http://www.theguardian.com/football...ance-ever-seen-watford-blackpool-championship Great article here: Watford’s fans made their way to bar earlier than normal at half-time on Saturday. Their team were trailing Blackpool by two goals and had shown little in the first half to suggest they might recover in the second. The team that had thrashed Charlton 5-0 the week before looked lost and disinterested. A few fans booed and a smattering made for the exits, but most just trudged to the bar for some liquid relief. As the Watford supporters gathered for a pint or two, the Blackpool manager, Lee Clark, was impressing upon his players the need to keep it tight at the start of the second half. Blackpool had only won three matches in the Championship all season, and none away from Bloomfield Road, so Clark knew the importance of starting well in the second period. “We talked about the first 15 minutes being crucial,” said Clark after the match. Within those 15 minutes, his team conceded four goals. By the end, they had conceded three more to make the score 7-2. That’s Watford SEVEN, Blackpool two. “We didn’t handle the setback well enough and it just went from bad to worse,” reflected their rueful manager. The Watford fans who had seemed so gloomy at the interval spent a fair portion of the second half singing for Odion Ighalo, the man who scored four of their seven goals: “Ig-ha-lo! Oh! Always believe in your soul, yo’ve got the power to know, you’re indestructible!!! Always believe iiinn Ig-ha-lo.” The more philosophical Blackpool fans might have appreciated that wit, but few of them would have enjoyed the inevitable chants of: “Two-nil and you ****ed it up.” How quickly fortunes can turn on a football field. After 45 minutes it looked as if Blackpool might have pulled their season around, but after 90 they looked doomed. And Watford have now scored more goals in their last two games than Aston Villa have managed in 22 Premier League matches this season. You won’t see these words on this website very often, but sometimes you have to fall back on the old cliches: this was truly a game of two halves. Have you ever seen anything like it? What is the best Watford performance you have ever seen?
There are so many!!! a) The last home game of the season when we were first in Division 1. Beating the already Champions, Liverpool, to pip Man Utd to Runners Up. A day where you had to pinch yourself to believe b) The inevitable 7-1 against Southampton for pure drama, having been 4-0 down from the first leg c) Huddersfield at home under Zola. Sexy football with THAT goal d) The Birmingham Play off game, again for pure drama e) Sunderland 8-0 has to be among them - having only just been promoted to the old Div 1, and being everything that was wrong with football according to some a**eholes f) 4-0 up at half time against QPR when they "couldn't cope with the slope" g) 6-1 at Leeds under Zola. A great away day! h) 4-0 up at half time against that lot up the road in GT's second spell I am sure some others will come to me as well
Beating Sunderland 2-1 in 1999 was a great performance but it has to be that afternoon of 14 March 1987 when we beat Arsenal at Highbury
Of course it all depends on how you define "great". Pure football, great goals, winning against adversity, promotion winning games, triumphs on the big clubs' grounds etc. A few (apart from the above) that spring to mind: 2-1 v. Birmingham in the FA Cup 3rd round in 1960. 4th Div. v. 1st Div. Holton & Uphill goals I think. 1-0 home to Plymouth to clinch promotion to Div. for the very first time after 50 years of trying. Very emotional night. 3-2 away at Sheffield Wednesday in 1979 on a bitterly cold, snowy May day in Yorkshire when it looked as though we were going to lose and drop out of the Div. 3 promotion race at the last moment and the Yorkshire hordes were baying when we were 2-1 down. 2 goals in the last 20 minutes kicking towards their Kop! 2-0 home to Wrexham in 1982 to clinch our promotion to the top division for the first time. 4-2 at Highbury later in 1982 during the Jeff Powell onslaught. 3-0 home to Kauserslaughtered in the UEFA Cup in 1983 (as it was then) to overturn a first leg deficit - playing with the kids as many first teamers were out injured or not eligible 4-3 home to L*t*n in the FA Cup later in that same season after extra time These might not have been the ultimate in silky smooth football, but all were great performances in establishing our Club's history.
4-1 v Brian Clough's Forest the round after Southampton. 4-2 v Levski Spartak... away, with kids, behind the iron curtain... I wasn't there but... And so many others already mentioned... However the 4-3 win at Peterborough in 94 was special.
0-1 Swindon... best result for me as a youngster 8-0 Sunderland... when we really showed the top of our game 4-7 Burnley.... just a great game 2-4 Arsenal.... we were good enough for the top div and we showed em 1-0 Plymouth .. to get to the cup final 1-0 Stoke FA Cup... Watford 3 Leicester 1 Play offs..... unforgettable so many great games... loads more I missed sadly.... There was one where we scored to secure promotion and the ball bounced off the upright and was given as a goal.... at the Vic and I cannot for the life of me remember who we were playing...
All of the above, apart from those in the 60's as I was still a little bunny then! But I would add, away at Brum a couple of seasons ago under Zola. A 4-0 win playing some of the best football I have ever seen us play - pure joy.
I was right behind the goal and Chris Day really did play a blinder. But for me, the pure emotion of the Bolton play-off win will always top the list.
It was Plymouth at home in 1969 - Roy Sinclair hit one at the Rookery End that hit the bar (not the post), bounced down and out. It didn't cross the line but the linesman gave it much to everyone's surprise - much like the World Cup Final in 66.
Do you know I have been trying to remember that one for years..... thank you so much..... I thought it must have been in the GT era.... I had even looked thought all the GT promotion results....
there are so many over the years but i think fa cup 1970 v liverpool they was 2 div above us and we out played them on a heavy pitch and a home playofff game against leicester that has to have more drama than any game ever shown on sky lol
Luther's brace at Old Trafford, anyone? The neighbour that took me to my first game went and was more than a bit tipsy by the time he got home he crashed into my dad's car at about 4am parked in the cul de sac. Beggars belief how he got back.... all the way to the last 10 yards. I remember Harry Carpenter commentating the match on Sportsnight.
I was a kid allowed to stay up and watch that. Magical stuff. The Liverpool FA Cup drama of 1970 is important, but too early for me to remember. Bolton Wembley was a great performance as on paper it was theirs. There are many great performances but I think my favourite has to be v Leicester 3-1. Vydra's extraordinary (miles better than van Basten's) goal, then the double save from penalty... you know the rest, but the commentary (and it's all in the tone ): "Hogg... DDDEEEEEEEENNNNNEEEEYY!!!!" It's great to me that despite four decades of being a fan, my favourite match is so recent.
I like the way everyone seems to be coming forward with different matches - provides so much breadth about our history! I totally agree re Bolton and Lcicester and another one i would throw in was the 2-2 cup draw against Chelsea in the first year of the Roman revolution. We were excellent that day.
There are so many to choose from. One that has been omitted is the 5-1 win at White Hart Lane, just sensational (and I was there), the Championship win at Fulham was the perfect day from first to last, the perfect hangover too. Given my religious disposition it might sound hypocritical but we are blessed. And maybe,just maybe, in the next four or five years we may win some major silverware. Dare to dream, anyone?
I was there too for that one at White Hart Lane - sitting in the main Spurs stand - I tried to contain myself as much as I could - but got a few angry comments and glares from all around me
Lots of the above games, but some games have special personal appeal like my first game at the Vic...old Division 1 v Newcastle(1983 I think) and from memory it ended 3-3. It was entertaining stuff and began 30+ years of uninterrupted watching.
