Tag Archives: Famous victories

9th November 2004- League Cup Fourth Round, Watford 5 Southampton 2

BBC Sport

Watford thumped Premiership side Southampton to cruise into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup.

Beforehand, however, for the hour-and-a-bit that actually mattered, when both sides were competing head-to-head for a match that hadn’t yet been completely decided, there was something entirely different. Something that five-two doesn’t capture. Four-nil gets it, mind. Four-nil is final, unarguable, absolutely resounding. Four-nil is a crushing victory, a brutal result. Four-nil hurts like five-two doesn’t, and this hurt. It was four-nil after sixty-six minutes. The rest was just an entertaining encore.

Clearly, this was a match that we could win. Obviously, they were lacking in confidence. But, crucially, the game still had to be won. Am I the only one slightly disappointed with the media focus on how bad Southampton were rather than our splendid display? Whilst they did disintegrated into a hapless rabble, it was only after they were beaten into submission by a Watford side on a mission.

Despite having a ticket, my mate Adam couldn’t make the game due to some nonsense about a work commitment. I called him after Dyer’s goal and could tell he was fearing the worse by the way he answered the phone. ‘One-nil – Dyer,’ was my simple message amidst the accompanying din of the Rookery. Maybe he’d heard it ‘0-1 – dire’. I’m not sure.

Evening Standard, 10 Nov 2004

Daily Telegraph, 10 Nov 2004

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_Football_League_Cup

https://oldwatford.com/2010/03/13/13th-march-2010-championship-watford-0-peterborough-united-1/

5th April 2003- New Division One, Burnley 4 Watford 7

http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4550

Michael Chopra, on loan at Watford from Newcastle, scored four goals as the Hornets and Burnley contested an goal-packed fixture at Turf Moor.

Watford will approach Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton with greater confidence now that they appear to have solved their scoring problem.

Burnley Express Report: BEMUSED Burnley fans didnt know whether to laugh or cry after this latest debacle.

Daily Telegraph, 7 Apr 2003

BSAD report:To put this game into the perspective, it demands a flick through Trefor Jones, and to an era that I would be amazed if anyone in the away end on Saturday remembered. In 1937, Watford were managed by Neil McBain. We finished fourth in the old Division Three (South), and on April 10th that year, the players completed a league double over Torquay by winning 7-4 at Plainmoor. Only 2,277 watched the game, and one would hazard a guess that of those, only a handful would have been Watford fans.

Another BSAD report:Living in the north east, when the Golden Boys come to town it is an occasion not to be missed, so when the Academy Under 17 side was drawn away to Newcastle United last Saturday, my son Josh and I felt we had to be there instead of…you’ve guessed it…traipsing down to Burnley.

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Taken from https://www.watfordfc.com/teams/first-team/home-away-burnley

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Taken from programme on 20th August 2005- Championship, Watford 3 Burnley 1

21st April 2003- Championship, Watford 2 Derby County 0

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9th March 2003-FA Cup Sixth Round, Watford 2 Burnley 0

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

Goals from Tommy Smith and Stephen Glass in the last 20 minutes sent Watford into the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Cut Glass strikes gold for Watford

Various reports

Daily Telegraph, 10 Mar 2003

Evening Standard, 10 Mar 2003

Daily Mirror, 10 Mar 2003

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https://oldwatford.com/2019/03/16/16th-march-2019-fa-cup-sixth-round-watford-2-crystal-palace-1/

15th February 2003-FA Cup Fifth Round, Sunderland 0 Watford 1

Watford piled on the agony for Sunderland boss Howard Wilkinson as they dumped the Premiership strugglers out of the FA Cup at The Stadium of Light.

Sunday Telegraph, 16 Feb 2003

The Observer, 16 Feb 2003

Sunday Sun, 16 Feb 2003

Sunday Mirror, 16 Feb 2003

This was always going to be A Good Day. Irrespective of the result, a big cup tie away at a fine stadium against a Premiership club with a big travelling support guaranteed… and this allied with the assurance that this Watford side so very rarely lets you down when it comes to effort and application. All valid arguments in answering the “Why on earth do you do this?” question that many will have faced last week.

14th August 1999-Premier League, Liverpool 0 Watford 1

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4362

The Liverpool team sheet from the game. Courtesy of Nigel Gibbs

Courtesy of Nigel Gibbs

New boys Watford underlined Liverpool’s defensive frailties again as they pulled off a shock victory at Anfield.

BSAD image Several BSAD reports

Sunday Mirror, 15 Aug 1999

People, 15 Aug 1999

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Independent, 15 Aug 1999

Observer, 15 Aug 1999

Guardian, 16 Aug 1999

Daily Telegraph, 16 Aug 1999

Daily Mirror, 16 Aug 1999

Liverpool Post, 16 Aug 1999

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Taken from programme on 21st August 1999- Premier League, Watford 1 Bradford City 0

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31st May 1999- New Division One Playoff Final, Bolton Wanderers 0 Watford 2

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http://watford.fcdb.info?id=4359

Many BSAD reports:

We’ve only gone and bloody done it! We’ve only gone and bloody done it!

“Unforgettable”
“Wembley glory”
“Can life get any better?”
“Images”
“It’s a long way to…LA”
“The Horns of a dilemma?”
“If you want to get to heaven let me tell you how…”
“Something else”
“Fifteen years”
“The best day of my life”
“Tears at tea-time”
“Here’s to the next time”
“It’s a long way from…NG7”
“Nice and ‘isi”
“Emotion”
“Wembley’s Way”
“A magnificent obsession”
“A good day out”
“Why a grown man would cry”
“Winning at Wembley is better than losing on IRC”
“The Hornets have landed”
“Twenty years”
“Wem-ber-lee”
“The scoreboard said…”

Wembley photo gallery
Victory parade photo gallery

Goals from Nick Wright and Allan Smart sent Watford soaring into the Premiership after back-to-back promotions.

Minute by minute report

Daily Telegraph, 1 Jun 1999

Daily Record, 1 Jun 1999

Evening Standard, 1 Jun 1999

https://oldwatford.com/2014/08/09/9th-august-2014-championship-watford-3-bolton-wanderers-0/

Twenty Years Ago: Richard Johnson

Twenty Years Ago: Michel Ngonge

Twenty Years Ago: Micah Hyde

Twenty Years Ago: Ciaran Cosgrave

Twenty Years Ago: Tommy Mooney

Twenty Years Ago: Robert Page

Twenty Years Ago: Nick Wright

Play-Off Final 1999: Player & Staff Memories Of Graham Taylor

Time Capsules: Graham Taylor’s Miracle (1999)

Wright & Smart Narrate 1999 Play-Off Final

25 years on: Watford’s 1999 Play-off Triumph

In pictures: Graham Taylor and Watford FC’s 1999 play-off final success

https://oldwatford.com/2019/05/12/12th-may-2019-premier-league-watford-1-west-ham-united-4/