Watford Under-23 coach Harry Kewell bemoaned defensive mistakes after his side's 4-1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

The Hornets took an early lead through Jerome Sinclair but were caught out at the back as the Owls came back to win comfortably at Vicarage Road last night.

Kewell said: "Four mistakes and four goals, its as simple as that really. I don't think you can give any team not only one chance but gift definitely three goals in the first half."

The Australian added: "We've played a lot worse and won and played a lot better and lost by a goal or something like that. But it's just mistakes. It's not as if Sheffield Wednesday have worked hard for it.

"I know they're a good team with a good work ethic and towards the end of the game they got a lot more chances because 4-1 down a lot of heads go down.

"But let's analyse the game properly. We were passing the ball well and moving it well but you just can't make mistakes."

The defeat was their first in the Professional Development League this season and Kewell remains optimistic overall despite the result. 

"Of course I'm very positive," he said. "I'm happy with my players but again they just need to know it's work now. It's not kids football, so they need to be able to step it up.

"Like I said, they're learning it and the majority of them are 18s and they're playing Under-23s now so it's a big step up for them. But they seem to be handling it.

"If you'd given me this start I would have taken it. But again it's still a learning curve not only for myself and for Hayden Mullins [assistant] but for the whole team. We're all working together to make it a good season hopefully."