Head coach Neil Redfearn believes that United remain on the right track despite Tuesday night’s defeat at Brighton, insisting that the progress made this season will serve the squad well in the long run.

The 2-0 loss at the Amex Stadium brought a halt to United’s three-game winning run and as goals either side of half-time inflicted only a second Championship defeat of 2015 upon Redfearn’s side.

But the head coach, who has overseen a dramatic upturn in results since the start of the year, is confident that, with a youthful influence and continental blend, United are heading in the right direction.

"We’ve made great strides, particularly with the young lads," he said.

"To have four young players come out of the Academy to become mainstays in the side is a big thing.

"There are other young players who can come in and compete as well at first-team level.

"I think we’ve had the togetherness among the senior players and the overseas lads have integrated – they’re finding their feet in the Championship because it’s tough, it’s unforgiving and difficult to play in.

"But we’re all a season better off. The plan is that we strengthen, we get one or new better ones in, along with the lads that have done well and the young players, and we hit the ground running next season."

On the midweek defeat at Brighton, Redfearn added: "It’s taken a little bit out of us, the journey alone, with the fact that it came on the back of a run of a lot of games.

"But the lads have got a real focus and a real direction of what they want to do and where they want to go.

"It was disappointing, Tuesday night, but that’s football. We’re not going to win every game.

"We’ve been on a really good run, we’re playing really well at this moment in time and we’ve turned our season around.

"We’ll get back to the stuff that we know. We’ll get the lads back out and we’ll put a performance in against Watford."

Redfearn was also reluctant to be too harsh on his players in the aftermath of the loss, admitting that the hosts were worthy of claiming the three points.

"We can’t take anything away from Brighton, I thought they played well on the night and we struggled," he said.

"I thought we looked a little bit jaded, if I’m honest, but we’ve had a real tough run of fixtures.

"We’ve got ourselves into a really good position and it’s taken quite a bit out of us. That happens in football.

"We’ve got to move on, we’ve got to pick ourselves up. We know we’re capable now.

"If you beat the top of the league home and away, and the likes of Bournemouth home and away, then you know you’re capable of beating anybody.

"The lads are confident by that and we’ll take that into the Watford game."