Watford FC Historical Photographs/Video Thread

Discussion in 'The Golden Years' started by Stevohorn, Feb 24, 2019.

  1. Scalexman

    Scalexman Reservist

    Steve Terry was the worst for it!
     
    HenryHooter likes this.
  2. Captain Fantastic

    Captain Fantastic Academy Graduate




    Hi
    Do you know name of photographer who took these photos ?
     
  3. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

  4. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    Tbere was some crowd photograph's of the main stand from the 70's displayed in the Museum. Would love some copies of of those A few of my Dad and me. Anybody here know if they ever kept displays like this?
     
  5. Captain Fantastic

    Captain Fantastic Academy Graduate

    Just wondered as my dad was photographer for the Watford Observer back then ,and took alot of black and white photos at the Watford matches.Not sure if he was at that match .I do remember it though as I was living in Bushey ,and the club gave out pens with the score on them .I have some team member photos somewhere .
    I remember sitting behind the goal with dad as he took photos when I was in my teens,1978 on .Great club and pleased were at the Semis again ,remember watching them at old Wembley stadium with dad ,when we last reached the semis,was it Bolton ,cant remember now .
     
    Stevohorn likes this.
  6. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Bolton was the play off final in 99.. won 2-0 at the old Wembley. Last semi was at the new Wembley vs Palace and we unfortunately lost.

    What's your dads name if you don't mind me asking?
     
  7. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Weird punctuation. Well done.
     
  8. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    I'm in contact with a lady called Sarah.. the wfc archivist at the museum. I'll ask her for you.
     
  9. Captain Fantastic

    Captain Fantastic Academy Graduate

    Dads name Mike Dellow ,he was on Watford Observer and Chief Photographer at Evening Echo,Hemel Hempstead.Hes 86 now and has been fighting colon cancer for last three years.He lives in Lincs now but was a really good photographer ,and also took loads when Elton took over .
     
    Stevohorn likes this.
  10. Captain Fantastic

    Captain Fantastic Academy Graduate

    Sorry about my writing ,never was much good at English at school .
     
  11. Captain Fantastic

    Captain Fantastic Academy Graduate

    Sorry,thanks for your help .
     
    Stevohorn likes this.
  12. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    Thank you so much. Would mean so much to get a few copies.
     
  13. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Name rings a bell. I will have a search around to see if i can find any of his pics.. also ask on the Hornet history on facebook.
     
  14. Captain Fantastic

    Captain Fantastic Academy Graduate

    Thanks
     
  15. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Hi sorry i wasn't quicker getting back to you but i was waiting to see if anyone could come up with more than i did.
    The thing is most of the old photos i see are credited to either "Watford Observer" or another news agency. The photographer is rarely credited unfortunately. I personally have a large collection of vintage wfc photos but i wouldnt have a clue who took them.

    I did however find two things out about your father. From this article.. https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/n...ellow-is-focus-of-attention-on-80th-birthday/ (which i guess you would have seen) stating that he was with the WO in two spells the last time being 1983 to 1989, pretty much THE golden era of the club (current times notwithstanding)
    I also found out he snapped the iconic image of Paul McCartney meeitng his then Girlfriend Jane Asher at Watford Palace Theater in 1965.. https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/n...ccartney-pops-into-watford-for-a-fishing-rod/ Now there's a claim to fame!

    If i can work out any specific WFC photos that your dad took i will post them here for you.
     
  16. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member


    Monday 14th August 1950: The players and coaching staff of Watford Football Club, comprising, from left to right from the back row, of D Small, C Taylor, T Collins, R Sherwood, K Stockley, F Jacket, R Garbutt, Thomas (trainer), E Woodruffe, T Eggleston, T Paton, R Eastway, K Fisher, P Nolan, J Harper, R Evans (assistant trainer), B Jones, R Laing, T Brown, D Thomas, H Cumner, J Hartburn (top scorer with 13 goals that season) & L Pilkington

    [​IMG]

    Taken looking towards the Vicarage Road end. The season started with a 5-1 loss to Southend United that Saturday and the team finished above Crystal Palace twenty third out of the 24 teams in Division Three South and had to seek re-election. Manager Ron Gray lost his job as a result.
     
  17. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member


    Sad to say but Mike Dellow passed away. God bless: https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/17809314.death-watford-observer-photographer-mike-dellow/

    Mike Dellow (centre) at Wembley prior to the 1984 FA Cup Final:​

    [​IMG]
     
  18. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Watford Gav likes this.
  19. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    [​IMG]

    1914 in the Southern League. The season saw a record breaking 7-0 win over Coventry City under the management of Harry Kent. The photography was undertaken by the Southwood brothers who had moved around Watford with their growing photgraphy business finally ending up at number 40 Market Street a spot now occupied by a Turkish restaurant. The younger brother William passed away in 1952. Joe McLauchlan and Alex Stewart pictured above all served in the Army 1914-18. Both survived but were discharged from service due to wounds. Stewart returned to football with Cardiff City after the war but his war injuries had ruined him and he only played a handful of games.

    Harold Bulling and George Edmonds (a record £1500 transfer to Wolves in 1914 ) served at home in construction and munitions work. Edmonds who scored for the Hornets at a rate of a goal every two games eventually ended up in a FA Cup final in 1921 where Wolves lost to a Tottenham team captained by Arthur Grimsdell. Grimsdell was Watford born and bred and also picked up six England caps three as captain.
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2019
    Banjo likes this.
  20. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Thanks for this. Strange to think of young footballers like these going to face the horror of war soon afterwards. Just imagine if it were some of the players we’re used to watching now.
     
  21. Scalexman

    Scalexman Reservist

    Val Gregory, also pictured above, was the Wolves Captain for the 1921 final, making three local born ex-Watford FC boys in that game.
     
    Smudger likes this.
  22. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    [​IMG]
    Henry Roy Brown (1923-89) pictured in September 1957 his last season with the club and one of the very few black professional players in the Football League at the time. He was a native Clay Head and joined us from his boyhood club Stoke City (who were riding high in the First Division having had his best season with them scoring 8 goals in sixteen matches). With age catching up on him moved to the third tier Division Three South with us (there of course being no Division Four then) and knocked in a fair few for us before departing for non league Chelmsford City.

    https://www.ourwatfordhistory.org.uk/content/topics/football/henry-roy-brown
     
  23. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    I wonder how these few black players were received back then. Better or worse than now, or perhaps just treated as a curiosity?
     
  24. Scalexman

    Scalexman Reservist

    Tony Collins (Watford’s first black player) and Roy Brown played together. Both were well loved by a vast majority of the fans. Roy had an unfortunate nickname that would not be seen as acceptable today, as did John Cother, Watford’s first player with Indian lineage in 1898. Tony Collins is still alive today and his autobiography is available on Amazon ‘Master Football Spy’ - it’s an interesting read
     
    Carpster and Smudger like this.
  25. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member


    [​IMG]
    4th February 1932: WFC prepare for their FA Cup tie against Bradford Park Avenue at Watford. Starting from the top Row and from left to right, are A Gillespie (trainer), Ellis, Brown, Holland, Richards, Woodward and Mr McBain (manager). Bottom row are Chapman, Barnett, James, O'Brian (captain), Lowe, and Barnes.

    This was a fifth round tie which saw the Hornets end up in a quarterfinal clash away at Newcastle that they lost 5-0. On the way to this match we had beaten Thames Association, Gainsborough Trinity, Fulham and Bristol City.

    Thames Association played at the West Ham Stadium (not Upton Park/Boleyn Ground) which could hold 120000 spectators and was primarily a speedway and greyhound venue. Crowds were low given the proximity of West Ham, Millwall and Charlton and after two seasons of struggle in the Football League the club was disbanded in 1932. Bradford PA used to be the strongest team in Bradford and were at one time in the First Division. Their rivals Manningham became Bradford City.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2020
  26. another_mrlizard

    another_mrlizard Squad Player

    For purely personal reasons, that you wouldn't be even slightly interested in, that Southampton match is my favourite ever Watford game. It also reminds me, along with the Sunderland goal, what a brilliant header of the ball Nigel Callaghan was.

    He probably didn't score that many with his head, but given the size of the fella in those days, you wouldn't have expected him to score any.
     
    CYHSYF likes this.
  27. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member



    Galli, Nielsen, Page and Smudger all Watford stalwarts. One hundred percenters.

     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2020
  28. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    [​IMG]

    Watford 1-0 Newcastle United at sunset on Saturday the 27th of December 1986.
     
    Banjo and wfc4ever like this.
  29. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    [​IMG]

    David Bardsley and Nigel Gibbs with coach Pat Rice May 1984
     
    Hornet4ever likes this.
  30. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    A difficult choice between those three for right back!
     
  31. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    You can never have too many RBs.
     
  32. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    Preferred when Bardsley was pushed further forward. Especially against fatty Sansom.
     
    HenryHooter likes this.
  33. Hornet4ever

    Hornet4ever WFC Forums Last Man Standing Winner 2018/2019

    Can any posters give their personal recollection of watching Stuart Scullion? It was before my time in both his spells.

    I heard a lot in the past in terms of how good/ahead of his time he was. Would be interesting to hear.
     
  34. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Scully was in the team when I first started going in 1970 and he was certainly the star and the most skilful player in terms of running with the ball and beating defenders. He was always criticised for his lack of what we would now call a ‘final ball’ but I remember being really disappointed when he left for Sheffield U.
    Coming back three years later, he was a regular in the team when Billy Jennings had his 29 goal season but also when Watford subsided to relegation in 1975. I don’t remember him being such an outstanding player in that period and I actually preferred Bobby Downes who played on the left then and went on to gain two promotions under GT. Tricky wingers like Scullion were not so much in fashion then and Downes was more direct and likely to shoot from distance.
    After a few games in the 4th Division Scullion left for the US, although he was not yet 30.
     
    hambledonhornet likes this.
  35. Smudger

    Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

    [​IMG]

    Back at the start of it all. Elton John proud surveyor of his beloved Watford FC . August 1977.

    [​IMG]

    At a snowy Vicarage Road Steve Sims contests a ball with Mick Harford then of Lincoln City. Saturday 6th January 1979.
     

Share This Page