MARVIN Sordell put in the hard yards to face his former club but the Wanderers striker knows the real work is only just beginning.

The England Under-21 international bagged his fifth goal in as many games from the spot at his old stomping ground Vicarage Road.

It was not a happy homecoming, though, and while Sordell is delighted that his opportunities are starting to arrive after many hours running round a breezy training ground at Euxton, his happiness is tempered by the fact his side are struggling for form.

“I'm delighted to have scored the goals I have, but I can’t really get too over the moon because it doesn’t matter too much if the team isn’t winning,” he said.

“We have got a really good side and I just think sometimes it’s down to the rub of the green. We haven’t got it recently.

“If we keep carrying on the way we are, we’ll pick up points and push up the table.

“There is always a future in good performances and if we keep believing, we can do well.”

Prior to the game Sordell had wondered what kind of reception he would get at the club he represented nearly 100 times, 12 months since leaving Hertfordshire for the North West.

He needn’t have worried – and the only time he got any negative vibe from the home fans was as he lined up in the 32nd minutes to take a penalty.

“That’s all the banter of the game,” he said. “They don’t want me to score and will try to put me off.

“I tried to keep my calm and pick my spot.

“Watford is probably always going to be home to me. All my friends and family live down here, so it is always going to be a special place for me.

“I'm glad I got a good reception. You see a few people who go back to their old clubs get booed but that's why I didn't celebrate when I scored – purely out of respect.”

Sordell has been asked to do up to FOUR training sessions a day in order to bring his fitness up to scratch and admits the running has been hard going.

“I have had quite a few tough sessions to be honest,” he said.

“It has been difficult and I've been doing three or four sessions a day, but I have got through it and now I am getting my reward.

“No player would put running at the top of their things they like to do but it has to be done sometimes and if it helps improve your performances then you get on with it.

Sordell picked up penalty duties from the injured Keith Andrews, and hinted that he might be ready to take the job on even when the Irishman returns.

“When you are 12 yards out it's just instinct,” he said. “I like taking them, picked my spot and the keeper went the wrong way.

“If Keith is on the field, I'm sure he'll let me have it because I'm a striker.”