On This Day...

Believe it or not, I think that actually is Malky Mackay's father, also called Malky Mackay, who played as a striker for Queen's Park.

That was his one and only appearance for the GB team, which was made up of the 'best' amateur players in Britain – hence a line-up of mostly non-league players (because the Olympic team had to be amateurs).

Queen's Park were an amateur club then (they were until fairly recently, in fact), and they were going pretty well in Scottish League Division 2 in 1967.

 

On this day 53 years ago we did the double over Blackburn for the second season in a row winning 3-2 away after beating them 2-1 at the Vic on the opening day. Manager Ken Furphy would leave us for Ewood Park at the end of the season.



https://oldwatford.com/1970/10/17/17th-october-1970-division-two-blackburn-rovers-2-watford-3/

 

On this day 15 years ago Richard Lee saved two penalties as we beat Southampton 3-0 at St.Marys.



https://oldwatford.com/2008/10/18/18th-october-2008-championship-southampton-0-watford-3/

 

Surely not, he was always too busy being flagged.

 

On this day 40 years ago we drew 1-1 at home with Levski Spartak Sofia in the UEFA Cup with Wilf Rostron scoring our goal.



https://oldwatford.com/1983/10/19/1...d-first-leg-watford-1-levski-spartak-sofia-1/

 

On this day 44 years ago we knocked Newcastle off the top of the table with a 2-0 win at the Vic with goals from Luther Blissett and Keith Mercer.



https://oldwatford.com/1979/10/20/20th-october-1979-division-two-watford-2-newcastle-united-0/

 

On this day 26 years ago a Ronnie Rosenthal strike and Paul Robinson's first senior goal saw us beat Fulham 2-0 to remain top of Division Two.



https://oldwatford.com/1997/10/21/21st-october-1997-new-division-two-watford-2-fulham-0/

 

On this day 29 years ago two Lee Nogan goals saw us beat high flying Tranmere 2-0 at the Vic.



https://oldwatford.com/1994/10/22/22nd-october-1994-new-division-one-watford-2-tranmere-rovers-0/

 

Who's that on the programme? Is it GNW?

Also, two of the best pairs of football boots on display there.

 

A year ago was THE 4-0 home win, two years ago the 5-2 at Goodison, but Oct 23 is probably best remembered as Gary Porter day after he scored the hat-trick in the 4-3 comeback win against Bolton 40 years ago today.



https://oldwatford.com/1993/10/23/23rd-october-1993-new-division-one-watford-4-bolton-wanderers-3/

 

3 great memories.

 

A year ago today the last time we had a decent atmosphere at home. Twas a great day.

 

Corrected for you! I'm getting old, but not that old yet. I was an eager 10 year old following this result with glee at the time.

 

Thank you!

 

On this day 42 years ago we beat Norwich City 3-0 at the Vic in front of The Big Match cameras.



https://oldwatford.com/1981/10/24/24th-october-1981-division-two-watford-3-norwich-city-0/

 

On this day 35 years ago a 4-0 win at home to Barnsley put us back on top of the Second Division.



https://oldwatford.com/1988/10/25/25th-october-1988-division-two-watford-4-barnsley-0/

 

On this day 49 years ago we came back from 3-1 and 4-2 down to draw 4-4 at Chesterfield.



https://oldwatford.com/1974/10/26/26th-october-1974-division-three-chesterfield-4-watford-4/

 

On this day 5 years ago we beat Huddersfield 3-0 with goals from Pereyra, Deulofeu and Success.



https://oldwatford.com/2018/10/27/27th-october-2018-premier-league-watford-3-huddersfield-town-0/

 

A goal for Success? Wow. Savour the memories.

 

I remember Pereyra's goal, it was like the ball was glued to his foot as he danced around the Huddersfield defence.

 

Six goals for us in total, three in the league, one in the FA Cup, two in the League Cup. 71 appearances.

 

From memory, Pereyra just danced around the ball, without touching it, as it rolled towards the goal. This completely fooled the defence. He then kicked it to score.

 

On this day 43 years ago we beat the reigning European Champions 4-1 in the League Cup.



https://oldwatford.com/1980/10/28/2...p-fourth-round-watford-4-nottingham-forest-1/

 

On this day 46 years ago Keith Mercer scored a hat-trick and Bobby Downes and Alan Garner got one each as we beat Crewe 5-2 at home.



https://oldwatford.com/1977/10/29/29th-october-1977-division-four-watford-5-crewe-alexandra-2/

 

On this day 19 years ago a headed Heidar brace gave us a 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.



https://oldwatford.com/2004/10/30/30th-october-2004-championship-nottingham-forest-1-watford-2/

 

Loved Keith Mercer as a player. So brave, always attacked the ball with such commitment. Such a shame his career was derailed by that injury he got playing against Colchester(?) in the cup. He came back but was never the same player again.

 

On this day 8 years ago, two Odion Ighalo goals saw us beat West Ham 2-0.



https://oldwatford.com/2015/10/31/31st-october-2015-premier-league-watford-2-west-ham-united-0/

 

On this day 9 years ago we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War at our game against Millwall.



https://oldwatford.com/2014/11/01/1st-november-2014-championship-watford-3-millwall-1/

 

On this day 40 years ago, possibly our greatest ever away win.



https://oldwatford.com/1983/11/02/2...fter-extra-time-watford-win-4-2-on-aggregate/

 

Of all the Watford matches I've missed, this is the one I'd most like to have been at. But I was just too young and so the past 40 years has been spent longing for just one away game in European competition. In the 1990s, I'd have taken an Anglo-Italian away game in somewhere like Perugia or Bari. I went to an Anglo-Italian group game at Southend United hoping we'd win and reach the 'Italian' phase of the competition. We lost 0-3, of course.

I'd agree with Old Watford that the Levski Spartak game is the finest away result in the club's history, eclipsing even Manchester United away in the League Cup in 1978, simply because Watford's team was so inexperienced, a shadow of the side that had finished runners-up the previous season. It was also a trip deep into the unknown – not least because Steve Harrison's reconnaissance trip to watch Levski in action a couple of weeks beforehand had been derailed by some over-zealous vodka-related Bulgarian hospitality.

Watford were actually drawn to travel to Sofia for the first leg but because Levski's city rivals also drawn at home our Uefa Cup tie was switched. GT felt playing at home first was a disadvantage and wanted to take a 2-0 lead to Bulgaria for the second leg. Despite playing well and having loads of chances the game ended 1-1.

The away leg was hostile – 60,000 whistling Bulgarians. It was 1-1 after 90 minutes but Watford scored twice in extra time. Some of the players' stories of the European adventures are my favourite of all Watford stories. Neil Price chewing through his pre-match steak (until someone told him it was horse meat). Levski missing two penalties and then kicking Watford's players all over the pitch. Nigel Callaghan dodging glass bottles being thrown from the crowd as he took a corner.

Oh for a Europa Conference League preliminary round tie somewhere one day...

@Old Watford – loving the daily trips down memory lane.

 

Perhaps the best ever Callaghan goal too ? I mean, wow !
Actually no, the one at WBA was better still, including the run that preceded the shot (even WBA fans were applauding).

 

Some very grainy footage of Levski Spartak 1 Watford 3 here: