Watford midfielder Almen Abdi has revealed that his side were "mentally down" going into their playoff semi-final first leg with Leicester City on Friday night.

The Hornets missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of the Championship season, with their defeat to Leeds United resulting in Hull City taking their place in the top two.

Watford were beaten 1-0 at the Walkers Stadium, and Abdi is adamant that his side can play better.

"It was a tough game. We knew it would be before," Abdi told Sky Sports News "It's half time at 1-0 and we play at home on Sunday with everything in our hands.

"I think they played better today, it wasn't our best performance.

"We were mentally a bit down after Saturday's game, but it's another chance for us. We will give 100% until the end and it's not over, we can score a goal at any time."

The return leg takes place at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

Written by
Matt Cotton