On This Day...

On this day 39 years ago two goals from Luther Blissett and one from Jimmy Gilligan saw us win 3-1 at Grimsby in the FA Cup Fourth Round on a pitch that definitely wouldn't have been deemed fit to play on these days.



https://oldwatford.com/1985/01/26/26th-january-1985-fa-cup-fourth-round-grimsby-town-1-watford-3/

 

The second replay at St James Park had one of the smallest away followings I can ever remember. It felt like about 50 although memory has faded over the years

 

We didn't sell out for the Spurs semi final. In GT's book he says we sent back nearly 1,500 tickets and it was one of the reasons he began to think about leaving.

 

How about the pitch when we beat Liverpool 1-0 in 1970? I suppose all the sand laid down was useful for soaking up the blood from some of the ‘tackles’ perpetrated that day. They did not like the fact they were losing to a relegation-threatened tier 2 team.

 

Yeah I loved these cup sagas also, although it helped a lot when we won.

Regarding Redfearn's winner against Derby - from where we were sat in the Lower Rous it looked an absolute banger, but looking at it on YouTube a couple of years ago I think it's poor goalkeeping by Shilton. He just looked so slow getting across. Nothing will convince me otherwise that at that stage of his (Shilton's) career, Coton was the better keeper and should have been England's number one. Our unpopularity within Fleet Street I believe played a huge part as to why he was overlooked.

When you consider how much GT was disliked by Powell and co, you realise he really was on a hiding to nothing when he took over the national team.

 

I was still at junior school then so away midweek games were not allowed. On this occasion I didn't miss anything!

 

I bow to your superior knowledge on this, although it's very interesting because we couldn't get tickets for the game and my dad ended up with two very unhappy kids! We weren't season ticket holders then as he did shift work that involved some Saturday's so maybe by the time he applied the club had already sent them back? I missed 84 as it was decided then we were both too young, so missing out here was really disappointing although considering how the game went, maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

But the point regarding the tragedy still stands as the terrace area in the Leppings Lane end only had a capacity of 14556. Duckenfield's total lack of football policing knowledge meant he directed nearly 10k in to the middle two pens, causing the devastating scenes.

Anyway, it's all moot so I won't derail your great thread any more.

 

Loved the Blissett/Gilligan breakaway goal.
Paul Wilkinson was playing for Grimsby prior to his move to Everton.

 

The one thing that struck me re-reading that bit of GT's book was the 'in the week before' comment and that 1,500 isn't really that many. You wonder if there had been publicity, say in the Midweek Observer, that those tickets remained whether we might have sold them and your Dad wouldn't have had to put up with two very unhappy kids.

I totally agree about the Leppings Lane end. The tragedy could've happened to any club unlucky enough to have got to a semi final being played at Hillsborough and given that end. It nearly happened in 1981 and terribly no lessons were learned from that day.

 

On this day 17 years ago the first of the two wins in a fortnight at Upton Park as an Anthony McNamee goal saw us beat West Ham 1-0 in the FA Cup Fourth Round.



https://oldwatford.com/2007/01/27/27th-january-2007-fa-cup-fourth-round-west-ham-united-0-watford-1/

 

Wasn’t the Midweek Observer long gone by then?

 

I think it was still around until about 1990. I was at Watford Library recently doing some research using their microfiche copies of the Watford Observer and noticed they also had the Midweek or Free Observer as it became. I think the dates on the boxes were from the early 80s to the early 90s but next time I'm there I'll check.

 

On this day 57 years ago we drew 0-0 with Liverpool at Vicarage Road in the FA Cup Fourth Round. Three years later we'd achieve a famous win over them in the Sixth Round.



https://oldwatford.com/1967/01/28/28th-january-1967-fa-cup-third-round-watford-0-liverpool-0/

 

On this day 86 years ago we remained top of Division Three (South) after a 4-0 home win against Swindon Town.


https://oldwatford.com/1938/01/29/29th-january-1938-division-three-south-watford-4-swindon-town-0/

 

On this day 45 years ago we hosted a League Cup semi-final for the first time, drawing 0-0 with Nottingham Forest in the second leg to go out of the competition 3-1 on aggregate.



https://oldwatford.com/1979/01/30/3...tingham-forest-0-forest-won-3-1-on-aggregate/

 

If only that Pollard shot in about the 38th minutes had gone in rather than come back off the woodwork....who knows what might have happened....

 

I remember both legs. The first for the atmosphere and the football - the second for the freezing cold and disappointment.

 

On this day seven years ago, on the eve of GT’s funeral we travelled to the Emirates and recorded our first league win there, and our first away league win against Arsenal since 1988.



https://oldwatford.com/2017/01/31/31st-january-2017-premier-league-arsenal-v-watford/

 

The scenes when Luther scored up at Florist…’Brian says you mustn’t swear’ being chanted by the ‘Orns in reaction to Clough’s programme notes.

 

Good memory! I'd completely forgotten that.

 

On this day 37 years ago birthday boy Luther Blissett scored the only goal as we beat Chelsea live on TV at Vicarage Road in the FA Cup Fourth Round.



https://oldwatford.com/1987/02/01/1st-february-1987-fa-cup-fourth-round-watford-1-chelsea-0/

 

On this day 64 years ago we became the first Fourth Division side to reach the 5th Round of the FA Cup after beating Southampton 1-0 in a replay at Vicarage Road.



https://oldwatford.com/1960/02/02/2...-fourth-round-replay-watford-1-southampton-0/

 

I was surprised at this at first, but then I realised the 4th division was only formed two years earlier! I remember Bradford City reaching the quarter final (6th round) in the late 70s as a 4th Div team, which was quite a thing at the time. I expect they were the first to do that.

 

Looking at the results from the fourth round I find it amazing to see that Spurs beat Crewe 13-2 in a replay. The first game was a 2-2 draw.

 

On this day 23 years ago goals from Paolo Vernazza, Darren Ward and Tommy Smith saw us win 3-2 at Sheffield Wednesday.



https://oldwatford.com/2001/02/03/3...division-one-sheffield-wednesday-2-watford-3/

 

On this day 29 years ago we beat Southend United 4-0 at Roots Hall with Darren Bazeley scoring a first half hat-trick.



https://oldwatford.com/1995/02/04/4th-february-1995-new-division-one-southend-united-0-watford-4/

 

On this day six years ago, we beat Chelsea 4-1 in Javi's first home game in charge.



https://oldwatford.com/2018/02/05/5th-february-2018-premier-league-watford-4-chelsea-1/

 

On this day 42 years ago, despite a ban on them travelling to away games 3,000 Chelsea fans came to Vicarage Road and saw us beat them 1-0 to remain second in Division Two thanks to a Luther Blissett goal.



https://oldwatford.com/1982/02/06/6th-february-1982-division-two-watford-1-chelsea-0/

 

I remember it will. I got beaten up after the game in Fearnley street just by the Oddfellows and ended up in shrodels hospital. Great days

 

On this day 54 years ago two Ray Lugg goals gave us a 2-1 home win over Gillingham in the FA Cup Fifth Round. The sixth round draw paired us at home to Leicester City or Liverpool...



https://oldwatford.com/1970/02/07/7th-february-1970-fa-cup-fifth-round-watford-2-gillingham-1/

 

Look at the state of the pitch....and it was going to deteriorate significantly before the QF vs Liverpool. Puts into context all the attempted comparisons between players from different era; I wonder whether some of today's stars would finish a match, let alone a season.

 

On this day 55 years ago ours was one of only three games to survive the weather as we beat Rotherham 5-1 at the Vic to go two points clear at the top of Division Three.



https://oldwatford.com/1969/02/08/8th-february-1969-division-three-watford-5-rotherham-united-1/