IN FOCUS: WATFORD (2022)

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With the new Sky Bet Championship season now approaching, we bring you the lowdown on all 23 of our league opponents

2022-07-24T08:00:00.000Z

IN FOCUS: WATFORD (2022)

With the new Sky Bet Championship season now approaching, we bring you the lowdown on all 23 of our league opponents

2022-07-24T08:00:00.000Z

Ticket details for our game at Vicarage Road

‘Watford Rovers’ were established in 1881 with the Club dropping ‘Rovers’ from its name 18 years later. Winners of the Southern League in 1915, it would take until 1920 for the Hornets to join the Football League.

Yo-yoing between the Third and Fourth Divisions, it wasn’t until the takeover by lifelong fan and musician Elton John in 1976 that Watford began to rise.

A year later, the late Graham Taylor OBE was appointed manager and in the decade that followed, success was the buzzword.

Rising from the Fourth Division to the First Division, the Hornets also competed in the UEFA Cup and reached the FA Cup final.

Taylor left the club in 1987, after which a stark decline came, but returned in 1997 and again led them back to the Premier League with successive promotions.

After financial hardship in the early 2000s, they again ended up in the Championship but were a Premier League club once more for a solitary season in 2006/07, and then again from 2015 to 2020. In that five-year spell, they also played in an FA Cup final, losing 6-0 to Manchester City.

Promoted at the first time of asking in 2020/21, the Hornets were again relegated last season.

Stadium: Vicarage Road (22,200) – Watford, WD18 0ER

Nickname(s): The Hornets

Manager: Rob Edwards

2021/22 Finishing Position: 19th in the Premier League (Relegated)

2021/22 Top Scorer: Emmanuel Dennis (10)

Notable Connections: Midfielder Jack Cork had a loan spell with the Hornets in 2009, joining from then-parent club Chelsea.

Making 19 Championship appearances during his time at Vicarage Road, the 32-year-old went on to enjoy two separate loan spells at Turf Moor before signing permanently in 2017.

Striker Andre Gray was also a Watford player up until this summer, leaving after five years as a Hornet. Scoring 21 goals in 126 appearances for the Hertfordshire outfit, Gray had spent last season out on loan with Queens Park Rangers.

Previously, Gray was with Burnley for two seasons, winning the Championship title in 2015/16 and playing a key role in our survival the following campaign before joining Watford.

Others to have played for both clubs include Chris Eagles, Micah Hyde, and Nathaniel Chalobah.

Last Time We Met: Familiar foes in recent years, Burnley’s last meeting with Watford in April 2022 was a memorable one.

Trailing 1-0 at Vicarage Road after an early opener for the hosts, Jack Cork popped up with a diving header in the 83rd minute to level things up before Josh Brownhill rifled in a winner three minutes later. The three points an ideal way to mark Burnley’s 300th game in the Premier League.

Full Record (All Competitions): P: 46 - W: 22, D: 11, L: 13

Fixtures in the 2022/23 season: 14.02.23 (H – Turf Moor) / 12.08.23(A – Vicarage Road)