Watford midfielder Tom Cleverley insists there's positives to draw from defeat to West Ham.

Cleverley drew encouragement from the nature of the performance on an evening when Roy Hodgson's men probably deserved more.

“It was a strong performance," said Cleverley. “If you look back at those two performances we've just put in, it's probably the highest level of consistency we've had all season.

“We could've come away with at least a point today. It wasn't to be but I think we can take plenty of heart from how resilient we are and the quality we showed in glimpses. We're feeling a bit hard done by, but we can't feel sorry for ourselves.

“We feel a lot more confident in our shape [since Hodgson's appointment] but we have to try and get a complete performance and we've not managed to score in those two games, so we can't forget about the other side of our game.

“We've got plenty of quality in the team but we've just not managed to have the complete performance and added a goal to our strong game tonight, but it's a solid base to build from."

Cleverley claims the Hornets' new manager, and his assistant Ray Lewington, have taken the team back to basics over the past fortnight, an approach that resulted in Watford's first clean sheet of the season at Turf Moor at the weekend.

“He [Roy] has been brilliant along with Ray since they've come in," said Cleverley, who also revealed he enjoyed cutting onto his right foot this evening in a left-midfield position he occasionally occupied under Hodgson for England.

“They've really simplified what they want from the shape of the team and Roy's record alone must give the players confidence.

“I don't think he's ever been relegated from the Premier League and he's had bags and bags of experience, so that alone gives the players confidence that we can do it."