground staff for their hard work.

"One thing I want to say is thank you for who is working on the pitch because today it was excellent," said Munoz. "I know they worked very hard the last two days because they didn't have a lot of time for the pitch recovery, and I think today it was excellent for us."

The coach's sentiments were echoed by Zinckernagel, who said that Watford might have won more games this season if they were playing on more pitches like their own.

"When you play at home it's nice and good, but sometimes when we've played against Millwall and Blackburn, it has been really difficult because the pitches are a bit bumpy," said the Dane.

"Great job to the people that take care of the pitch. It's a joy to play on that pitch, so that's nice.

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"I think if all the teams had a pitch like this we would probably win more games, but it is what it is and we've just got to try to win all the games at home, and I think we're doing pretty well."