Paul Heckingbottom criticised referee John Smith for his role in Watford's goal as they beat his Sheffield United side 1-0 last night, although he did acknowledge his players should've done more.

In what was always going to be a tough game for the Blades, they were beaten by a Joao Pedro goal in the second half, which actually came from a corner for the visitors.

Oliver Norwood pulled the ball back to the edge of the box for John Fleck, but the official was in the way and it meant the Scotsman couldn't get a clear run on the ball and his weak effort was blocked, starting a counter attack from which the Hornets scored.

And, speaking to Yorkshire Live, Heckingbottom was not pleased with Smith but he was also critical of his side, who had opportunities to clear the ball but failed to do so.

"He played a major part and it doesn't happen without the involvement. We could have stopped it though. Yeah fine margins we knew the game was going to be about their threat on the counter and it played that way. It's frustrating when undone like that."

The verdict

This is a pretty fair assessment from Heckingbottom, as there's no denying the position of the referee meant Fleck didn't make the connection he wanted.

However, as he says, there's still a lot for the players to look at, as they managed to get back well but couldn't clear the ball, whilst the marking wasn't good enough.

So, that capped off what was a frustrating night for the Blades, who will already be looking to bounce back against Millwall this weekend.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.