Your First Route To Vicarage Road

One of the few wins that year, resulting in relegation to D3 - The mighty Preston North End. I took my son aged 6 to his first game vs Sheffield United in 2005, we lost but Henderson scored twice making him my sons hero (even to this day!). I also took him to another couple of games and the play off final against Leeds at Cardiff, by then he was hooked. He's 21 now and at Salford Uni, he gets a fair bit of stick but he's a proper Hornet.

 

Yep, so did I, Villiers Road.
Think the reason they dropped the Oxhey off the station name was because a fair few people in those days, before smart phones and Google maps, visiting addresses in South Oxhey would leave the station and ask someone for directions, then have to get back on a train for Carpenders Park.

 

I was on Lower Paddock Road most of my time, before a smaller time down just off Capel Road. We had a velux in the roof at our house at Lower Paddock, at the top of the hill, so that on a matchday, remarkably the line of sight meant could see half the scoreboard (with binoculars!). A small thing that is now bugging me thinking about Oxhey, what was the name of the shop opposite Lovedays bakers? It was used in a persil advert, and I can't think what it was called.

 

Walked from Church Road up to the roundabout by the Town Hall (this was 1966), down the High Street to St Mary's Church, across Exchange Road and up Vicarage Road. Stood just to the left of the goal at the Vicarage Road end. My cousin and I stood on a fold up stool my uncle made. Strangely we always walked through Watford Market on the way home!

 

Met train from Harrow to Watford. The walk to the ground from the station as a kid seemed to go on forever.

 

In my day, that was Palmers.
I can well remember Mr Palmer, and his assistant Charlie Hill.
Suprised you didn't remember that, his name wasn't Stevie though. Can't remember what his name was, my Mum has long passed, she would have known.

 

Lived in Vicarage Road anyway, but started going as a babe in arms, so luxury transport in those days.

Used to go up to the club for other things when I was small, like going into the social club with Mum and Dad in a push chair.

I remember walking up their with my sisters to sell Golden Goals tickets when I was about ten, which was just a backdoor way in for free. Don't think I ever sold more than a couple, but, you know, we were a family club and all that, and I was pretty cute in those days. Could wrap Brenda and Gill round my little finger then. Didn't last long though.

 

Don't really remember the journey up to the stadium for my early games, but I remember clearly going to the allotments after the game, was always funny having people I knew watching me dig vegetables

 

In the early 60s a bicycle ride from Harefield Rd, Rickmansworth along Moor Lane and Tolpits Rd arriving at the Red Lion in Vicarage Rd. Parked bike in the pubs Beer Garden for a small fee and walked across the road into Vic Rd turnstiles.

 

500 or 501 bus from Aylesbury to Watford. More than an hour bored out of my mind, generally spending the final 30 minutes trying not to piss myself.

Bag of chips and a battered sausage on the way to the ground. Couple of pints in Walkabout when I got older.

Same journey on the way home, basking in the glory of a 0-0 with Barnsley.

Wonderful times.

Now it’s a 10 hour flight to enjoy Swansea scoring a couple of last minute goals, or City smashing 6 past us.

 

Dad drove from Aylesbury. We usually parked up in the terraced streets of West Watford. Much easier in those days when not everyone had a car (or two) per household and it wasn't permit parking. It used to take much longer in those days with the only bypass on the A41 being Tring. The rest was through all the towns.

 

321 bus from Denham to Watford with a friend for my first game v Man United cup replay 1969, stood on the cinder terrace to the right of the Schrodells Stand at 1645 for a 1930 kick off! When the match finished walked up occupation Road (should say was swept along) to find my friends dad parked at the top to take us home!
I still don’t know to this day how he managed to park there! Was hooked from that day!

 

Dad and I drove from Leighton Buzzard in the early 80s, parked in some residential streets and walked for about 20 minutes I think, felt like it at the time anyway. No idea where we parked but I think it was in the direction the back of the Vic Road stand is facing.