Saturday 19th May 1984 !

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by al_lotment, May 19, 2018.

  1. al_lotment

    al_lotment Academy Graduate

  2. The Voice of Reason

    The Voice of Reason First Team Captain

    We woz robbed, we should have been 2 or 3 up in the first 15mins, and don't even get me talking about their 2nd goal :mad:

    Despite the defeat it was a great day out, and for those of you that were there, I'm sure you remember the fantastic chanting of "Elton Johns Taylor Made Army" especially after the game for the teams lap of honour.

    Were you there? If so maybe you can tell us all about some of your memories of the day?
     
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  3. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    I remember singing “We’ll be back!” with everyone else as we left the stadium and really believing we would be. We haven’t been.
     
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  4. PhilippineOrn

    PhilippineOrn First Team

    I was there, albeit it as a spotty teenager still getting used to handling alcohol and my only vivid memory of that day was puking up inside the Red Lion before heading off to Wembley
     
  5. Vicarage Road

    Vicarage Road Reservist

    My best visit to Wembley probably because it was standing back then. Incredible atmosphere
     
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  6. iamofwfc

    iamofwfc Squad Player

    I was there, was in the lower terrace behind the goal, the view was dreadful, the atmosphere was great,could not even get the camera out of my pocket to we were crammed in so tightly, loads of Everton fans In our end, the day in the town after on the Sunday was special as well, God knows what it would have been like if we won. Graham Taylor practically apologising to the fans for not bringing the cup home. Beaten by a better team on the day, can't believe people still moan about the Andy Gray goal, if Big George had scored it we would have been furious if it had been disallowed, if we swopped goalies we would had won IMO. We had so many half chances in the first 20 odd minutes. I thought we would be back again and again, the cup was really special then.
     
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  7. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    “the cup was really special then.” Yes, that’s the saddest memory.
     
  8. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    We never turned up and apart from a couple of half chances at the beginning were never a threat. We lost that game when Rostron was red carded at lu*on.
     
  9. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    Sat with Everton supporters & behind a pillar.

    Think I might have been next to Scouse Toffee or whatever he’s called on the Silva thread.

    Silver lining is that if we’d won, I’d have been in serious trouble.
     
  10. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    ...and the rest of the regular defence got injured.
     
  11. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    I thought the popular myth was that it was the ‘Friendly Final’?
     
  12. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    The Toffee lot became increasingly good humoured during the match.

    If Big George had taken out their keeper I fancy the Scouse sense of humour would have been strained.

    It was the Friendly Final as we were good & generous losers.
     
  13. I wasn't there but remember the occasion only to well - sitting on top of my Landrover at midnight in Burketown, desperately tuning and re-tuning my short wave radio.
     
  14. RookeryDad

    RookeryDad Squad Player

    Bit remote.

    What took you there?
     
  15. Family business. Was based in Cairns and used to travel between there and Darwin regularly in 'winter' - not so easy during the summer wet season.
     
  16. Guy

    Guy Squad Player

    Remember it being a beautiful sunny day, friendly atmosphere .and abide with me sung with gusto by both sets of fans. No disgrace to lose to Everton, they were league champions following season. We started quite well with a Les Taylor shot seemingly going but slight deflection sent it wide albeit corner not given. First goal finished it as a contest and Mo Johnston/Reilly partnership anonymous.
     
  17. The Voice of Reason

    The Voice of Reason First Team Captain

    We were drinking in what was then called "The Village Inn" I think? It was at the bottom end of Wembley High Street right on the corner of turning that goes down towards Alperton.

    Anyway it was full of Everton fans and very few Hornets, but all was fine between us and we met some great Evertonians in there they were even buying us drinks. So my personal memories are that it was the friendly final with the the Everton fans we met at least.
     
  18. Pob

    Pob Reservist

    There as a boy and remember crying with pride when the team walked out to represent our little town. All around me was a sea of yellow. I still get a bit misty eyed when I think back to it or talk about it. Remember Everton going up to get the cup and all I could hear was Elton Johns Taylor Made Army. I was so proud and still am.
     
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  19. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    It was very hot,especially as I HAD to wear my lucky heavy denim jacket* that I'd worn to every round!
    I don't recall much of the game apart from Les Taylor having two good chances early on and the infamous Andy Gray goal.
    Like many I recall singing 'we'll be back'.
    The crowds for the tube were huge so my friends and I walked all the way back to Pinner.The only unpleasantness came from Harrow schoolboys.
    Will we be back?
    *Superstitious even then Ub!
     
  20. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    My father and I drove up all the way from our home in Cornwall, without tickets. My mother claimed that the bloke who lived opposite but one to us had popped round after we had left offering some tickets. I'm not sure I believe this because so far as I know he did not know of our WFC connection and the chances of some random Cornish bloke scoring Cup Final tickets seems remote - but he was well known in our household as someone who could get his hands on anything, so it's possible.

    Remember the tube journey from Watford Met: supporters singing "We'll be running round Wembley with our willies hanging out, singing I've got a bigger one than yours". We bought tickets for £50 each from a tout. Stood at the bottom of the terraces behind the goal. Remember cheering Luther beforehand. We were beaten by the better team. Felt disappointed, but proud, at the end. On Wembley Way walking back to the tube, an Evertonian offered to swap scarves with me. I refused: I still feel a little bit guilty about that.
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2018
  21. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    That’s another big difference between then and now: as you say we were still there to see Everton lift the Cup while still cheering our team. Today, at every Wembley occasion, the losing team’s fans leave at the final whistle so the stadium is literally half empty for the presentation. This had even started to happen by the time of our win over Bolton in ‘99. I wonder why?
     
  22. Since1980

    Since1980 Academy Graduate

    I was 16 years old and was desperate for Watford to win. The Cup Final was such a big deal in those days. I was on the terraces quite near the back and it was rammed-you could barely lift your arms up. I remember seeing people trying to get out before the game, it was so hot and crowded. We started brightly, the Les Taylor shot and Barnes header nearly putting us ahead. There was a punch up behind me just before Everton scored. In those days at Wembley they had police spotters facing the crowd at the bottom and when they saw trouble it was radioed up to other police who then came in at the back and squeezed through the crowd to grab the offenders. It turned out my Dad, who had turned up with about 2 minutes until kick off, had been right beside the fight, a couple of drunks having a go at each other.
    We never really recovered from the first goal (offside?) and Trevor Steven roasted Neil Price all afternoon, putting in the cross for that goal. Would never be allowed today, but there you go. Mo Johnston put the ball in the net and for a brief moment there was hope, until we realised it had been disallowed. We pretty much ran out of steam in the second half. It was very comfortable for Everton. When you look back, we didn't do ourselves justice and really blew the chance of a lifetime. I believed we'd be back, but it hasn't happened yet and doesn't look likely I'm afraid. Yes, it was called the Friendly Final and that was all part of the Watford "journey" in those days, but I'd much rather have won it. I'm still bitter....
     
  23. Simmos

    Simmos First Year Pro

    I recall queuing for 6 hours on my 21st birthday for a ticket but well worth the effort. On the day I remember walking up Wembley Way in front of banner held up by Lancashire Hornets. Lets say that the scousers were less than pleased with the banner. The only time I can recall in my lifetime the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end was when the teams came out and how loud the cheers were from the Watford fans. We were really loud that day but you could have heard a pin drop in our end when the first Everton goal went in. Despite the result it was still a day never to be forgotten.
     
  24. Sort of OK

    Sort of OK Reservist

    I was there, only 13 at the time but like most others have mentioned the atmosphere was great, not only in the ground but walking up to the ground and afterwards, remember a quite a few Everton fans coming over to shake hands on the way back and commiserating.

    Remember singing Luthers name as he came out before IIRC but wasn't eligible?

    Seem to recall being sat on wooden benches too.

    Frankly it was such an exciting day I think most of my memories of the game are from footage I have seen since.
     
  25. vic-rijrode

    vic-rijrode First Year Pro

    There have been two (and only two) occasions on which I have cried at a football match - not relegation, not promotion, not a wonder goal, not going to the bottom of Div. 4 or finishing second in Div. 1.

    I have already mentioned, on the gut-wrenching thread, blubbering at the end of the game at the Kennel in 1964.

    The other time was at Wembley in 84 during the singing of "Abide with Me". I memorised all the words weeks beforehand, not just the first verse (practising in the bath) and sang throughout - it was not until close to the end of the last verse that I realised tears were rolling down my cheeks. I recall that was the first time I truly believed that we were at the Cup Final. I am not in the slightest bit religious and the words I rapidly forgot.

    How times change. I didn't even watch Saturday's game and couldn't have cared less about it. Do they even sing Abide with Me anymore?
     
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  26. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    Yes.
     
  27. Vanhorn17

    Vanhorn17 Academy Graduate

    I just remember a sense of unreality. I'd watched the team since the sixties, bobbing around the 3rd and 4th divisions, and suddenly there we were, at Wembley. In those days that meant something, and for a couple of seconds I was a bit overwhelmed. Price was a disaster, badly needed Wilf. Having said that, that second goal was a disgrace, and any decent ref would have disallowed it. Ah well, great day anyway.
     
  28. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    I think we all realised soon after, if not on the day itself, that Wembley was the top of the mountain for Watford. There were still some great times to come but the players we loved who had got us there were already starting to leave, to be replaced by established First Division players from elsewhere. It was never quite the same again.
     
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  29. Ray Knight

    Ray Knight First Year Pro

    Spent two weeks tearing up paper into little pieces for myself and brother to throw into the air. I got wrecked the night before with an Everton fan friend on a pub crawl around Ricky. Wonderful atmosphere that you just can't replicate at the new Wembley. Magic day without the desired result. Ironically we launched a great Everton team as we went into a slow but still memorable decline. Then and now great but always remember how dire it was in the early 90s. Be grateful for what we have now!
     
  30. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    I was there. Went up on the DC after working an early turn at Euston and the train was full of mickey mousers. They were generally OK, but on the walk up to the stadium I was approached by one gentleman of a Scousian persuasion who produced a blade and enquired whether I might be prepared to make a gift to him of my ticket in return for not being stabbed.

    I suggested we should ask a cop what he thought about it and wandered over towards where one was standing. When I looked again, the Aye Mate spunkbubble had farked orf.

    As for the match itself, less said the better really. Best chant of the day was "Luther, Luther get your boots!" when the great man wandered past us dressed in a suit and tie.

    I had bet £5.00 on Watford to win the FA Cup at 33/1 that season and each round we had got through, I had produced this betting slip in the pub and waved it at my non-Hornet friends triumphantly. I'd planned what I was going to buy with my winnings, starting with a framed photo of the team with the cup for my front room wall.

    That evening in the pub, I remember ceremonially burning the betting slip in an ash tray, but not much else.

    I'm afraid I was very, very drunk.
     
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