Hull City manager Ruben Selles has said his team are as competitive as any team in the league, after defeat to Watford kept them perilously close to the relegation zone.
The Tigers offered little in attack at Vicarage Road, leaving them two points above Cardiff in 21st place with five games to play.
"We were competitive enough, the game was won in one action, they had a little bit more quality into the final third," Selles told BBC Radio Humberside.
"We gave up pressure too easily for their goal, and we defended out of structure.