Watford defender Craig Cathcart has acknowledged that a lack of match fitness may have contributed to their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.
The Hornets held a narrow advantage heading into the final 10 minutes before the Blues netted twice to seal the three points at Vicarage Road.
The result has left Watford still searching for their first win of the season, but Cathcart is hopeful that the results will come as they begin to play more fixtures.
The Northern Ireland international told the Watford Observer: "Fitness might come into it a little bit, but it's still early in the season and we're all finding our feet. The games come thick and fast so over the next few weeks, I'm sure it won't be a factor at all.
"We want to mix it with the best teams and we did [against Chelsea]. It's hard to look at the positives because we feel so deflated losing those two late goals."
Watford are next in action when they host Gillingham in the EFL Cup second round on Tuesday night.
Darren Plant
