Watford goalkeeping coach Graham Stack has admitted he was in awe of Ben Foster and Heurelho Gomes when he was given the chance to work with the pair.

After he and Hayden Mullins made the step up to the first-team coaching squad under Nigel Pearson, Stack said he felt both excited and under pressure to try and improve two goalkeepers with a vast wealth of experience.

Speaking on the club's official podcast, he said: “When I first moved up and took responsibility for looking after the goalkeepers, I was in awe a little bit, but I was excited and part of me felt added pressure really to make sure I was ready and I was able to get the best out of top goalies, not just 18-year-old, 19-year-old young goalies.

“These are players that have played at the very top and you’re almost putting yourself under pressure to make sure the minute you step foot on the grass with these lads that you’re comfortable and able to stimulate and basically improve them.

“That was a bit of a tall order because you’ve got Gomey and Fozzy who have been at some wonderful clubs and probably worked with the best goalkeeper coaches around, and I’m pretty new to this. But you know, from the very first session, they’ve absolutely welcomed me with open arms, and I love the relationship we’ve got as players and coaches together.”

As well as Foster and Gomes, Stack has also been working with Daniel Bachmann and Pontus Dahlberg, both of whom are hoping to provide stronger competition for the first-team in the seasons to come.

However, Stack believes the environment in which the goalkeepers train is positive as well as competitive.

“I’d like to think we understand each other, we drive each other, they challenge me, and I challenge them. We’ve got a bit of camaraderie and a bit of spirit now between the ‘keepers and it’s been brilliant,” he said.

“We have a laugh, which I think is absolutely massive because I want players to enjoy training, have smiles on their faces, but at the same time I want them to leave the training ground or come out of a session having accomplished something as a group of ‘keepers. I think we’ve done that as a group.

“There’s competition, we’ve got a bit of a mixture because we’ve got young goalies in Pontus and in Dan, then we’ve got two very experienced goalies in Gomey and Fozzy. They’re all very likeable characters, all very different, they all have different strengths and weaknesses but the actual blend of personalities we’ve got there is unbelievable.”