Plymouth v Watford The match that still makes Graham Taylor sweat Twenty-three years after their semi-final encounter, Plymouth and Watford's key men recall that historic day Saturday March 10, 2007 The Guardian George Reilly Scorer of the only goal in the 1984 semi-final They were great days for Watford. We were second in the old First Division and the FA Cup under Graham Taylor and Elton John. My first memory of that match was the panic to get there. It was at Villa Park and we got stuck in traffic on the M6. We arrived at 2.30, just in time to get our team-sheet in. We were talking about getting changed on the bus, it was so tight. Article continues It was a fantastic atmosphere and the sun was hot. Plymouth deserved a draw and we were hanging on at the end. I moved back to centre-half. I was being marked by Lindsay Smith but I got across him and the goalkeeper to meet a cross with a lot of pace from John Barnes, on the left wing. Five years ago I was working at Corby when someone whacked me on the head. He was a traveller and he almost bit my ear off. I needed 75 stitches. He said just one word: Plymouth. In the final against Everton we got beat but Elton had his party. Big marquees. Kiki Dee was there and they did a version of Don't Go Breaking My Heart. It felt a long way from Cambridge United, where I was one of the first players to go on strike. My mates, who were builders, used to watch me and I used to look at them in the stands knowing they were earning more money than me. I was on £260 a week. I only wanted £300. It improved when I went to Watford, Newcastle and West Brom. I had some great managers: Graham, Jack Charlton. Ron Saunders. But Ron Atkinson wasn't one of them. I'd like to go 15 rounds with him now. I'm writing a book and I've got a lot of things to say about him. I was a bricklayer before football and I'm a bricklayer now, when the arthritis allows it. I've got it in my knees, back and ankles. I'm not working at the moment. I had to retire from football when I was 30. I would have made some money from the game over the following five years. I wasn't even able to work as a brickie for a long time. I'm living in Mallow, near Cork. I'm from Scotland but this is my spiritual home. My great-grandfather came from Cavan. My family's coming over for my 50th birthday in September. About 35 of them, for a golf day. My dad's coming over on Sunday and we'll watch the game together. Graham Taylor Watford manager It was the biggest day of my club career, the culmination of seven magnificent years at Vicarage Road. It was very hard to follow that time. I will be at Plymouth on Sunday, even though I will be in Middlesbrough on Saturday! My worst memory of the game was when we were 1-0 up and Kevin Hodges, Plymouth's wide right midfielder, put in a shot. I was right behind it and knew it had beaten Steve Sherwood and was going in. Then it hit the ground and drifted away. I still sweat about that moment. This was the draw we wanted because Everton and Southampton were the other sides and Plymouth were struggling in the Third Division. But the Watford side that had come runners-up in the league in 1982-83 was starting to break up. We also had a lot of injuries and we had seven very young players in this match. I couldn't let them see how concerned I was. In fact they handled the game very well but unfortunately it caught up with them in the final when we found we weren't experienced enough. Plymouth might have deserved a replay. George [Reilly] scored a very good goal in our first effort on goal and then we had one disallowed, a narrow offside decision against Nigel Callaghan. We were on top of them. But in the second half, if Hodges' shot had gone in, we might have struggled to hang on because of our inexperience. Reilly, who I bought for £90,000, and Mo Johnston, who I bought from Partick Thistle for £250,000, really hit if off together- on and off the pitch. Andy Rogers Plymouth winger, now a probation officer in Torquay Plymouth went mad that weekend. I remember green scarves draped over the motorway bridges on the M5 all the way to Birmingham and the sea of green and white at Villa Park. It was fantastic. Watford were a very good side at that time - a top six in the country team - and we were massive underdogs, fighting relegation from the Third Division. Jimmy Greaves said it might be a 10-0 job. We wanted to avoid a good hiding. But it was a close game and on another day we might have nicked a result. I left at the end of the following season and went to Reading, where we won the Third Division title after a long winning run. But that 1984 game was the highlight of my Plymouth career. I had four very good years there and they are my best memories of football because of the friendly people and the place. And we always tried to get the ball down and play football. Just as they did in the recent cup game against Derby. I went to the game and they completely outplayed a side who look like going up, so they must have a real chance this weekend. After Reading I went to Southend, where we also won promotion, and then Farnborough. I had about four years in the Conference before I went to train as a probation officer. Johnny Hore Plymouth manager It was a glorious day, warm and very sunny with two great sets of supporters and one hell of a contest. I saw Graham Taylor the other day for the first time in 23 years. At The Belfry. Lovely man. He had his Watford cufflinks on so he had one up on me again. He left Watford and eventually went on to manage England. I went on to manage Torrington in north Devon for 11 years, in the Western League. Great people. I just went to help them out but they gave me such a welcome that I stayed. I thought we might have a bit of a chance 23 years ago, even though we were struggling in the league. We had this inner belief. And it was very close. This weekend will be special. I can't see Plymouth losing. We had a very small squad then and were up against it in the league but then we had this fantastic cup run with some hard replays. No one gave us a chance when we played West Brom, who had just appointed Johnny Giles, who went there with Norman Hunter and Nobby Stiles as coach. But we beat them. It was a classic piece of wing play from John Barnes that brought the goal for Watford in that semi. And it was the only one. I'm now a self-employed painter and decorator. I do other things as well but nothing will stop me being at Home Park on Sunday.
Cracking post JOBR it brings back all the memories. Lets hope we can stuff the Green Lot. But as GT said even if the worst happens they can't take away 84.
