The Hornets have taken two points from their last six matches, home draws to Leicester City and Charlton Athletic, and this was the latest loss in which they made little impact on the game.
Still bemoaned more defensive mistakes being punished to take the game away from the Hornets in the first half, accepting that the team were suffering a low in confidence and morale that made fighting back difficult.
He insists his players are hurting, though, and vowed to fight on to turn things around in the final matches against Middlesbrough and Coventry City.
Still said: “I’m never one to give up, ever.
“I’ve got huge resilience. I’m a very proud person and I’m very, very proud to be manager of Watford FC.
“It’s hugely hurtful and painful, because I’m accountable to those fans also. To be sending fans home in this way for the past couple of weeks now is the most painful thing.
“I’m going to continue on – not just to continue, but with real perseverance. Trying to seek that confidence and to find the reaction that is needed.”
Is it becoming embarrassing for Still and his players to lose in an underwhelming manner so often?
He said: “When you’re on a run like this one, I can tell you the pride of the players is touched.
“The reactions that I’ve seen in the past couple of days, what’s happening on the training pitch, what was said at half-time. The players are touched.
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) April 21, 2026
“It’s not something that doesn’t affect people.
“It doesn’t affect everybody in the same way and some are more affected than others, that’s for sure.”
Still had referenced various details about culture and mentality in recent weeks and highlighted the “scar tissue” several of his players are suffering from as another season comes to a juddering halt ahead of time.
He said: “For many players, this isn’t the first time it’s happened.
“They have scar tissue from previous seasons.
“There are a lot of players who are either out of contract or on loan, and that’s something to deal with as well.
“It’s also a very young group, lots of very young players, for whom it’s the first time dealing with a situation where a team is low in confidence and that they have to step up and perform.
“It’s on us to push over that. Confidence being low is part of high-level football and it’s how to get over it.
“It’s not by relying on individual brilliance, it’s going to come from the collective and the club. Everyone standing together.”
Othmane Maamma comes forward (Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)
The game itself was essentially decided by half-time, when Watford had conceded from a cross into the box and then shipped their third goal from set-pieces in four matches.
The head coach said: “It’s the same emotion as the last game, that feeling that every little thing that can go against you goes against you.
“How we’ve let the player have a shot away from us when we’ve been so strict in making those positions, on being sharp and aggressive.
“And then we also suffered away to Oxford on set-pieces, where every chance came off a set-piece.
“We’ve spent so much time and done so much work on the training field in the analysis room with everybody, trying to make us stronger on defensive set-pieces.
“All of a sudden you’re running after the game and it’s difficult to get a foothold back in it.
“That’s the frustration. The lack of confidence that’s there in the team, it’s like a sucker punch as soon as one of those small moments goes against you.”