Watford
2007–08 season
ChairmanGraham Simpson
ManagerAidy Boothroyd
Football League Championship6th
Football League Championship play-offsSemi final (eliminated by Hull City)
FA CupFourth round
(eliminated by Wolverhampton Wanderers)
League CupSecond round
(eliminated by Southend United)
Highest home attendance18,698: Watford v Queens Park Rangers, 29 December 2007
Lowest home attendance8,166: Watford v Gillingham, 14 August 2007

The 2007–08 football season was Watford Football Club's 62nd consecutive season of competitive football since the Second World War. It began on 1 July 2007, and concluded on 30 June 2008, although competitive games were only played between August and May.

Season summary

Following relegation from the Premier League in 2006–07, Watford started the 2007–08 season strongly, winning eleven of their opening sixteen games and opening up an 8-point gap at the top of the Championship table.[1] However, after the departure of Adam Johnson to Middlesbrough on 11 November 2007 Watford's form declined; they won six of their next sixteen Championship games, and only one of their final sixteen.[2] In January 2008 Watford sold captain Gavin Mahon and top scorer Marlon King, but purchased Mat Sadler, Leigh Bromby and John Eustace.[3] Watford finished the 2007–08 season in 6th position, and were eliminated in the play-off semi finals to Hull City.[4]

Matches

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss

Friendlies

Football League

11 August 2007 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–2 Watford Molineux, Wolverhampton
Olofinjana 45' (Report) Stewart 87'
King penalty 90',		 Attendance: 23,115
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
1 September 2007 Watford 2–0 Ipswich Town Vicarage Road, Watford
Henderson 6'
Smith 75'		 (Report) Attendance: 17,295
Referee: Michael Jones
16 September 2007 Watford 3–2 Southampton Vicarage Road, Watford
Shittu 42'
Henderson 81', 90'		 (Report) Rasiak 45'
Dyer 69'		 Attendance: 15,915
Referee: Graham Salisbury
19 September 2007 Cardiff City 1–2 Watford Ninian Park, Cardiff
Hasselbaink 61' (Report) Henderson 17', 78' Attendance: 13,169
Referee: Lee Probert
22 September 2007 Queens Park Rangers 1–1 Watford Loftus Road, London
Moore 59'
Leigertwood 		(Report) Johnson 49' Attendance: 14,240
Referee: Keith Hill
29 September 2007 Watford 1–1 Blackpool Vicarage Road, Watford
Johnson 49' (Report) Hoolahan penalty 73' Attendance: 16,580
Referee: Richard Beeby
2 October 2007 Watford 2–1 Sheffield Wednesday Vicarage Road, Watford
Henderson 6'
King penalty 16'		 (Report) Kavanagh 36'
Johnson 		Attendance: 15,743
Referee: Andy Hall
6 October 2007 Scunthorpe United 1–3 Watford Glanford Park, Scunthorpe
Forte 20' (Report) Johnson 10'
Henderson 61'
King 63'
Williamson 		Attendance: 7,515
Referee: Eddie Ilderton
20 October 2007 Watford 1–0 Hull City Vicarage Road, Watford
King 20' (Report) Attendance: 15,803
Referee: Andy Woolmer
23 October 2007 Coventry City 0–3 Watford Ricoh Arena, Coventry
(Report) Johnson 30'
King 42'
Henderson 46'		 Attendance: 17,032
Referee: Lee Probert
29 October 2007 Crystal Palace 0–2 Watford Selhurst Park, London
(Report) Smith 32'
King 67'		 Attendance: 13,986
Referee: Keith Stroud
6 November 2007 Norwich City 1–3 Watford Carrow Road, Norwich
Croft 65' (Report) Henderson 36'
Marshall own goal 43'
King 88'		 Attendance: 24,192
Referee: Clive Penton
10 November 2007 Watford 2–2 Colchester United Vicarage Road, Watford
Johnson 4'
King 64'		 (Report) Platt 20'
Lisbie 46'		 Attendance: 16,069
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
24 November 2007 Barnsley 3–2 Watford Oakwell, Barnsley
Howard 31'
Devaney 34'
Lee own goal 66'		 (Report) Shittu 36', 45' Attendance: 10,117
Referee: Kevin Pike
27 November 2007 Watford 1–2 Burnley Vicarage Road, Watford
Shittu 86' (Report) Gray 58'
Guðjónsson 80'		 Attendance: 15,021
Referee: Kevin Friend
1 December 2007 Watford 1–2 Bristol City Vicarage Road, Watford
O'Toole 87' (Report) Showunmi 75'
Byfield 90'		 Attendance: 16,689
Referee: Phil Joslin
4 December 2007 Colchester United 2–3 Watford Layer Road, Colchester
Platt 7'
Connolly 28'		 (report) King 40'
O'Toole 42'
Priskin 64'		 Attendance: 5,760
Referee: Trevor Kettle
9 December 2007 Stoke City 0–0 Watford Britannia Stadium, Stoke
(report) Attendance: 15,516
Referee: Colin Webster
15 December 2007 Watford 0–1 Plymouth Argyle Vicarage Road, Watford
(report) Norris 88' Attendance: 18,532
Referee: Darren Deadman
22 December 2007 Sheffield Wednesday 0–1 Watford Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield
(report) McAnuff 6' Attendance: 19,641
Referee: Clive Oliver
26 December 2007 Watford 2–2 Cardiff City Vicarage Road, Watford
DeMerit 49'
McAnuff 90'		 (report) Johnson 34'
Whittingham 56'		 Attendance: 17,014
Referee: Grant Hegley
29 December 2007 Watford 2–4 Queens Park Rangers Vicarage Road, Watford
Francis 52'
Shittu 84'		 (report) Rowlands penalty 13', 40'
Stewart 29'
Buzsáky 80'		 Attendance: 18,698
Referee: Chris Foy
1 January 2008 Southampton 0–3 Watford St Mary's Stadium, Southampton
(report) Francis 45'
King 55'
Henderson 62'		 Attendance: 23,008
Referee: Fred Graham
12 January 2008 Preston North End 1–0 Watford Deepdale, Preston
Attendance: 12,347
19 January 2008 Watford 1–1 Charlton Athletic Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 17,214
29 January 2008 Sheffield United 1–1 Watford Bramall Lane, Sheffield
Attendance: 23,161
9 February 2008 Ipswich Town 1–2 Watford Portman Road, Ipswich
Attendance: 24,227
12 February 2008 Watford 3–0 Leicester City Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 15,944
16 February 2008 Charlton Athletic 2–2 Watford The Valley, London
Attendance: 26,337
23 February 2008 Watford 0–0 Preston North End Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 16,798
1 March 2008 Burnley 2–2 Watford Turf Moor, Burnley
Attendance: 13,677
4 March 2008 Watford 1–1 Norwich City Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 16,537
11 March 2008 Bristol City 0–0 Watford Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol
Attendance: 19,026
15 March 2008 Watford 0–0 Stoke City Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 18,338
22 March 2008 Plymouth Argyle 1–1 Watford Home Park, Plymouth
Attendance: 17,511
29 March 2008 Hull City 3–0 Watford KC Stadium, Kingston upon Hull
Attendance: 23,501
5 April 2008 Watford 2–1 Coventry City Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 17,188
9 April 2008 Watford 0–3 Barnsley Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 16,129
19 April 2008 Watford 0–2 Crystal Palace Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 17,694
26 April 2008 Watford 0–1 Scunthorpe United Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 16,454
4 May 2008 Blackpool 1–1 Watford Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Attendance: 9,640

League standings by round

  ♦ Automatic promotion position   ♣ Playoff position

Round01020304050607080910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundAHAHHAAHHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHHA
ResultWWLWWWDDWWWWWLWDLLLWDLWDLWLDDWWWDDDDDDDLWLDLLD
Points3669121516172023262932323536363636394040434444474748495255585960616263646565686869696970
Position5♣1♦4♣2♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦1♦2♦1♦2♦2♦2♦3♣2♦3♣2♦1♦1♦2♦3♣3♣2♦3♣3♣4♣5♣4♣5♣5♣5♣5♣6♣

Play-offs

Watford's sixth-placed finish meant that they qualified for the play-off semi finals, where they would play a home and away match against third-placed Hull City. As 6–1 aggregate winners, Hull qualified for the final at Wembley Stadium, and as a result of victory in that match they earned qualification to the Premier League for the 2008–09 season.

Semi final first leg

11 May 2008 Watford 0–2 Hull City Vicarage Road, Watford
Attendance: 14,713

Semi final second leg

15 May 2008 Hull City 4–1 Watford KC Stadium, Kingston upon Hull
Attendance: 23,155

FA Cup

As a Championship club, Watford did not enter the FA Cup until the third round stage. Their potential opponents were the 20 Premier League teams, the 23 other Championship clubs, and 20 teams from lower divisions which had progressed through the first and second rounds, and in some cases additional qualifying games.

Third round

Fourth round

League Cup

For the 2007–08 season, all Football League clubs entered the League Cup in the first round. For the first round, the draw was split into two regional sections of 36 teams. The 18 highest placed teams in the league from the previous season were seeded in each region. Watford, having been relegated from the Premier League, were therefore seeded, and placed in the southern section of the draw.

First round

Second round

Ownership and finance

Watford Football Club is owned by the holding company Watford Leisure Plc (LSE: WFC). Its 2007–08 financial year coincided with the football season, running from 1 July 2007 until 30 June 2008. The company's annual accounts were released in November 2008, showing an operating loss of £10.977 million, but a net profit of £426,000 as a result of the sale of player registrations and land.[5] Watford Leisure's chief executive was Mark Ashton, while their chairman was self-professed lifelong Watford fan Graham Simpson, who also owned shares in the company. The club's other major shareholders were Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Michael Ashcroft through his investment company Fordwat, and brothers Jimmy and Vince Russo through their business Valley Grown Salads.

Squad details

Player statistics

Key

  † Permanent player left club during the season.
  ‡ On loan at Watford from another club during season.
  ¤ On loan to another club from Watford during season.
  * First appearance(s) for Watford.

# = Squad number; Pos = Playing position; P = Number of games played; G = Number of goals scored; A yellow card = Yellow cards; A red card = Red cards; GK = Goalkeeper; DF = Defender; MF = Midfielder; FW = Forward

Statistics do not include games played for other clubs. Starting appearances are given first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable. [nb 1][6]

This table of statistics is incomplete. You can help by expanding it.

Pos Name P G P G P G P G P G A yellow card A red card Notes
League FA Cup League Cup Playoffs Total Discipline [7][8]
MFLionel Ainsworth 3(5)000001(1)04(6)000
DFCédric Avinel 000020002010
MFAl Bangura 3(4)01020006(4)020
DFLeigh Bromby 16100002018000
MFAlex Campana 00001(1)1001(1)100
MFEwan Clarke 000000000000
DFCalum Davenport 100000001000
DFJay DeMerit 30(5)120001(1)031(6)120
DFLloyd Doyley 36020001039040
FWNathan Ellington 18(16)41(1)0002021(17)410
MFJohn Eustace 13000002015032
MFKieran Forbes 00000(1)0000(1)000
MFDamien Francis 6(5)21000007(5)210
FWLiam Henderson 000000000000
FWDarius Henderson 34(6)1210001136(6)12101
FWWill Hoskins 0(1)00020002(1)000
DFMatt Jackson 600020008020
FWCollins John 3(2)00000003(2)000
MFAdam Johnson 11(1)500000011(1)510
FWSteve Kabba 7(7)11010009(7)121
FWMarlon King 25(2)1110000026(2)1120
GKRichard Lee 34(1)020202040(1)000
GKScott Loach 000000000000
DFMalky Mackay 00000(1)0000(1)000
MFGavin Mahon 19000000019030
DFAdrian Mariappa 13(12)00(2)0201016(14)010
MFJobi McAnuff 31(8)220002035(8)250
MFAnthony McNamee 000020002000
MFJohn-Joe O'Toole 23(12)3110(1)00(1)024(14)341
DFJunior Osbourne 00000(1)0000(1)000
DFJordan Parkes 000020002000
GKMart Poom 12000000012000
FWTamás Priskin 7(7)11(1)0210(2)010(10)220
DFDouglas Rinaldi 000021002120
DFMat Sadler 14(1)010002016(1)020
DFDanny Shittu 37(2)712001039(2)940
MFTommy Smith 4471(1)0002047(1)730
MFJordan Stewart 33(6)210000034(6)230
FWLee Williamson 27(5)210002030(5)251


Transfers

In

Date Player From Fee
26 May 2007Estonia Mart Poom ArsenalUndisclosed[9]
5 June 2007Jamaica Jobi McAnuffCrystal Palace£1.750.000[10]
29 August 2007England Nathan EllingtonWest Bromwich Albion£3,250,000[11]
5 January 2008England Lionel AinsworthHereford United
24 January 2008England Mat SadlerBirmingham City£750,000
31 January 2008England Leigh BrombySheffield United£600,000[12]
31 January 2008England John EustaceStoke City£250,000[13]

Out

Date Player To Fee
3 July 2007England Chris PowellCharlton AthleticFree[14]
11 July 2007England Harry ForresterAston Villa
7 August 2007Algeria Hamer BouazzaFulham£3,000,000 (can rise up to £4,000,000)[15]
16 August 2007England Clarke CarlisleBurnley£200,000[16]
18 January 2008England Anthony McNameeSwindon Town
25 January 2008Jamaica Marlon KingWigan AthleticUndisclosed[17]

Loans in

Start date Player From End date
31 August 2007Argentina Santiago AloiRiver Plate (Argentina)
14 September 2007England Adam JohnsonMiddlesbrough
22 November 2007England Lionel AinsworthHereford United
18 January 2008England Calum DavenportWest Ham United
25 January 2008Netherlands Collins JohnFulham

Loans out

Start date Player To End date
10 August 2007France Toumani DiagouragaHereford United31 December 2007 (later extended)[18]
10 August 2007England Theo RobinsonHereford United31 December 2007 (later extended[18]
14 September 2007Guadeloupe* Cédric AvinelStafford Rangers
17 September 2007England Scott LoachStafford Rangers
18 September 2007England Will HoskinsMillwall
30 November 2007England Alex CampanaWealdstone
1 January 2008England Scott LoachMorecambe
1 January 2008England Gavin MahonQueen's Park RangersEnd of Season[19]
17 January 2008England Jordan ParkesBrentford
18 January 2008Antigua and Barbuda Moses AshikodiSwindon Town
18 January 2008England Anthony McNameeSwindon Town
28 January 2008England Scott LoachBradford City

Footnotes

  1. ↑ All players who were named in a Watford first-team matchday squad are listed. This includes players who only featured as unused substitutes.

References

  1. ↑ "Watford 2007–2008 : English League Championship Table 10.11.2007". statto.com. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  2. ↑ "Watford 2007–2008 : Results". statto.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  3. ↑ "Transfers: January 2008". BBC Sport. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  4. ↑ Phil McNulty (14 May 2008). "Hull 4–1 Watford (agg 6–1)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  5. ↑ "Watford Leisure Plc Report and Financial Statements 2008" (PDF). Watford Leisure Plc. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
  6. ↑ "Watford 2007/2008 player statistics". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  7. ↑ "Watford 2009/2010 player appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  8. ↑ "Club statistics: Discipline". Watford F.C. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  9. ↑ "'Terrific specimen' Poom signs up". Watford Observer. 4 June 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Winger McAnuff signs for Watford". BBC Sport. 5 June 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Watford | Watford sign Ellington for £3.25m". newsimg.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Bromby completes Watford transfer". BBC Sport. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  13. ↑ "Stoke's Eustace moves to Watford". BBC Sport. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "Veteran Powell back at Charlton". 3 July 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  15. ↑ Taylor, Chris (8 August 2007). "Fulham boost their striking options with £4m Bouazza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "Burnley recruit Hornets defender". BBC Sport. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "Wigan win King chase". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Bulls capture young Watford pair". BBC Sport. 10 August 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  19. ↑ "QPR sign Watford's Mahon on loan". BBC Sport. 2 January 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
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