Saw this on Twitter today: https://twitter.com/HOMESofFOOTBALL/status/954798309746585600 Anybody here in it? Or recognise anyone? We used to stand the other side of the scoreboard around this time, having moved on from the lower rous temp seats. And stumbled across this great pic on oldwatford.com. Johnno's volley that day nearly took the keepers head off!!
I posted this one back in August and there was a subsequent discussion about it being pwogramme Dave with arms folded.. though i cant seem to find the discussion now (pic is on page 8) I used to go to games with the chap with the purple & green top on.. straight down from the arrow, near the front. Anyone come across the Talmer family from Chesham before? Strangely i was thinking about him on the way home from hospital today because the ear, nose & throat doc i'd gone to see is a dead ringer for him!
Oh dear, sorry Stevo - totally slipped my mind you'd already posted that pic. Now this thread has grown quite a bit, I guess I should do a bit of checking before I post what I think is original! Even more embarrassing considering I replied to your original post! The pic came up on Twitter and I immediately thought it would be suitable here............! At least the pic of Johnno celebrating meant the post wasn't a complete waste!
Some recent finds. This one was taken in the 1920's at the Vic i presume but i'm not sure of the exact year. Someone in the crowd appears to have a trombone with them.. the bloke in the hat.....
How smart they all are, no team colours here! That could be the Watford firm of the time! Which one has the trombone? The one in the tie? Is that Vydra in the background?
Team pic.. again not 100% sure of the year. Mid 50's i'd guess as that's Roy Brown front left and he played for us between 53 & 59. More of him in a minute.
The one behind the bloke with the pipe in the front row. Behind and to the left of the trombone bloke is someone not wearing a tie. He must have been a bit of a lad!
More about Roy Brown. He was our first black player.. if you dont count the Cother brothers that is, who were more Asian than black. He was also the first black player for Stoke, where he came from. His brother was the physio at Stoke and went on to be the Lord Mayor on two separate occasions. Some pics of Roy, who played for the "Blues" for 6 seasons in the 50's appearing 142 times, scoring 40 goals..
Indeed! A couple of the chaps have even taken their lady friends to watch the association football at the not as yet nick-named Hornets!
The Cother brothers were half Indian - so were Watford’s first ‘non-white’ players and Roy Brown was, as you say, our first black player - hard as nails and massively popular according to my dad. I believe I have (possibly) the oldest ‘action’ photos of a Watford game, one of which has Jack Cother in - I’m so proud!
You provide the tie and I'll bring along the brass whom I've known since my school bus days in the 80s
The only ones I recognise are Pat Molly front left in the lower players row, with Jim Bonser, and Mr (Jim) Harwell 3rd and 4th left in the directors row respectively! is it Ron Rollett on the right of Mr Harwell?
Pat Molloy seems to be in every Watford team photo going back to the dawn of time! I'm not sure about the rest but i'll do a bit of research and post back here later. PS Did you mean Jim Harrowell?
Nice bit of Watford history for me and mt son when he was Watford mascot for the Boro match. Very emotional seeing him lead out the team with Troy and also the minutes applause for GT.
Pancake Day race 1981. In an addition to the normal race (won by Keith Pritchett) a special wheelchair race took place to mark International Disabled Year. Luther piped the gaffer to 1st place but only after a disputed first race was re-run. In an earlier heat an over-enthusiastic Gerry Armstrong tipped his partner out of his wheelchair! http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/11077615.its-flipping-close-but-luther-just-about-sneaks-it/
Something to kill a bit of time before the next game.. Pre-season training camp, Lake District 1965. Training with local youngsters in Cassiobury park.. not sure of the year. Last game under lights before the floodlight pylons were erected. Southanpton fa cup 4th round replay 1960.
Seem to recall reading somewhere that when evening games started being shown regularly on tv they had to do something with the goal nets, cause you could hardly see them. Was it the introduction of white nets maybe?
Indeed. Our top 10 highest home attendances all came in FA Cup games.. 34,099 0-2 v Manchester United FA Cup 4th Round replay 1969 34,047 1-0 v Liverpool FA Cup 6th Round 1970 33,553 0-0 v Liverpool FA Cup 3rd Round 1967 32,384 0-1 v Manchester United FA Cup 4th Round 1950 31,314 2-1 v Birmingham City FA Cup 3rd Round 1960 28,483 1-0 v Crystal Palace FA Cup 2nd Round replay 1960 28,154 1-0 v Southampton FA Cup 4th Round reply 1960 28,097 1-2 v Liverpool (after extra time) FA Cup 6th Round replay 1986 28,000 1-2 v Arsenal FA Cup 6th Round 1980 28,000 3-1 v Brighton & Hove Albion FA Cup 5th Round 1984 The next highest after that is our record league crowd.. 11. 27,968 0-1 v Queens Park Rangers Football League Division 2 1969. Which incidentally was for a second division game. Here's another pic showing a packed Vicarage Road watching the FA cup game vs Liverpool in 1970. The largest home attendance to witness a Watford victory..
It's been said before but the Leeds United Cup game was way over the official attendance. It was a minor miracle no one was seriously hurt that night. 18000. I would say add another 10000 on that. It was insane.
I was at all bar 3 of those games (1950 Man U, Palace and Saints). Health & Safety would have a field day at all of those games, especially the 69 Man U game. There's a picture of bent and buckled "safety" railings after that - I was stood just in front of them behind the Vic Road End goal. I was talking to some bloke next to me, I turned to look at a Watford attack, turned back and he had disappeared down the terracing in a massive surge - never saw him again. A woman reportedly had her back broken when being propelled against the iron railings at the bottom. Incidentally in the Liverpool 70 game photo it looks like the ref is about to blow for a foul on Scully - I believe it is Geoff Strong but I'm not sure.
The ref was David W Smith apparently. I can't recall him but you probably will. Those crush barriers after the United game..
All sources i checked.. from the match programme to several match reports, all said it was David W Smith.
Yes, sorry, I did not make that clear - I was referring to the player that was tackling Scully - Geoff Strong was never a ref - even though he did play for Arsenal before Liverpool! I saw him at Highbury many times in the mid 60s.
haha.. yes of course Geoff Strong- Liverpool player. Apparently he was one of the casualties of Shankly's team re-building after their cup exit to us. Sent to Coventry.. literally. Bringing things a bit more up to date.. found this brilliant pic of Luther after netting a penalty vs the Reds new years day 1985.
Another casualty of the day was Tommy Lawrence the goal keeper sadly died recently and also Tommy Smith (Liverpool defender) both hardly played for Liverpool again after we beat them!
