A FRUSTRATED Hornets manager Aidy Boothroyd was in a puzzled frame of mind after the game in which his side contrived to throw away a victory against the league's newcomers Blackpool.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road the boss was keen to make sure nothing was swept under the carpet following another unconvincing Championship performance.

"We wont be at the top for very long if we keep performing like that," said the straight-talking Yorkshireman, "there are a lot of disappointed players in the dressing room."

"If we'd have taken our chances then we would have come home 3-1 winners but when you win you tend to brush things under the carpet and it tends to be that a result like this is good for you.

"The players are disappointed, I'm disappointed but it's another point and we've got Sheffield Wednesday next where we've got work to do, the players know that, because we should be finishing teams off like that."

A slow start for both sides saw a tepid opening half but for Boothroyd it was his side's inability to spring to life that caused most concern on the day.

"The game didn't get going and the season hasn't to be honest, especially for where we are," he said.

"We're quite fortunate; we've relied on character and resilience in the early part of the season. We look a little bit undisciplined at times, we don't seem to have the energy at times, yet at other times we look terrific.

"It's definitely something to put right, but the players have got to put it right. Disappointed, a point gained, but we've got to make sure that we take three from somewhere else now.

"If we'd have won the game we'd have said we were a bit fortunate, they were as good as us. They weren't better than us but I do believe on our performance level today a draw was a fair result."

Boothroyd then explained his decision to sub both Darius Henderson and Adam Johnson in the mid point of the second half.

"It was more to do with performances than anything else. We've got a situation where I'm in a great position that if the team isn't performing I've got to do something to shake it up.

"I've got some excellent strikers and I've got some terrific wide players so that's my decision, that's what I'm paid to do. If we'd have won the game 3-1 and Tommy had've taken his chances then they would have been great substitutions, but on the day it didn't happen unfortunately.

"We've come to expect better now and when you see the results around the league you see that we should be up there and four points clear, and we're not. Maybe we need to come off the top perch for a while and get there in May, that'd be better."