Wfc History links..

Discussion in 'The Golden Years' started by Stevohorn, Jul 4, 2018.

  1. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Ok it's been quiet in this section so i'm going to get it kickstarted again by giving you some useful links if you are into the clubs history and havent come across them.

    The best place to start is Trefor Jones wfc archive, which lists every game & line up we have ever played.. as well as every player to play for us and loads more besides. I think it must be one of the most comprehensive archives for any club..
    http://www.watfordfcarchive.com/

    Secondly the brilliant resource of scanned programmes and press cuttings going back to the 1920's at..
    https://oldwatford.com/

    Kit & badge history..
    http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Watford/Watford.htm

    This great Youtube channel put together by a very astute person..
    https://www.youtube.com/user/stevohorn

    Another great Youtube channel which includes seasons reviews from the 80's, 90's & 2000's..
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHaixtBiF7xfvwMHUdY5xXw

    and finally if you are on Fbook this wfc historical group, which you'll need to be accepted into to (I'm sure you will be!)
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/1549217208481072/



    If anyone has any more links they know of please add them here.
    I thank you.
     
    EB Hornet, oxhey67, Teide1 and 3 others like this.
  2. ST1968

    ST1968 First Year Pro

    Admin - suggest making this a sticky
     
    Stevohorn likes this.
  3. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Does anyone know why the Watford Archive site hasn’t been updated for last season yet? Worrying times.
     
  4. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    It's always taken some time to update ive noticed.
    I guess it's quite a process because not only does he have to give us the rundown of the seasons games but also has to update all the other stats on the site such as opponents, player appearances etc.
     
  5. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    You're probably right but it's such a great resource I'd hate to think it was falling by the wayside.
     
  6. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Most definitely. A while back i noticed some of the decade stats were not loading but thankfully that's back to normal. If Trefor ever decided it was too much i'd hope he'd find someone else to take over.
     
  7. Luther Bassett

    Luther Bassett Reservist

    Well done in assembling this stuff in one place.

    Can also recommend www.watfordbadges.wordpress.com
     
    Stevohorn and nascot like this.
  8. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Excellent. I hadnt seen that site before.
    I'd make a good guess who's work it is though. His name is Tom... he's the wfc badge king!
     
    Luther Bassett likes this.
  9. Luther Bassett

    Luther Bassett Reservist

    Not a three-pipe problem. then?
     
  10. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Elementary..
     
  11. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Still no update for last season on watfordfcarchive.com. Does anyone have any info on this?
     
  12. Cthulhu

    Cthulhu Keyboard Warrior Staff Member

    Does anyone know much about the War League? I recently acquired a listing from a "Watford" game for that period. doesn't look very Watfordy
     
  13. Only that my father played twice against us in the space of three weeks in 1945, whilst 'guesting' for Northampton. He wasn't a professional player but, for obvious reasons, lots of clubs had difficulty raising a team each week and relied upon soldiers stationed nearby - it was either that or have fixtures cancelled.

    And one snippet of trivia - the club that used the most players during the war was Crystal Palace - 186 of them.
     
    oxhey67 likes this.
  14. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Wartime football seems pretty confusing to me.. but there was a London War Cup that we participated in season 41/42. That season we also participated in the London League.. which only appeared to run for that one season. We re-joined the Football League South (not to be confused with Division3 South) the following season and until the end of the war.
    Details. as ever, can be found at wfc Archive.. http://www.watfordfcarchive.com/downloads/seasons/Seasons1940to1950.pdf

    It's interesting reading the comments under some of the games during wartime. This being a typical example..

    "Fred Kurz of Grimsby Town, who was stationed at Woolwich Arsenal, actually played in this match as “Newman”, his name being withheld until a week later. It had been stated that “for special reasons” his true identity could not be revealed. Absent Without Leave was almost certainly the sole “special reason”. The visitors’ outside-left was Les Simmons, much later to become the Vicarage Road groundsman, who made up the numbers when Brighton turned up a man short"
     
    oxhey67 likes this.
  15. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Excellent! and here are the details of those games..


    Skjermbilde.PNG

    So they were actually played either side of the end of the war (VJ Day)
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2018
  16. PhilippineOrn

    PhilippineOrn First Team

    Weren't deserters shot then?
     
  17. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Well he did score.

    No but seriously absent without leave isnt the same as desertion i dont think.
     
  18. Wow - thanks for that. I can now tell my kids/grandkids that my dad played against Stan Mortensen and Bedford Jezzard. I knew previously that Bedford Jezzard had been on Watford's books - although he's listed in wikipedia as having never played a first team game. Presumably wartime games don't count. I never knew that Stan Mortensen was once a Hornet though (or, to be more precise, a Blue?).
     
  19. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Wow back at you.. i didnt know Stan Mortensen had played for Watford and completely missed it when i posted.
     
  20. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    I see that Mortensen, whilst being the England reserve, actually took the field for Wales in a wartime match at Wembley.

    Doubly odd as subs weren’t allowed at that stage.
     
  21. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

  22. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Stevohorn likes this.
  23. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    I just hope that Relegation Certs and Going Down will do as good a job.
     
  24. vic-rijrode

    vic-rijrode First Year Pro

    Somehow I would doubt it....

    upload_2019-6-13_15-47-39.jpeg
     
  25. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Yes saw that.. hope they do it justice.

    RIP Trefor Jones
     
  26. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    I see watfordarchive.com has disappeared. Does anyone know if an updated version is imminent, or have we lost it forever?
     
  27. Dreadnought

    Dreadnought MMC 2010/11 Prediction league 3rd 2011/12

    That is terrible news ☹️ and certainly hope it is not gone forever

    The site was always great to use to look up fact and figures and especially to see the history of the club through all the different aspects available such as players, managers, results etc etc.
     
  28. We hate 48

    We hate 48 Reservist

    I don’t know but even it it was not updated after I think season 15/16 it would be worthwhile retaining it - maybe “ folded “ into this site - if you know what I mean, as those records are worth keeping

    Trefor Jones sadly passed away last year and he created/maintained the site

    https://hornetheaven.com/2019/06/12/rip-trefor-jones/
     
  29. We hate 48

    We hate 48 Reservist

    Possibly heresy to admin but see WFC.net where there is a database tab with info gleaned from Watfordarchive.com

    http://watford.fcdb.info/
     
  30. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Yes I've often used that site. It's a great store of historic match info...
     
  31. Paul Buttivant

    Paul Buttivant Academy Graduate

    Not the right forum perhaps but anyone know how I can get hold of an old old friend George Riley I was a youth player 82/84 season and would love to contact him?
     
  32. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    If you're on Twitter I'd contact Neil Price. I think he runs the ex-Watford players association thing.

    https://twitter.com/neillionheart?lang=en
     
    Paul Buttivant likes this.
  33. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    I live in Nottingham and I came across this blog put together by someone who is obviously a Forest fan, but who has some affinity to Watford, enough to write about the -'orns at length, including loads of historical videos and images, all most probably already in this section.

    There must be a deep reason why he has paid us so much attention but interesting, none the less...

    http://forest40yearsago.blogspot.com/2019/01/forest-go-breaking-watford-herts.html
     
    Davy Crockett and Teide1 like this.
  34. Davy Crockett

    Davy Crockett Reservist

    Long shot i know but does anyone have or be aware of any footage of Watford v Newport
    1977 which was the Big Match opening game that week?.
     
  35. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Remember the game and that it was on tv but not seen any highlights anywhere since then., Sorry.
     
    Davy Crockett likes this.

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