New Hull boss Ruben Selles is confident his side can climb up the Sky Bet Championship table after his first game in charge ended 1-1 at home against Watford.
Former Reading manager Selles, appointed as Tim Walter’s replacement on Friday, was denied a winning start by Watford substitute Rocco Vata’s late equaliser.
Hull looked set for their first win since October 1 when Chris Bedia stepped off the bench to break the deadlock in the 82nd minute.
Selles, who took his first training session on Monday, said: “We knew this squad was as competitive as any other team and we had a good impression of the team today.
“I think we have enough. We just need to keep going, keep moving, keep building and those marginal gains every single game will give us the victory and I think with one victory we will just move forward.
“But we need to be focused on the performance. Without the performance we will not be able to get points.”
Hull halted a six-game losing run, notching their first point since November 2, but remain winless in their last 12 matches and bottom of the table, one point from safety.
Selles added: “It looked like (a win) until the very last seconds. I think we were competitive. We had a lot of moments where we were the team we want to be.
“So I’m very proud of their effort. That last moment, yes, we are down, but the performance was really good.”
Watford manager Tom Cleverley was relieved his side left the MKM Stadium with a point, which extended their unbeaten run to five matches.
But they dropped to eighth in the table and sit one point adrift of the top six.
Cleverley said: “I’m really pleased with the players’ character to get the equaliser. Their new manager bounce – it felt a bit siege mentality – so it feels like a point gained.
“Second half, as the pitch cut up, we maybe tried over-playing. All their chances seemed to come from low turnovers for us and it was maybe up to me to find a solution, where we go a little bit more direct.
“The pitch wasn’t lending itself to playing football, so we couldn’t change the momentum in the second half.
“But Rocco’s an excellent finisher. He’s hungry to score goals and I’m sure he’ll get many more for this club.
“It will do a lot for his confidence. He’s earned us a point this evening.”
