Watford FC - History Thread

Discussion in 'The Golden Years' started by Nuandy, Apr 18, 2015.

  1. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

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  2. kopthat2005

    kopthat2005 Academy Graduate

    I used to live in Bournehall Ave Bushey, and a bunch of us kids with the help of parents started Bournehall Rovers, because we didn't want to play for Bushey Rangers. John Hardy got involved a few years later, and scouted a lot of talented young players in the area, they were about a year younger than my team.
     
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  3. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Thanks for that. I did wonder where the name came from.

    Would you know if any other future wfc player came through the ranks there?
     
  4. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Not an historical pic as such but this one did make me giggle.

    How we all feel at times following the Hornets..

    Capturevbnjjh.JPG
     
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  5. vic-rijrode

    vic-rijrode First Year Pro

    Yes , that is the picture. You can see how shallow the banking was - because of the angle of the picture it looks as if the stand is only a few feet deep, but it did go back quite a way. If you stood at the back of the stand you were something like 30 yards from the goal!
     
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  6. kopthat2005

    kopthat2005 Academy Graduate

    We moved to Australia in April 1975, my parents got a lifetime award send off do just before we left because they were founding members of Bournehall Rovers (we chose Rovers because of the Roy of the Rovers comics). I always remember there were 3 or 4 internationals from that team, Kenny Jackett, Stuart Pearce being mentioned.

    I found this article on Kenny that has the same photo. I remember playing on the moat field.
    https://putajumperon.wordpress.com/2014/12/26/wfc1982-kenny-jackett-bushey-rangers/
     
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  7. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Nice to hear your story. So did your football career take you anywhere?


    PS Yeah that's where i found the pic. A great little blog for anyone interested in our past. Here's the page listing all the Watford related games he attended.. https://putajumperon.wordpress.com/1982-83/
     
  8. kopthat2005

    kopthat2005 Academy Graduate

    Unfortunately not very far, just State League in Australia and broke my ankle at 20,
    but I was never in the class to make it as a pro, but still live and breath the game,
    was born at Watford Hospital so can't get much closer to the ground :)
     
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  9. tonycotonstache

    tonycotonstache Squad Player

    Can we put Marco Silva here yet it is it still too early?
     
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  10. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

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  11. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

  12. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

    *senior moment*
     
  13. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

    Needed a distraction from the depressing Silva thread, so enjoy these two gems from Ashley Young:D. Would love to see him back at Watford.



     
  14. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    A few more pics from the enjooooythegame website that Jossy put me on to..

    Including this one which ive 'cleaned up' a bit. It's now one of my top Wfc pics.

    Capturehhhhhjjj.JPG

    It doesnt give a description with the pic so therefore not sure of the year. Late 50's/early 60's?
     
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  15. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

  16. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

  17. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

  18. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

  19. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

  20. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

  21. Warrington Hornet

    Warrington Hornet Reservist

    That would be after the Man U replay in 69.

    I ended up sitting around the touchline with hundreds of other kids removed from the terracing after the barriers collapsed
     
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  22. Warrington Hornet

    Warrington Hornet Reservist

    I reckon I'm in that picture with my late father as we stood there from the time I started going in 1966.
     
  23. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    One of my favourite WFC pictures of all time. Pretty sure it was at Tottenham, not sure what year, but I do know I was there. We had a small period where those free kicks were working brilliantly, the Watford players creating a wall in front of the ball that split at the very last moment. There's only one Watford picture I'd ever have on the wall and it's that one.
     
  24. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Definitely White Hart Lane.. and has to be the famous 1-0 win in our first season in the top flight. Jenkins had moved on by the following season.
    The only thing that would have made this pic even better was having the huge following we had that day in the background.
     
  25. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    Our record attendance of course.


    I was going to ask if you saw anyone injured that evening.. and then when i did a picture search for the game i found these. Never seen them before..

    EPSON004.JPG
    EPSON006.JPG
    EPSON005.JPG
     
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  26. Warrington Hornet

    Warrington Hornet Reservist

    [QUOTE"Stevohorn, post: 2587137, member: 1053"]Definitely White Hart Lane.. and has to be the famous 1-0 win in our first season in the top flight. Jenkins had moved on by the following season.
    The only thing that would have made this pic even better was having the huge following we had that day in the background.[/QUOTE]
    3 win In 3 seasons at White Hart Lane, 1-0, 5-1 and 3-2. That 1-0 was my favourite and we had the whole of the Park Lane end if memory serves me right.
     
  27. Stevohorn

    Stevohorn Watching Grass Grow

    and a couple of match action pics from the United replay in 69.

    Law, Best.. and some Watford players :)

    Capturexcvb.JPG
    Capturesdfghjkk.JPG
     
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  28. Warrington Hornet

    Warrington Hornet Reservist

    Great pictures Stevo. To be honest I can only remember bits about that match. The barriers collapsed to the right of where I was with my Dad. My Nan was in the stand and obviously worried about both of us.

    I remember being lifted above the crowd and sitting around the edge of the pitch. Sadly, I'm not in any of those photos
     
  29. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    3 win In 3 seasons at White Hart Lane, 1-0, 5-1 and 3-2. That 1-0 was my favourite and we had the whole of the Park Lane end if memory serves me right.[/QUOTE]
    The atmosphere at WHL was fierce in those days with the ground rammed way, way before kick-off. To nick it 1-0 right at the end was fantastic (although we wondered if we would make it back to the car alive!) and really p'ed off the many Spurs supporting journalists. When we got back to the Prem in 99 I remember being so disappointed at the limp atmosphere at WHL and so many other grounds.
     
  30. V Crabro

    V Crabro Reservist

    Just linking together two of the images posted by Stevo earlier. It's a good job there were no "cages" at the Vic in 1969.......(see behind JB in the free kick image).
     
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  31. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    Does anyone know for sure how long the Rous Stand had the 'pit lane garages' on the lower tier and no seats? My memory is that it was a disappointingly long time, maybe three years or more, but looking at a number of photos on here and elsewhere I'm beginning to wonder if it was much shorter than that. Thanks.
     
  32. Warrington Hornet

    Warrington Hornet Reservist

    .[/QUOTE]
    The atmosphere at WHL was fierce in those days with the ground rammed way, way before kick-off. To nick it 1-0 right at the end was fantastic (although we wondered if we would make it back to the car alive!) and really p'ed off the many Spurs supporting journalists. When we got back to the Prem in 99 I remember being so disappointed at the limp atmosphere at WHL and so many other grounds.[/QUOTE]
    Over 42,000 for the 1-0 win.

    Went by train that day. Tried to look as glum as the Spuds fans on the tube back. Didn't help that someone let off a stink bomb on it !
     
  33. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

    Do you mean how long were the temporary seats in place, or how long the lower tier was devoid of any seats at all?

    If it's the latter, then it was only for a month or two. This picture here shows David Bardsley taking a corner against Oxford on the opening day of the season, August 86. As you can see, it's a building site still:
    [​IMG]

    But within a month or two, the temporary seating had been installed. This is the front cover of the West Ham Littlewoods cup match showing the temp seating. I believe the picture is from the Villa game a few weeks earlier when the stand was officially opened:
    [​IMG]

    The lower tier was properly completed when the Vic Road stand was built, during the summer of 93:
    [​IMG]

    So the answer to your question - either approx 2 months or 7 years!

    All pics from https://oldwatford.com/
     
  34. ST1968

    ST1968 First Year Pro

    Jossy, great pictures and research as normal. Much obliged.

    in the lower set of photos, picture3 confirms something I've commented on in theory before. That the steps of the bend and/or lower Shrodells paddock are intact(ish) underneath the Upper GT stand.

    I used to work the turnstiles from the mid 80s to the early 90s most commonly up on the away end. In 86 and probably into 87 or 88 I'm sure there was just a chainlink fence between the much reduced bend to the underneath of the Upper GT and you could see the old Shrodells concrete structure/steps underneath.

    On a different tact....25 years on the Vic Road End is clearly limited for the 21st century but these pictures show just what an advance the ground made in 93. Thanks to Paul Furlong of course.

    ST
     
  35. Jossy

    Jossy Reservist

    Haha no problem. I'm safe in this thread:). It's the Marco Silva one where I think I'm ultimately going to lose the battle:(!

    This set of pictures from when the Rous stand was originally built might confirm your suspicions even more (I think this has been posted before - maybe by you, Stevohorn? But I'm too lazy to search for it):

    [​IMG]

    Also from https://oldwatford.com/
     

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