Watford defender Craig Cathcart has admitted that his year could not have gone any better after the club were promoted to the Premier League.
The 26-year-old was released by Blackpool at the end of the 2013-14 as part of an exodus from the Tangerines, but was snapped up by the Hornets to play a crucial part in their surge to the top flight.
Cathcart has also revealed his delight with the performances of Northern Ireland as his side have put themselves in a strong position in their qualifying campaign for Euro 2016.
He told reporters: "It couldn't have gone any better really. This time last year I was out of contract and just about stayed up at Blackpool. A year down the line I've been promoted into the Premier League and in a great position with the international team so it couldn't really have gone better in football terms for me.
"For every team that goes up in the Championship, the next season in the Premier League is going to be difficult. You look at the likes of Leicester this year - that's the sort of thing we want to do. We want to stay in the Premier League for as long as we can and hopefully build on that.
"With Northern Ireland, we have got ourselves in a great position; hopefully we can carry it on through the campaign and get to France. It would be a great experience to get there."
Cathcart made 30 appearances for the Hornets last season, scoring three goals.
Simon Sinclair
