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24th April 2024- Tom Cleverley confirmed as Head Coach

He had been acting as Interim Head Coach since Valerin Ismael was sacked on 9th March.


Watford Observer: Cleverley is appointed Watford’s new head coach

OPINION: Appointment of Tom is a sign of the owner acting Cleverley

BBC: Cleverley named permanent Watford boss

The morning before Tom’s appointment this article appeared on the BBC website.

I lacked ambition as a player but not as a coach – Cleverley

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24th April 2021- Championship, Watford 1 Millwall 0

The game where we clinched promotion back to the Premier League after just one season away.

BBC Sport: Ismaila Sarr’s composed 11th-minute penalty, after the Senegal winger was brought down in the box by Billy Mitchell, proved enough for the Hornets.

Sky Sports: Brentford’s win at Bournemouth earlier in the day meant that only three points would be good enough for Xisco Munoz’s Hornets to be promoted alongside Norwich, who came down with them last season.

BHappy: I sink into the sofa, close my eyes for a moment, smile…and wonder what to do. On the pitch, there are hugs, grins, a few tears being wiped away. A party getting started. In the stands, there are empty seats. At home, there’s dinner to be cooked, washing up to be done, life to get on with. It’s an odd way to end an odd season, and it feels as if the meaning of it all will filter through over time, a slow dawning.

From the Rookery End: You may have heard; the ‘Orns are going up! After Watford secured promotion with a hard-earned win against Millwall, Jon, Jason and Mike took a deep breath and try to do a monumental achievement justice.

Daily Telegraph, 26 Apr 2021
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56781828
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24th April 2016- FA Cup Semi Final, Crystal Palace 2 Watford 1 (at Wembley Stadium)

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Referee:
Craig Pawson
Attendance:
79,110

1-1

LIVE FROM WEMBLEY: Watford beaten by Crystal Palace in FA Cup semi-final

Watford suffer FA Cup semi-final agony after Crystal Palace defeat at Wembley

IN PICTURES: Watford V Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace will play Manchester United in a repeat of the 1990 FA Cup final after beating Watford 2-1 in Sunday’s semi-final at Wembley. Yannick Bolasie headed Palace into an early lead but Troy Deeney levelled the match on 55 minutes. But with the game on a knife edge, Connor Wickham popped up with the winning goal on 61 minutes to send Palace to their first FA Cup showpiece since losing out to United in a replay following a memorable 3-3 draw.

Watford had knocked out holders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the quarter-finals yet this was one hurdle too many for Quique Sanchez Flores’ side.

Watford scored from one of only two shots on target during the game and, after a sequence of just three wins from 17 league matches, this was a display that will do little for manager Quique Sanchez Flores’s chances of keeping his job.

Yet, for all that Adlène Guedioura smeared a stoppage-time volley just wide and Joel Ward almost inadvertently converted Allan Nyom’s dangerous centre, Flores’s team were rather disjointed throughout and handicapped further by a knee injury sustained by Étienne Capoue which could yet prove serious.

Sometimes these reports are enjoyable to write. Winning helps, of course, but it’s not a perfect correlation… there are interesting defeats too, defeats that don’t quite feel like being slapped in the face. This isn’t one of those times. This is the sort of occasion when you kinda suspect that everyone wants to forget it as much as you do.

One of the most important football matches of your entire life is about to end. You spend its last ten minutes trying to work out how best to get back to civilisation. You wish it away and it meekly obeys.

Generally I try to take positives from games, but it is hard on an afternoon like this.  I can take a defeat if we have given our all and were beaten by a better team, but I came away from Wembley thinking that, given the talent in our squad, we should have done better.  If you had told me in August that we would retain our status in the Premier League and reach the FA Cup semi-final, I would have been thrilled.  But that defeat will hurt for some time.

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24th April 2010- Championship, Watford 3 Reading 0

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4915

Watford secured Championship survival with an impressive win over Reading.

Well thank heavens for that.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2010-04-24
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-championship/24-april-2010/
https://oldwatford.com/2019/02/09/9th-february-2019-premier-league-watford-1-everton-0/
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24th April 2004- New Division One, Watford 1 Norwich City 2

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4605

Newly-promoted Norwich moved another step closer to clinching the Division One title with goals from Damien Francis and Leon McKenzie. Debutant Dominic Blizzard set up a tense finale with a late header that ended Norwich’s 401-minute shut-out.

They didn’t know whether to celebrate or to worry. There were nearly 5,000 Norwich fans here, another 6,000 watching a beam-back at Carrow Road and more than 3,000 had turned up to watch a midweek reserve game and listen to the closing minutes of Crystal Palace’s victory over Sunderland that had confirmed City’s promotion to the Premiership.

So, this was someone else’s day. Appropriately, it was largely someone else’s game too…which isn’t to say that we were massively outclassed, merely that only the last ten or fifteen minutes suggested that the result wasn’t an inevitability. A bit of a disappointment, then, for it would’ve been lovely to have kept this little run going, building up some proper momentum at last. In the end, we’ll just have to be content with the knowledge that this could really have mattered, and hurt.

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=2004-04-24
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-1/24-april-2004/
24th April 2010- Championship, Watford 3 Reading 0
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24th April 1999- New Division One, Watford 2 Crystal Palace 1

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BSAD imageBSAD report: Five straight wins, and we’re exploring the chance of ultimate possibility for all it’s worth. Everything stems from belief – once we started believing it was possible, it became so. To the extent where the weekend’s other results mean that we just have to win three more games to reach the playoffs.

It’s a lot to ask. Thrillingly, though, we’re rising to the challenge. Whether we go out or not, this is still a blaze of glory.

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4353
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24th April 1997- New Division Two, Watford 0 Chesterfield 2

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Everyone knows that this was a game we had to win. We still cling on to hopes, of course, but the reality of the situation is that we face two very difficult final matches at a time when our form is woeful. This wasn’t an unlucky defeat – it was a comprehensive defeat, one that involved naive tactics and several clueless performances.

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4249
https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1997-04-24
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/24-april-1997/
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24th April 1985- Division One, Aston Villa 1 Watford 1

Programme images courtesy of Matt Hall

https://watford.fcdb.info/index.php?page=matches
Daily Mirror, 25 Apr 1985
Evening Standard, 24 Apr 1985
https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1985-04-24
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-one/24-april-1985/
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24th April 1984- Division One, Watford 1 Southampton 1

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=3552
https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1984-04-24
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-one/24-april-1984/
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24th April 1982- Division Two, Watford 4 Sheffield Wednesday 0

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=3442
Sunday Telegraph, 25 Apr 1982
Sunday Mirror, 25 Apr 1982
Daily Mirror, 26 Apr 1982

Watford Observer Match Report

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1982-04-24
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24th April 1979- Division Three, Carlisle United 1 Watford 0

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https://watford.fcdb.info?id=3287&s=165026&p=1

Watford Observer match report

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1979-04-24
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/24-april-1979/
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24th April 1976- Division Four, Huddersfield Town 1 Watford 0

https://watford.fcdb.info/index.php?page=matches
Sunday People, 25 Apr 1976

Watford Observer match report

Sunday Telegraph, 25 Apr 1976

The final table looked like this.

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-four/31-may-1976/
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24th April 1974- Division Three, Watford 2 Port Vale 1

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Daily Mirror, 25 Apr 1974
Evening Sentinel, 25 Apr 1974

Watford Observer match report

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1974-04-24
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/24-april-1974/
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24th April 1965- Division Three, Watford 1 Port Vale 0

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=2577
Sunday People, 25 Apr 1965

Watford Observer match report

https://www.soccerbase.com/matches/results.sd?date=1965-04-24
https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/24-april-1965/

The final table looked like this…

https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-three/24-may-1965/

21st April 2026- Championship, West Bromwich Albion 3 Watford 0

Watford Observer: Can Watford provide some optimism at motivated West Brom?

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY LIVE: West Brom 3-0 Watford

Match Report: Watford sink without a trace again in 3-0 West Brom defeat

Still insists Watford players are hurting after ‘hugely painful’ defeat

Non-response at West Brom marks this out as Watford’s worst end-of-season run

BBC: West Bromwich Albion secured their Championship survival as they eased past sorry Watford at The Hawthorns.

Sky: Isaac Price scored the first goal and made the second for Daryl Dike’s second in as many games before half-time as James Morrison’s side made it nine games unbeaten. On-loan Crystal Palace right-back Danny Imray scored a deserved third goal for the Baggies, who made it 488 minutes without conceding.

Fran’s Watford Blog: This was an awful game with almost no redeeming features. There was a lack of energy in the performance, but I put that down to a lack of confidence among a group of young players for whom nothing seems to be working. I don’t see a lack of effort from the majority of the players. Maamma was, again, a constant threat and I really wish his late shot had gone in as he deserved a goal. The other positive was the return of Ngakia who we have missed since he was injured. But we were well beaten on the night, and it is hard to see us getting any more points this season.

18th April 2026- Championship, Watford 0 Sheffield United 2

Watford Observer: ‘This is what Watford do’ narrative has made me angrier since Oxford, Still says

Still knows he needs results to secure Watford future – ‘I’m not kidding myself’

Team news: Maamma in contention to start, Ngakia and Bola could return

‘The summer is the time to discuss what leadership looks like at Watford’

Supporters’ anger ‘totally normal’ and not an overreaction, says Still

Nabizada: The fans want to see creativity – that’s what I’m trying to do

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY AS IT HAPPENED: Watford 0-2 Sheffield United

Match Report: Watford beaten 2-0 by Sheff Utd as lifeless season finale continues

WATCH: Immediate reaction to Watford 0-2 Sheffield United

Still: ‘Baah hasn’t had the impact I wanted’

Still adamant he is the man to lead significant change after another defeat

BBC: Patrick Bamford’s second-half double helped Sheffield United to victory at out-of-form Watford.

Sky: The striker’s sharpness in front of goal made the difference and lifted Chris Wilder’s side above their opponents in the bright spring sunshine at Vicarage Road.

Fran’s Watford Blog: It was another disappointing game. We should have taken the lead in the first half and certainly started the second half very brightly. The first United goal was fortunate and against the run of play. Their second was rather better and, once that went in, the fight seemed to go out of the players, and we never really looked like getting back in the game. Again, Irankunda and Maamma were the bright sparks, working to create chances, but shots from distance and a well organised United defence frustrated them.

From the Rookery End: Jon, Kieran, Mike and Jason are back outside the Hornet Shop after another tough afternoon as Watford FC fall to a 2–0 defeat at home to Sheffield United. There’s no hiding from it — this was a flat, lifeless performance that summed up where the football team is right now. The lads reflect on some hints at something successful, before everything unravelled in depressingly familiar fashion. With belief draining from both pitch and stands, attention turns to the bigger picture — from recruitment failures to the direction under Gino Pozzo, who was in attendance at the game.

11th April 2026- Championship, Oxford United 2 Watford 0

Watford Observer: Oxford call for ‘relentless support’ on Saturday – can Watford rise to the occasion?

Team news: Maamma set for return, Abankwah and Kayembe fully fit

Bove needs more time and Kjerrumgaard ‘hasn’t quite been on it’, says Still

Pre-season planning ongoing – but not Still’s priority for now

Still on Oxford: ‘I want our fans to see we wanted it more’

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY AS IT HAPPENED: Oxford United 2-0 Watford

Match Report: Abject Watford beaten 2-0 at Oxford United

Pollock asks to apologise publicly after ‘lowest point’ of his Watford career

Still on Watford fans’ reaction: ‘You have to stand up and take it’

BBC: Oxford United moved within a point of Championship safety and extended their unbeaten run at the Kassam Stadium to five matches with victory over out-of-form Watford.

Sky: Watford, who have a poor away record this campaign, were on a winless streak of three going into the game but they had beaten the U’s 2-1 at Vicarage Road at the start of October.

Fran’s Watford Blog: It had been a very poor performance with only Irankunda coming away with much credit. He created some decent chances and, if one had gone in, it would have been a different afternoon. Maamma was also bright when he came on and showed how much we have missed him. But apart from them, it was a miserable afternoon of football.

From the Rookery End: On From The Rookery End this week, Jon and Mike are joined by Watford Observer’s Adam Drury after Watford’s defeat at Oxford — but rather than pick apart another bad away day,the take a step back and the conversation goes bigger.

6th April 2026- Championship, Watford 1 Charlton Athletic 1

Watford Observer: Still on Charlton: All we can do after bad results is bounce back

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY AS IT HAPPENED: Watford 1-1 Charlton Athletic

Five talking points as Watford forced to settle for a point

Match Report: Irankunda equalises but Watford held to 1-1 Charlton draw

Coady lost consciousness after blocking shot, Jones confirms

Still takes confidence from ‘completely dominating’ second half against Charlton

BBC: Nestory Irankunda’s emphatic finish earned Watford a point and denied Charlton Athletic a first win in four matches in a chance-laden Championship draw at Vicarage Road.

Sky: Charlton’s Conor Coady was stretchered off being struck in the head by a venomous shot by Tom Ince. The former England international had lengthy treatment on the pitch.

BHappy: Irankunda levels after being released by Louza, a fine, confident, Premier League finish, and then thumps in an evil bouncing bomb that Mannion pushes away. Goglichidze, who’s had an erratic afternoon, gets on the end of a deep cross but heads criminally wide. I can sense Hutch combusting from half the stadium away. Shots are repeatedly fired in but are repelled, most tellingly and representatively when Conor Coady commemorates the 500th appearance of his career by getting in the way of a Tom Ince piledriver. He is knocked out cold interrupting play for a good ten minutes, the incident encapsulating Charlton’s dogged defiance in the face of mounting pressure.

Fran’s Watford Blog: There was applause at the end of the game after a terrific second half in which the Charlton keeper kept them in the game. It was a wonderful attacking performance from the Hornets. Irankunda was immense, running at the defence and hitting great shots. On another day, he would have had a hat trick. Chakvetadze also had a great game. He was unplayable at the start of the second half, constantly running at the Charlton defence and, unlike in previous outings, taking several shots. Long may that last. Nabizada built on his showing against QPR, putting in a very assured performance with no fear of crossing and shooting. I have admired his play in the U18s and U21s, so it is great to see him looking the part in the first team. Due to the extensive injuries, the defence is cobbled together with some square pegs in round holes and Goglichidze in particular had a poor game. I cannot make my mind up about him as he seems to alternate assured performances with absolute mares. In the end it was a game we should have won, but mid-table obscurity now beckons.

From the Rookery End: Jon, Jordi, Mike and Kieran are on presenting duties after Watford’s Easter weekend fixtures — a 1-1 draw at home to Charlton on Easter Monday, coming hot on the heels of the 2-1 defeat away at QPR on Good Friday.

3rd April 2026- Championship, Queens Park Rangers 2 Watford 1

Watford Observer: Team news: Watford down to ‘bare bones’ with Bola among doubts for QPR

Still exploring reasons behind injuries but believes it’s largely bad luck

Watford still aiming to ‘create some magic’ this season

‘Not many teams can win 6-1 in the Championship’ – Still on QPR threat

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY AS IT HAPPENED: QPR 2-1 Watford

Match Report: Watford lose 2-1 at QPR in flat display

Still: ‘The lack of consistency has caused us problems’

Micro and macro reasons behind Watford’s defeat at QPR

Still will analyse why key attackers are struggling to score

BBC: Paul Smyth scored one goal and made another as QPR claimed a third successive win to all but end lacklustre Watford’s already slim hopes of sneaking into the Championship play-off places.

Sky: Imran Louza pulled a goal back with a superb 85th-minute free-kick, but the visitors were unable to find an equaliser.

Fran’s Watford Blog: It had been a poor performance from the Hornets whose injury-ridden squad struggled. The first start for Bove was not an impressive one. Maybe he was too keen to make an impression, but his great touch was little in evidence, and he committed a series of rash tackles, that endangered his presence on the pitch. Kjerrumgaard generally struggled although he did have an excellent strike early on which, had it gone in, would have changed the game. There was a lively finish to the match, as the introduction of Baah injected some energy. This game featured the good Baah, who is always fun to watch. Louza’s goal was a thing of beauty and made sure that there was some tension in the final minutes. But my highlight was the debut of Nabizada. I have seen some excellent performances from him at U18 and U21 level and it was good to see him take his opportunity in the first team. He started a bit slowly, but grew into the game and put a few decent crosses into the box. I hope that this is the first of many first team outings for him.

21st March 2026- Championship, Watford 0 Leicester City 0

Watford Observer: Still on whether he judges himself on points or performances

Still not focused on the ramifications of Leicester game

Watford Observer: MATCHDAY LIVE: Watford 0-0 Leicester City

Five talking points as Watford held to Leicester stalemate

Match Report: Selvik saves penalty as Watford and Leicester slog to goalless draw

Still: Watford played through the pain barrier and wanted ‘close game’

BBC: Patson Daka had a penalty saved as relegation threatened Leicester City were held to a goalless draw by play-off chasing Watford.

Sky :Daka’s 40th-minute spot-kick was brilliantly tipped on to the post by home goalkeeper Egil Selvik. The striker also headed wide of a near open goal in the second half as the Foxes failed to climb out of the bottom three.

BHappy: Forgive me, I know that ranting about referees is unspeakably dull and I wouldn’t for one moment suggest that his performance had anything to do with the disappointing outcome of this game, but I do need to try to extract some pleasure from the exercise. As the second half descended into mind-numbing stalemate, Smith seemed determined to inject some randomness into proceedings with a series of absurd decisions in both directions. The most bizarre, a yellow against Doumbia which saw him drop to his knees in astonishment after he held off an aggressive challenge from behind. In the first half, the official had dropped the ball and run off the pitch and down the tunnel during a break in play that contributed to eight minutes being added before the interval; one can only assume that in the interim some sort of alien abduction took place, or an unwise experiment with hallucinogenic drugs such was his performance in the second half. No surprise at all that when Bobby Decordova-Reid obstructed Egil Selvik’s attempt at a clearance even the Norwegian, that mildest-mannered of mild-mannered janitors, was at a boiling point that saw a significant scuffle ensue. “That was the ref’s fault”, said everyone in the stadium (as well as the interfering extra-terrestrials, one assumes).

Fran’s Watford Blog: There was disaster for the Hornets ten minutes before the break as Fatawu went on a dangerous run into the box, getting behind Formose Mendy who tripped him. The referee had no choice but to point to the spot. The penalty was at the same end as Knockaert’s all those years ago and Selvik did an Almunia by diving the right way and pushing Daka’s shot onto the post where it rebounded out sparking joyous celebrations in the home stands

From the Rookery End: Watford served up the full emotional buffet this week — from the genuine high of a feel-good win over Wrexham (and that moment), to the all-too-familiar frustration of a stop-start, slightly baffling 0-0 with Leicester.