Mullins: I trust Hornets squad

CARETAKER boss Hayden Mullins says Watford will not be “staring down the barrel” tonight – despite having shipped 14 goals in their last two meetings with Manchester City.

The Hornets will send Bournemouth down if they can take a point off the side that humiliated them 6-0 in the FA Cup final 14 months ago and 8-0 at the Etihad last September.

But a heavy defeat would inflict serious damage to Watford’s goal difference and hand the Cherries and Aston Villa a lifeline in the battle to stay up.

With Mullins, 41, stepping into the job for the second time in a crazy season after Nigel Pearson’s brutal sacking on Sunday, it is down to the Under-23s manager to inspire a great escape for the side captained by Troy Deeney, above.

Watford were seven points adrift when Pearson joined in December. Fans and players were stunned when he was axed after a 3-1 defeat at fellow strugglers West Ham on Friday left them three points off the drop zone.

Mullins, who is being trusted as a safe pair of hands by owner Gino Pozzo, said: “I don’t think we are staring down the barrel – we are fully focused on our plan.

“We know what we are coming up against, but we also know we a job to do. Do I trust the players? Of course I trust them – these players are the same group who went to the FA Cup final last year, it’s a fantastic squad. “They know the enormity of the task in the next two games. “We have worked hard to get ourselves into good shape, into a good head space – if we stay up it time when Watford trailed 3-0 at West Ham. Mullins said: “There have been reports about Nigel being overaggressive with players, but that was definitely not the case. The boys probably expected to get a dressingdown