Watford Under 23s praised by Hayden Mullins after Crewe Alexandra win

A brace each for Joseph Hungbo and Sam Dalby ensured the young Hornets remained top of the Professional Development League South with their seventh win of the season.

Following the game, lead development coach Hayden Mullins praised his team, but singled out Henry Wise, who provided assists for three of the four goals.

"There were some very, very good performances out there today and Henry was one of them," Mullins told the club website.

"He has shown a lot of improvement, he sees a lot of the ball and he likes to pass forward, which is a good attribute. He can play in a pair as the 10 and then in a three like he did today where he has a bit more license. He can do both and is a good all-round midfielder."

Mullins also spoke highly about goalscorers Hungbo and Dalby, saying they both were seeing the rewards of their hard work.

"He's doing really well and I'm pleased for him as he works really hard," said Mullins of Hungbo.

"His goals and his performances have come through his hard work and it's a good sign for the rest of the team that hard work pays off. We are getting into their head about working hard for the team and that's where a lot of his goals have come from.

"I'm very pleased for Sam. He gives us a real different option up there. We can go into him and he is a good team player. I'm glad the big lad is now chipping in with goals as all number nines want to score goals. He got two goals but, more importantly, he worked really well for the side."

Mullins was pleased with his side's overall performance, but admitted he was disappointed with the way his team conceded through an individual error.

"After Plymouth we spoke about being confident and expressing ourselves in the final third and we did that well today," he said.

"It was a very good, mature performance. The goal we conceded was a negative for us. It was a slip from one of the players, which was a shame, as we would love to have got the clean sheet."