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15th October 2022- Championship, Watford 2 Norwich City 1

WFC.net goal commentary: 1  2

Attendance: 19,400

BBC Sport: Imran Louza and Keinan Davis scored for Watford as the Hornets bounced back from two straight defeats to beat Norwich City and move back within two points of the Championship play-off places.

Sky Sports: Josh Sargent then pulled one back for Norwich, but they could not get level as they missed the chance to go top of the table. They drop to third after Burnley won earlier in the day to move above them and Sheffield United to the summit.

BHappy: There are (to varying degrees) nascent partnerships all over the pitch.  Gosling and Sema, our unlikely right flank.  Louza and Asprilla.  Sarr and Kamara, who spends the evening bounding forward like an excited puppy in a manner that Isma might find familiar.  Their first link up sees Kamara dink a pass over two opponents to where Sarr has skipped unnoticed;  young midfield Liam Gibbs is panicked into grabbing an arm and Sarr’s momentum does the rest. Good to see goal machine Louza, having so gloriously if inconsequentially broken his duck at Bloomfield Road, grabbing the ball in JP’s absence.  Not so good to see Gunn save well as the Moroccan international struck the spot kick firmly yet eminently saveably to the keeper’s left but hugely heartening that we didn’t miss a beat – to the extent that City fans’ celebrations at their let-off were quickly dampened by the aggression with which we chased down and regained possession after the spot kick, albeit to no immediate benefit.

Fran’s Watford Blog: Asprilla put in a wonderful performance.  In previous games, while he obviously has talent, he has looked like a boy playing against men, too often outfought as he tried to make things happen.  On this occasion, he was going on runs, jinking past players and finding team mates with some clever passes.  It was a shame that he had to go off, I hope that he is not out for long.  Gosling was excellent.  There was some scepticism when he was drafted in at right back, but he looked the part on Saturday.  So often it was his head on the end of high balls into the Watford box and the tackle to stop Sargent’s run near the end was superb.  Sarr was the Sky man of the match for a performance in which he shone.  Gone was the unmotivated sulky demeanour and back was the creative player making and taking chances.  He even joined in the lap of honour at the end with some enthusiasm. 

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15th October 2011-Championship, Watford 0 Crystal Palace 2

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BBC image report

BHappy image report: with NOTHING coming into the gap between the opposition midfield and defence the strikers are playing perpetually with their backs to goal;  the ball goes wide, then back to midfield, then wide, then we lose it.

http://watford.fcdb.info?s=31800&id=4978
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15th October 2005- Championship, Watford 1 Leicester City 2

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Leicester claimed their first away victory of the season at Watford.

Don’t let me paint this as a crisis. It isn’t, and it doesn’t need to be. But it shouldn’t be taken lightly either, just because the start to the campaign was so exuberant and so refreshing. For the second time, we dropped points at home in a tight game, leaving a striker on the bench with a substitution to spare.

http://watford.fcdb.info?s=31800&id=4677

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15th October 1996- New Division Two, Watford 2 Burnley 2

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Confident? Only slightly, to be honest. During the summer, I said that I didn’t believe the current squad would be capable of winning promotion – less to do with the quality of the players, more to do with the total lack of strength in depth. I wish I’d changed my mind but I haven’t. We had three YTS players on the bench last night and, while it’s great to see that we have so many young players progressing through the club, that indicates that we’re dreadfully short of options.

http://watford.fcdb.info?s=31800&id=4211
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15th October 1977-Division Four, Aldershot 1 Watford 0

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http://watford.fcdb.info?s=31800&id=3196
Southern Evening Sports Echo, 15 Oct 1977
Sunday Mirror, 16 Oct 1977
Sunday People, 16 Oct 1977

Watford Observer match report

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1977-10-15
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-four/15-october-1977/

Scan 61
Taken from 10th August 2010-League Cup First Round, Aldershot Town 0 Watford 3 programme.  The date of the match is incorrect and I assume the ‘Around this day in 1984’ was a printing error.

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15th October 1966- Division Three, Swansea Town 2 Watford 2

Programme images courtesy of Matt Hall

http://watford.fcdb.info/index.php?page=matches
Evening Standard, 15 Oct 1966
Sunday Mirror, 16 Oct 1966
Sunday People, 16 Oct 1966

Watford Observer match report

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1966-10-15
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15th October 1963- Division Three, Watford 3 Crystal Palace 1

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=2493
Daily Herald, 16 Oct 1963

Watford Observer match report

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1963-10-15
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/15-october-1963/
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15th October 1957- Division Three (South), Watford 1 Colchester United 1

Programme images courtesy of Matt Hall

https://watford.fcdb.info/index.php?page=matches
Daily Telegraph, 16 Oct 1957
Liverpool Daily Post, 16 Oct 1957
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/division-three-south/15-october-1957/#google_vignette

13th October 2026- Championship, Cardiff City 5 Watford 1

Watford Observer: Alessio Dionisi calls for hard work to improve Watford’s form

Watford Observer: Matchday LIVE: Cardiff City 5-1 Watford: Kyprianou pulls one back

Match report: Cardiff City 5-1 Watford: No change, no response

Alessio Dionisi insists questions over Watford future are not for him

Alessio Dionisi set to stay as Watford head coach

BBC: Cardiff City thrashed Watford 5-1 as the Hornets’ worrying slump continued and prompted fans voicing their anger at the club’s ownership.

Sky: This was a fourth defeat in a row and the sixth in the last seven games. With Burnley continuing their revival with a draw at home against Charlton it meant Dionisi’s side slipped to 22nd in the table while the Bluebirds flew up to 18th.

10th October 2026- Championship, Watford 0 Burnley 4

Watford Observer: Alessio Dionisi confirms major Watford fitness boost ahead of Burnley clash

Alessio Dionisi excited for Watford’s Vicarage Road return against Burnley

Watford to pay tribute to Kevin Miller ahead of Burnley clash

Watford Observer: Matchday as it happened: Watford 0-4 Burnley

Match report: Watford suffer heavy home defeat against Burnley

“I’m sorry” – Alessio Dionisi issues apology after Burnley thrashing

Sir Elton John says he is “very upset” about recent Watford decline

BBC: Burnley thrashed Watford at Vicarage Road to secure a first league victory of the season and climb off the foot of the Championship.

Sky: When Stoke won 2-1 at Vicarage Road last month, it ended 251 days without a win on the road for the Potters. Here, Watford extended more charity to the Clarets, who ended 241 days without an away win comfortably.

Fran’s Watford Blog: Prior to kick-off there was a minute’s applause for Kevin Miller who recently passed away at a tragically young age. It was impeccably observed.

From the Rookery End: A disastrous afternoon at Vicarage Road saw Watford fall to a 4–0 defeat against Burnley, leaving supporters with plenty of questions about where the Hornets go from here.

Following the game Troy Deeney made this comment on Instagram about the club’s current direction.

Watford Observer: Troy Deeney says ‘the writing is on the wall’ for Watford after Burnley thrashing

Troy Deeney issues Watford captaincy advice after Burnley loss

Sir Elton John then made a comment on Instagram that was widely reported.

BBC: Elton John ‘upset and disappointed’ with Watford form

Watford Observer: Sir Elton John says he is ‘very upset’ about recent Watford decline

The 1881 and Proud Hornets supporters group as well as the Watford Supporters Board released statements exprssing concern about the current direction of the club.

9th May 2013- Championship Playoff Semi-Final First Leg, Leicester City 1 Watford 0

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

BBC: David Nugent’s first goal in 17 games gave Leicester a slender and deserved lead over Watford after an open Championship semi-final first leg.

BHappy:  Less than a fortnight after the last time, we’re back at the KP stadium and it’s an odd experience.  In so many ways, and despite our refusal to get all obsessive about replicating the components of the previous encounter in the name of fortune it’s like stepping back into a story that hadn’t stopped, walking back into a room where the same album had been playing on loop for a fortnight. From the way the wind howls around the ground to the impressive and imposing noise to the frantic edginess of the occasion.  If there’s a change in mood it’s a subtle one in the away end… we’re no longer the nothing-to-lose, let’s give this a go chancers;  we had a go, we almost made it despite extraordinary obstacles, but not quite.  We are battle hardened and slightly circumspect as a result… it’s intangible, but it’s real enough. If the welcome presence of Luther Blissett in the away end provides a fillip, there’s a something that veers between determination and fear which wasn’t here two weeks ago.

Daily Telegraph, 10 May 2013
Guardian, 10 May 2013
Independent, 10 May 2013
Evening Standard, 10 May 2013