Slavisa Jokanovic says Watford's Championship clash with Bournemouth this evening will be a true test of his side's promotion credentials

The Golden Boys have secured emphatic 5-0 and 7-2 victories over struggling Charlton Athletic and Blackpool in the past two weeks.

But unlike the Hornets’ last two opponents, Bournemouth are not in turmoil off the field and Eddie Howe’s side have topped English football’s second flight for the last seven weeks.

When asked if The Cherries will be the real test for his side, Jokanovic replied: “Yes, that is true. [The 5-0 win over] Fulham [in December] does not exist, it is in the past. We have played well on some days in the past and we have left this behind many times.

“There is a new exam in front of us. It is one of the more quality teams in the league. It is a good test for us and it is a good moment to know what we can do in the Championship.

“But this is not definite. After this game we have a huge number of games and many points to battle for in front of us.

“Is it important? Yes. All the games are important. Is it a little bit more important because it is a team in front of us? Yes it is because we can reduce the number of points [between us].”

The Golden Boys are sixth and four points below leaders Bournemouth and second-place Derby County.

Jokanovic praised the Cherries’ style of play but does not expect many surprises from Howe’s side.

He recognised Bournemouth’s good team ethic and work rate and told his players they must match both if they want to secure all three points at the Goldsands Stadium.

The Hornets head coach said: “If we lose the game because we don’t have a high level of spirit that is a stupid way.

“I expect we will resolve this problem and we are a more compact group now.

“Sometimes I have complained about this but my complaints are over. It is clear what we must do now.

“My team are starting to believe in the team and their teammates. My team are starting believe they can change things as a team.

“In the past I’ve had situations where some guys believes they can change everything or do something alone.

“This doesn’t exist in football in my opinion. We must still be more compact and if you don’t believe we can do important things then go home and go on holiday.

“We have three months and we must prepare and believe. We have the backing of the club and supporters and everything is there to support our work.

“Now it depends on us and what we are going to do on the field.”

Inconsistency is a word which has defined Watford’s season. Their form against teams in the top and bottom halves of the Championship highlights that further.

When the Hornets have faced teams in the top 12 places, they have won just twice, drawn four times and lost on five occasions. Only five other clubs have a worse record.

Jokanovic acknowledged: “It is true, we won against Brentford but not the other teams at the top of the Championship. In front of us is the chance to fix this problem.

“We have an exam in front of us on Friday. In the past we didn’t deserve to lose against Ipswich and Derby, but we did.

“That is our situation and I agree that we haven’t won many points against the top six. Now we have the chance to fix this problem.”