Featured post

20th September 2023- Championship, Watford 2 West Bromwich Albion 2

https://www.skysports.com/football/watford-vs-west-bromwich-albion/teams/484785
https://www.watfordfc.com/post-match/watford-mens-team-west-bromwich-albion-first-team-2023-09-20

BBC: Watford and West Bromwich Albion shared the points at Vicarage Road as Valerien Ismael’s Hornets were held to a draw by his old club in the Championship.

Sky: Tom Ince gave the hosts a third-minute lead but John Swift and Jed Wallace replied in the next 14 minutes for the Baggies. Matheus Martins responded for the Hornets but neither side was able to find a winner in the Championship fixture.

Watford Observer: Live feed

The conditions led to errors from both sides though, and one from Wesley Hoedt almost resulted in a winner for Brandon Thomas-Asante, but he was denied by an excellent Daniel Bachmann save after he had also kept out a stinging drive from the Albion striker earlier in the second period.

Head coach Valerien Ismael had seen tonight’s movie a few times already this season, and it’s not one he’s enjoyed previously.

It wasn’t just the sublime finish that made Tom Ince’s first goal for Watford a bit special, it was the move that led up to it as well.

Fran’s Watford Blog: In the end, a draw was probably a fair result.  All of the goals had been in the first 20 minutes, but both teams had chances to win it in the second half and had their keepers to thank for making terrific saves.  The conditions had been horrible, so misplaced passes could be excused, and I was glad that the weather didn’t lead to any catastrophic errors.  Watford’s game is still annoyingly error strewn, but the attacking threat continues, and it was a very entertaining game for those that braved the elements. 

Featured post

20th September 2014- Championship, Watford 1 AFC Bournemouth 1

Scan 14
Scan 15
Scan 16
Scan 17
Scan 18
Scan 19
Scan 20
Scan 21
Scan 22
Scan 23
Scan 24
Scan 25
Scan 26
Scan 27
Scan 28
Scan 29
Scan 30
Scan 31
Scan 32
Scan 33
Scan 34
Scan 35
Scan 36
Scan 37
Scan 38
Scan 39
Scan 40
Scan 41
Scan 42
Scan 43
Scan 44
Scan 45
Scan 46
Scan 47
Scan 48
Scan 49
Scan 50
Scan 51
Scan 52
Scan 53
Scan 54
Scan 55
http://watford.fcdb.info?id=5129

screen-shot-2016-09-12-at-23-36-22clips of Jon Marks BBC 3CR commentary   Goals:  1

BBC SportA late goal from Craig Cathcart denied Bournemouth a surprise victory at Watford.

BHappy imageBeing live on the telly carries with it a few considerations. For one thing, it’s an awful lot easier to write about a midweek trip to Blackpool, for instance, internet streaming or otherwise. If nobody’s seen the game then it’s not difficult to add to their understanding of how it went down… and less likely that anyone’s going to pick me up on a sloppy detail. Consequence number two is that everyone’s performing a little bit, even now in the era of blanket coverage. This went for daughter number one and daughter number two, stopped by a Sky crew on Vicarage Road at 11.15 and eager to wave their yellow, red and black garlands around their heads for the cameras. It went for the referee as well, who was irritatingly assiduous about free kicks being taken in the right spot but missed a lot of rather more fundamental stuff, frustrating both sides into the process. The close attention of Bournemouth’s aggressive midfield wasn’t acknowledged, Ian Harte’s lethal, cynical hack on Forestieri should have been given a red card… all round, tiresome. His performance was at the forefront of the girls’ post-match account to their great-grandmother, delivered with the withering shakes of the head of seasoned veterans.

Screen Shot 2018-09-19 at 20.48.49
Screen Shot 2018-09-19 at 20.48.19

Featured post

20th September 2008-Championship, Watford 2 Reading 2

The ‘Ghost Goal’ game where Stuart Attwell awarded a goal to Reading on the strength of his Assistant Referee Nigel Bannister telling him he thought he’d seen the ball cross the goalline despite being the only one in the whole ground to think so. It was awarded as a John Eustace own goal.

scan-56
scan-57
Scan 47
scan-58
scan-59
scan-60
scan-61
scan-62
scan-63
scan-64
scan-65
scan-66
scan-67
Scan 48
Scan 49
Scan 50
Scan 51
Scan 52
Scan 53
Scan 54
scan-68
scan-69
scan-70
scan-71
Scan 55
scan-72
scan-73
Scan 56
Scan 57
Scan 58
scan-74
Scan 59
Scan 60
scan-75
Scan 61
Scan 62
scan-76
Scan 63
Scan 64
http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4822

Watford were denied a win by a late penalty – and a farcical decision to allow an earlier goal to stand. Linesman Nigel Bannister flagged for a Reading goal instead of a corner after John Eustace challenged Noel Hunt and, incredibly, a goal was awarded.

BHappy image report: Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. What a completely mental decision.

Phantom goal will haunt rookie referee

Tilehurst End: Random Royal Moments: That Ghost Goal At Vicarage Road

screen-shot-2016-09-19-at-19-25-17
screen-shot-2016-09-19-at-19-26-27

Featured post

20th September 2005- League Cup Second Round, Watford 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4673

One look at the teamsheet told you everything you needed to know about the depth of our squad and with a pretty much full strength Wolves side taking the field, the test had come. With injuries and suspensions seemingly ready to take a first meaty bite out of our squad, Boothroyd wisely chose to rest Foster, Devlin, Young and Blizzard, while Fletcher was cup-tied meaning first starts for Toumani Diagouraga and Francino Francis. There was also a return for the veteran shot-stopper and all round good egg Alec Chamberlain and further chances for Al Bangura and Hameur Bouazza to shine, while James Chambers returned at right back with Lloyd Doyley slotting in at centre half to replace the banned Malky Mackay.

It was actually the oldest player on the pitch who kept us in it at one point. Alec Chamberlain, looking for all the world like a sprightly forty year-old instead of an ageing forty-one year-old, leapt to the aid of our defence to tip a powerful shot over the bar.

Having drawn the new squad in parallel with some automotive stuff I found myself being kept awake until 2.30 this morning by a frustrating urge to compare recent games with different types of armchairs. This could be something to do with being a bit on-off at work at the moment; it could be the non-conformist aspect of my personality seeking some form of retribution for my conformist views; it could be a way of including a particularly visual moment I had at a moment of Wolves’ misfortune or it could be that people might see where I am coming from and agree that describing a game of football to someone who wasn’t there is only partially adequate.

Featured post

20th September 2003- New Division One, Wigan Athletic 1 Watford 0

https://watford.fcdb.info/index.php?page=matches

You Tube video: https://youtu.be/AQGvTDrJRTI?si=_shmkIwM_yu6dkBf&t=1118

Observer, 21 Sep 2003
Sunday Telegraph, 21 Sep 2003

BSAD: Three match reports

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2003-09-20
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-1/21-september-2003/#google_vignette
Featured post

20th September 1997- New Division Two, Gillingham 2 Watford 2

http://watford.fcdb.info/index.php?page=matches
Sunday Mirror, 21 Sep 1997

BSAD: In a season crammed full of joyful moments, one more for the list of fond memories. Anyone who’s visited these pages regularly over recent months will know of my boundless admiration for Richard Johnson, a player who’s sweated blood and oozed class for Watford since the end of last season. So there will be few more heart-warming scenes than this – a terrace of fans belting out “Johnno, there’s only one Johnno” as our hero, wearing a smile so wide he’s probably done himself an injury, is hugged by his team-mates. At f***ing last.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1997-09-20
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/20-september-1997/
Featured post

20th September 1969- Division Two, Blackpool 0 Watford 3

Scan 9
Scan 10
Scan 11
Scan 12
Scan 13
http://watford.fcdb.info?id=2795
Evening Standard, 20 Sep 1969
Sunday Mirror, 21 Sep 1969
Sunday People, 21 Sep 1969

Watford Observer match report

Screen Shot 2018-09-11 at 12.07.02
Screen Shot 2018-09-11 at 12.06.41

Scan 109
Taken from the programme on 11th September 2004- Championship, Watford 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 1

17th September 2026- RIP Kevin Miller

Watford Observer: Double Watford FC Player of the Season winner Kevin Miller dies aged 57

‘Fantastic keeper and even better person’ – Watford teammates pay tribute to Miller

BBC: Ex-Exeter, Palace and Watford keeper Miller dies

Exeter City: Kevin Miller: 1969-2026

Crystal Palace: Palace mourns passing of Kevin Miller

Wigan Athletic: IN MEMORIAM | KEVIN MILLER

12th September 2026- Championship, Watford 1 Stoke City 2

Watford Observer: Boadu could feature before international break, with others to be assessed

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY AS IT HAPPENED: Watford 1-2 Stoke City

Match Report: Watford fall to bleak 2-1 Stoke defeat

Dionisi: ‘I speak for my players – to be clear, this is a very difficult moment’

‘We have a good team with all of our players – I am working for the future’

BBC: Stoke City produced a dominant display to beat Watford at Vicarage Road and extend their unbeaten Championship run to four matches.

Sky: McGlynn opened the scoring for Stoke on half-time with Eric Bocat doubling the lead 13 minutes into the second half. Amin Nabizada’s reply came too late for the Hornets.

Fran’s Watford Blog: It was a poor performance by the Hornets. Stoke were fast and strong and spent most of the game on the attack, but any time the Hornets got into their half, they had 10 men behind the ball. Bravo and Maamma who had shone in midweek did very little in this game. The brightest spark was Nabizada who scored another gorgeous goal.

From the Rookery End: Watford’s injury-hit squad struggled to get going as Stoke City left Vicarage Road with a deserved 2-1 win. Jon, Kieran and DCW pick through a disjointed performance, the growing injury list and a midfield stretched almost to breaking point. There’s also discussion about which of Watford’s attacking options can make a position their own, whether the international break will really solve anything, and the difficult hand Alessio Dionisi has been dealt.

8th September 2026- Championship, Watford 2 Preston North End 1

Watford Observer: ‘We’re Watford, we’ve got to be pushing to win these games’

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY AS IT HAPPENED: Watford 2-1 Preston North End

Match Report: Doumbia header seals Watford comeback win over Preston

Dionisi hails ‘big, big result’ as Watford battle major fitness issues to win

Dionisi: ‘Fantastic Kayembe is an example every day’

Excellent Ravaglia is keeping Watford in every game

Doumbia: ‘I tell the wingers before every game, make the cross’

Match-winner Doumbia: ‘Dionisi tells me he loves me’

BBC:Watford came from a goal down to beat Preston North End 2-1 at Vicarage Road to bounce back from two successive Championship defeats.

Sky; Callum Lang had shot the visitors ahead in the sixth minute as the visitors threatened to overrun the Hornets, who hit back with two second-half goals in seven minutes from Edo Kayembe and Mamadou Doumbia.

Fran’s Watford Blog: It had been a terrible first half of football, but the changes at the break made all the difference and it was a decent performance in the second half. Bravo made all the difference as, finally, we had someone in the midfield battling for the ball and launching attacks. His cross for Doumbia’s goal was perfect. He was my man of the match, but praise should also go to Ravaglia without whom we would have been further behind when we scored. Maamma was another bright spark. He has struggled in recent games, but was back to his best, powering down the wing and making the goal for Kayembe. He was also seen on more than one occasion tracking back and making important tackles. Kayembe gets a hard time from a section of the fan base, but he worked hard and I was glad that he scored and received the adulation from the fans. Similarly, Doumbia, who worked hard all evening and was rewarded with a goal.

From the Rookery End: Watford came from behind to beat Preston North End 2-1 at Vicarage Road – but it took a dramatic half-time intervention to turn a pretty grim evening around.

5th September 2026- Championship, West Bromwich Albion 1 Watford 0

Watford Observer: Dionisi on when Watford’s three deadline night signings will be match fit

Short recovery time is a challenge for Watford squad

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY AS IT HAPPENED: West Brom 1-0 Watford

Match Report: West Brom condemn Watford to back-to-back away defeats

Watford hopeful Bove avoided serious injury at West Brom

WATCH: Immediate reaction to West Brom 1-0 Watford

BBC: West Bromwich Albion had the free-scoring Jimmy-Jay Morgan to thank at The Hawthorns, the summer signing scoring the only goal as they defeated Watford in a tense contest to move up to fifth in the Championship table.

Sky: Watford are now winless away from home in their last nine trips, since February.

Fran’s Watford Blog: The Hornets were a bit unlucky not to come away with a point from this game. It had been another battling performance and, if Maamma had taken his chances, we could even have won it. The new boys looked promising, particularly Coulibaly, who caught the eye such that he had a song dedicated to him soon after entering the fray