Watford captain Mattie Pollock has urged his side to "stick together as a team" after a difficult start to the 2026-27 Championship season left the Hornets sitting 18th in the table following five matches without a win.

A bright opener, then a stall

Watford began the campaign with an encouraging victory over Southampton, but that early promise has since given way to an uncomfortable sequence: two draws and two defeats from their subsequent four league outings. The most recent setback was a narrow loss at West Brom on Saturday, leaving Alessio Dionisi's side in the bottom half of a division where points are tight and confidence can turn on a single result.

The winless run stretches to five matches in all competitions, with a 5-1 EFL Cup defeat to Peterborough last month also part of the backdrop. Pollock, speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio, was direct about what is needed.

"We've come up short in the last two away games, so we've got to make sure we put things right in front of our crowd and get the fans with us," he said. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure the lads stick together. We came up short at the weekend, but if we can start scoring goals and winning games, then it can still be an exciting season."

What that means in the table

Five games into the season, a position of 18th is uncomfortable rather than catastrophic. The Championship table remains fluid at this stage and a run of home fixtures offers Watford a chance to arrest the slide on familiar ground. The concern for Dionisi, though, is that the attacking output has not been consistent enough: scoring goals, as Pollock acknowledged, is the central problem. A side that cannot convert its chances will struggle regardless of the defensive solidarity Pollock is trying to foster.

Vicarage Road has traditionally been among the more reliably backed grounds in the second tier. Whether a restless home crowd serves as fuel or added pressure over the coming week will tell us something about how settled this squad actually is.

Two massive games

Pollock was named club captain in July and has already found himself carrying much of the public-facing responsibility for morale during a difficult spell. His language in the BBC interview was careful but pointed: this is not a captain who is papering over cracks with hollow optimism. He framed Tuesday's home fixture against Preston and Saturday's visit of Stoke City as "two massive games," and that assessment is not an overstatement given where Watford currently sit.

Preston and Stoke will both be looking for points of their own in a division where mid-table is a crowded and competitive space. Neither game will be straightforward, and Watford's inability to score freely in recent weeks means that manufacturing chances will not be enough on its own.

The wider picture

Dionisi arrived at Vicarage Road carrying expectations built on a coaching reputation earned in Italy. Five games into his first Championship campaign, the early evidence suggests the division's physical demands and congested fixture list are presenting the same challenge they tend to pose to managers new to English football. That is not a verdict, merely an observation: five games is a sample too small to draw firm conclusions from.

What is clear is that the next week could set the tone for the rest of the autumn. Win both home games and Watford are back in the conversation. Lose them and the pressure on Dionisi's methods, and on this group of players to respond to what is being asked of them, will grow considerably. Pollock's call for unity is the right instinct. Whether the results follow is another matter entirely.

Frequently asked

Why are Watford struggling in the Championship this season?
Watford have drawn two and lost two of their four league games since an opening win over Southampton, with a lack of goals a key issue. They also lost 5-1 to Peterborough in the EFL Cup, extending their winless run to five matches in all competitions.
Who is Watford's captain for the 2026-27 season?
Mattie Pollock was named Watford captain in July 2026 ahead of the new Championship season.
What are Watford's next fixtures in the Championship?
Watford face Preston at Vicarage Road on Tuesday, followed by a home game against Stoke City on Saturday.