‘We still have a lot to learn’ says Watford Ladies boss after Everton defeat

It took the hosts until just after the half-hour mark to break the deadlock, with Paige Williams scoring from a corner to give her side the lead.

Goals either side of half-time would prove crucial; Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah doubled the advantage just before the interval and Michelle Hinnigan made it three with 52 minutes on the clock to make sure of the three points for Everton.

“It was disappointing,” said Salomon. “Everton are a very good side and deserved the victory.

“The players worked hard and I can’t fault their work rate, but we know that we can apply ourselves better than we did today when we have possession.

“If we could have avoided the second goal on the stroke of half time we would’ve laid a stronger foundation to build on in the second half.”

With an average age of 19.8 for the starting 11 on Sunday and 19.1 for the matchday squad, it’s clear there’s still lots of potential for development of the Berkhamsted-based club.

“We have to be patient with this group of players because they are all so young and they still have a lot to learn,” explained Salomon.

“We know that there are areas we still need to strengthen and improvements we need to see, but there are players here who have very bright futures ahead of them. Our job is to help them fulfil that potential.

“I believe in this squad and I am confident that we can turn our season around when we kick off again in July.”

There are now six weeks without a fixture for Watford, with the Lady Hornets next in action against Doncaster Rovers Belles on the July 11.

“I’m not a huge fan of the break, but it will give us an opportunity to regroup,” added Salomon. “We have learnt a lot of lessons from the first stage of the season.

“I’m not a huge fan of the break, but it will give us an opportunity to regroup,” Salomon added. “We have learnt a lot of lessons from the first stage of the season.

“We’ll use the period to make some changes and ensure we are giving ourselves every chance of being successful when we go again.

“We also hope to have two or three of our long term injury absentees back in contention. We’ll draw a line under this stage of the season, start again in July and come out fighting with plenty to prove.”