I was there, standing on the North West Corner of the Vicarage Road Terrace. I seem to remember the Sunderland goalkeeper Turner, got man of the match. Without him it would have been well into double figures.
I did , I think it was my first game (was only 12) and had persuaded my a Dad to take me. I only have vague memories of the game, was it Luther’s 1st hatrick I am sure I remember at the time it was , but that was 36 years ago and my brain is now addled
Took me a while to work out what you meant (trouble with typing on an iPad) B dad was fine, c dad was pissed right off
Fantastic day - could have been more. GT had the team keep active at Half Time so they wouldn't let up in the second half. I had video on VHS
I *think* that's me on the 2nd righthand scoreboard leg in the darkish clothing (my mate's in the lighter coloured clothes). I remember running from there to the 306 bus stop (by the one Crown) so my mate and I could see the score on the teles in the DER shop "...WATFORD 8 (EIGHT) - SUNDERLAND 0...."
I'm probably in that picture somewhere. One of my favourite spots was standing on the raised concrete under the scoreboard supports so I could get above the crowd, (like the person in the light clothing with their arm in the air). It got me on TV a few times as well. Best part of that game was my technical drawing teacher was a massive Sunderland fan who took it very badly.
I was also on the North West terrace. I moved there when the seats were installed in front of the Shrodelles stand in 1980. Apart from Turner being MotM and it being 4-0 at half time, we also hit the woodwork another four times in the first half. Another oddity was that at 6-0 we had three players (Blissett, Jenkins & Callaghan) looking for a hat trick. Luther got it of course. It’s still the most one sided 90 minutes I’ve ever seen.
I also remember Ally McCoist missing a sitter with the scores still at 0-0, you never know, that may have changed history. I remember hitting the woodwork and it was Barnes I think who did this 4 times. That must be a record in itself. The final score probably should have been 12-0, and we let them off the hook.
That was the year I had to stop getting a season ticket as I started at Teesside Poly. The Sunderland game was my last game before I took the train up to the north east the following morning. In Kings Cross station I had the absolute pleasure of standing behind a group of Mackems who were blissfully unaware of the score as they turned to the back page of the newspaper and cried out in horror when they saw it. I don't remember much after 36 years and the details are still sketchy, but that moment and one of the goals which was a long pass out from defence to the right wing, crossed by Callaghan from the byline and headed in by Luther have always stuck with me. I just knew then that we would be o.k. in the first division (even if I didn't get to see most of it).
I was there and got the video, which to do so you has to send a tape into the club for them to copy it and send it back to you. 90 plus minutes and no sound! Technology changed a bit hasn't it!
Something I still remember from that day is the group under the score board, after the fifth (?) went in started cheering for a Sunderland player "Peter"...
Ah yes you are right, just a load of applause every few minutes, a bit like when you put a seashell up to Your Ear!
Match number 19 in the unofficial list of Greatest Watford Wins. https://goldandblack.me/no-19/ I also love Gerry Armstrong's story about the week leading up to the game: http://watfordlegends.com/enjoy-the-game/gerry-armstrong-enjoy-the-game-interview/ "Remember when we beat Sunderland 8-0? I was on the bench that day but I remember it because my Northern Ireland team-mate Jimmy Nicholl played for Sunderland. We’d played badly the previous game and lost and we were poor [at Nottingham Forest]. We trained Monday morning, afternoon, Tuesday, Wednesday, morning and afternoon. Morning and afternoon three days in a row. It was unbelievable. There was nothing left in the tank. He hammered us. Usually the lads were all bubbly but everyone was quiet that Thursday morning. They were knackered and they were worried about what the day would hold for them. No one was talking. We were on the verge of cracking, just sitting round in the dressing room wondering what was coming. So this is on the Thursday morning, after three hard, hard days. There’s the Sunderland match on the Saturday. The lads were all sitting down. No one moving. Graham came in and he was bouncing and bubbling. He was laughing. He said, ‘I was talking to Rita last night and she thought perhaps I was being a bit hard on you, and I agreed. ‘So we’re going to go up to the hotel and have a Champagne breakfast on me.’ So we all put our tracksuits on and we headed over to the hotel for sausage, bacon, egg, the full fry-up, little glass of bubbly. Martin Patching said to me, ‘I wonder if we could get a pint?’ ‘You’re having a laugh, it’s 10.30 in the morning, he’ll chew our heads off.’ ‘Go on Gerry, ask the boss.’ So I said, ‘Excuse me boss, is there any chance we could have a pint of lager?’ ‘Good idea,’ he says ‘Let’s get some jugs of lager.’ Immediately the mood changed, everybody was up and smiling. It was a real party atmosphere. He left at 12, but we stuck around for another couple of hours having a chat. It was a bit of fun. Then we went in on the Friday morning and it was a fun session. All just games, a bit of messing about. Penalty shoot-out, five-a-side all the stuff that players enjoy. On the Saturday I was warming up and I warned Jimmy Nicholl before the kick-off. Our lads were absolutely bouncing. They had worked really hard for three days, then had two really fun days, so they felt fresh, relaxed and we absolutely annihilated them. Eight-nil. We murdered them. Before the game I wasn’t wondering if we’d win, I was wondering how many we’d win by. It was our chance to make up for the performance the previous weekend and although it was all down to the players on the day, Graham had got the week spot on. He had read the signs with the players and he had got the absolute best out of them." Sources: Goldandblack.me watfordlegends.com
I missed that game....had a student job and had to work that Saturday. First game I had missed for about 5 seasons
Started watching in the Rookery.. then transferred to the Vic Road terrace for the end. We did this so we could get a fast exit back to the Aylesbury bus. Sadly choose the moment of Luther's hatrick goal to walk/run up Occupation Road. Lucky to have been there though. Ally remembers..
I was there - in my usual place - Vicarage road end standing on the left side as you face the pitch Do you recall that lifelong Sunderland Fan was due to present an award after the game to the winners of the half time penalty shoot out - but they could not find him!
I did hear the story of a Sunderland fan who had been present at all of the following games: West Ham (A) 1968-9 L 0-8 Watford (A) 1982-3 L 0-8 Southampton (A) 2014-5 L 0-8
It would have been remarkable had he only gone to those three matches. Shame the report doesn't mention how often he goes to games. But you know these north east fans. He's probably been to every match home and away for 60 years.
I was there. The match went quite well. I've got a VHS tecording of it - I wonder if our video player still works?
My gf at the time wanted to go away to Paris. For a weekend during footy season. "It's only one match" she said. "They'll probably lose anyway" she said. I only found the score out the next day looking at a UK paper in Paris (the days before teletext/internet/mobiles etc). After 3 seconds of pure delight, the realisation that I'd missed it hit home and it ruined the whole bloody weekend. We split up shortly after.
Probably for the best. Couldn't you have offered to take her to the game and visit Paris in the close season? Then again my brother wasn't allowed out for six years during his first marriage,on reflection this was no bad thing!
