Ryan Porteous has earned rave reviews from Watford fans already in his spell at Vicarage Road – though the former Hibs man was seething at a last-minute Burnley equaliser against his side on Tuesday evening.
Porteous grew up in the Hibs academy, playing for his boyhood club for 11 years after joining as a 12-year-old from Aberdeen. Making over 150 appearances for the Easter Road side in all competitions, Porteous forced his way into the Scotland set-up and at just 23, became one of the top defenders in the Scottish Premiership. It wasn't long until he moved on after refusing a new deal under Lee Johnson, with Watford becoming the side that secured his signature in January.
The Dalkeith-born star scored on his Hornets debut, and has continued to impress with assured performances - none more so than on Tuesday evening as he fell under the scrutiny of the Sky Sports cameras in an away trip to league leaders Burnley. And despite the home side equalising in the last minute to continue their unbeaten home run in the division, Porteous admitted he was loving life in Hertfordshire, with fans sharing their love on Twitter.
He told Watford's official website: "With the manner that they have equalised, it’s hard to see the positives at the moment. It’s still quite fresh in the mind so it’s difficult. They’re a good team, we dug in and we showed fight, but it’s bitterly disappointing and it’s another two points dropped.
“We definitely showed heart and character to try and keep that lead which is something we have maybe lacked before, but the positives are that they are a top team, they are at the top of the table for a reason, but we wanted all three points.
“You can plan the way you want to play the game and you might want to dominate the ball a bit more, but sometimes - especially in this league - you need to dig in and fight and I felt we did that for the majority of the game.
“They (the fans] were fantastic again and they have been making noise throughout the 90 minutes of every game. They have welcomed me in very well and I’m loving it here.”
The feeling has become mutual between Porteous and the fans, with many taking to Twitter to share their love for the former Edinburgh City loanee. One said: "God I love Ryan Porteous so much", whilst a second declared: "Ryan Porteous is the Scottish Bobby Moore."
A Hibs fan even got in on the act, saying: "Me searching 'Ryan Porteous' every time Watford play to see how much their fans love him :(", whilst a Watford fan rubbed salt into the wound by stating: "Calling it now, Ryan Porteous is the best centre back #watfordfc have had in my lifetime!"
