Watford defender Jay DeMerit has backed his side to shrug off their recent troubles at Vicarage Road and secure a Championship play-off spot.Aidy Boothroyd's side have won just one of their last 13 games, including a terrible run of home form that has seen them slide out of automatic promotion contention.

The Hornets travel to Blackpool on Sunday knowing only a win will make absolutely certain of a place in the top six, although their current points total could still be enough should other results go their way.

But American centre-back DeMerit is hoping his team-mates will feel more at ease at Bloomfield Road and put the matter to bed.

"When someone makes a mistake away from home, we just get on with it but possibly we dwell on that at home and make things worse," he said.

"It's difficult to put our finger on why we have been so poor at home.

"When things might not be going our way, it seems the pressure from the fans and even the pressure we put on ourselves makes it go the wrong way.

"But I don't think it's all as low here as everyone seems to think it is."

The Hornets were eight points clear at the summit in November but have scored just four goals in their last eight appearances on home soil to pile the pressure on Boothroyd.

De Merit, however, has jumped to the defence of his manager.

"It's not always going to be rosy and it's not always going to be great," he added. "When you battle through things then sometimes it's better in the end and hopefully it will be the same this time.

"If sometimes he doesn't make the right decisions - and he's usually man enough to admit it - then you move forward and that's what it's about.

"We've all admitted we've got things wrong lately."

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