| 2007–08 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Graham Simpson | ||
| Manager | Aidy Boothroyd | ||
| Football League Championship | 6th | ||
| Football League Championship play-offs | Semi final (eliminated byHull City) | ||
| FA Cup | Fourth round (eliminated byWolverhampton Wanderers) | ||
| League Cup | Second round (eliminated bySouthend United) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 18,698: Watford vQueens Park Rangers, 29 December 2007 | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 8,166: Watford vGillingham, 14 August 2007 | ||
| |||
The2007–08 football season wasWatford Football Club's 62nd consecutive season of competitive football since theSecond World War. It began on 1 July 2007, and concluded on 30 June 2008, although competitive games were only played between August and May.
Following relegation from thePremier 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 ofAdam Johnson toMiddlesbrough 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 captainGavin Mahon and top scorerMarlon King, but purchasedMat Sadler,Leigh Bromby andJohn Eustace.[3] Watford finished the2007–08 season in 6th position, and were eliminated in theplay-off semi finals toHull City.[4]
Legend
Win Draw Loss
| 11 August 2007 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–2 | Watford | Molineux,Wolverhampton |
Olofinjana 45' | (Report) | Stewart 87' King penalty 90', | Attendance: 23,115 Referee:Neil Swarbrick |
| 18 August 2007 | Watford | 1–0 | Sheffield United | Vicarage Road,Watford |
| Williamson 56' | (Report) | Attendance: 16,414 Referee:Andre Marriner |
| 25 August 2007 | Leicester City | 4–1 | Watford | Walkers Stadium,Leicester |
| Hume 15' Campbell 51'Sheehan 54'De Vries 85' | (Report) | King penalty 90' | Attendance: 21,642 Referee:Anthony Taylor |
| 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 |
| 3 November 2007 | Watford | 0–3 | West Bromwich Albion | Vicarage Road,Watford |
| (Report) | Miller 33' Phillips 35'Albrechtsen 49' | Attendance: 18,273 Referee:Michael Jones |
| 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 |
| 2 February 2008 | Watford | 3–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Vicarage Road,Watford |
| Attendance: 18,082 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 12 April 2008 | West Bromwich Albion | 1–1 | Watford | The Hawthorns,West Bromwich |
| Attendance: 26,508 |
| 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 |
♦ Automatic promotion position ♣ Playoff position
| Round | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A |
| Result | W | W | L | W | W | W | D | D | W | W | W | W | W | L | W | D | L | L | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | W | L | D | D | W | W | W | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | L | W | L | D | L | L | D |
| Points | 3 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 43 | 44 | 44 | 47 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 52 | 55 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 68 | 68 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 70 |
| Position | 5♣ | 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♣ |
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 atWembley Stadium, and as a result of victory in that match they earned qualification to thePremier 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 |
As a Championship club, Watford did not enter theFA 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
| 5 January 2008 | Watford | 2–0 | Crystal Palace | Vicarage Road,Watford |
Fourth round
| 26 January 2008 | Watford | 1–4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Vicarage Road,Watford |
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 thePremier League, were thereforeseeded, and placed in the southern section of the draw.
First round
| 14 August 2007 | Watford | 3–0 | Gillingham | Vicarage Road,Watford |
Second round
| 28 August 2007 | Southend United | 2–0 | Watford | Roots Hall,Southend |
Watford Football Club is owned by the holding companyWatford 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 fanGraham Simpson, who also owned shares in the company. The club's other major shareholders were Deputy Chairman of theConservative PartyMichael Ashcroft through his investment company Fordwat, and brothers Jimmy and Vince Russo through their business Valley Grown Salads.
Key
# = Squad number;Pos = Playing position;P = Number of games played;G = Number of goals scored;
=Yellow cards;
=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 | | | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | FA Cup | League Cup | Playoffs | Total | Discipline | [7][8] | ||||||||
| MF | Lionel Ainsworth | 3(5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 4(6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | Cédric Avinel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | Al Bangura | 3(4) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6(4) | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | Leigh Bromby | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | Alex Campana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | Ewan Clarke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | Calum Davenport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | Jay DeMerit | 30(5) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 31(6) | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | Lloyd Doyley | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| FW | Nathan Ellington | 18(16) | 4 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21(17) | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | John Eustace | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| MF | Kieran Forbes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | Damien Francis | 6(5) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7(5) | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| FW | Liam Henderson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | Darius Henderson | 34(6) | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 36(6) | 12 | 10 | 1 | |
| FW | Will Hoskins | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | Matt Jackson | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | Collins John | 3(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | Adam Johnson | 11(1) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11(1) | 5 | 1 | 0 | |
| FW | Steve Kabba | 7(7) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9(7) | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| FW | Marlon King | 25(2) | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26(2) | 11 | 2 | 0 | |
| GK | Richard Lee | 34(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| GK | Scott Loach | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | Malky Mackay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | Gavin Mahon | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| DF | Adrian Mariappa | 13(12) | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16(14) | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | Jobi McAnuff | 31(8) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35(8) | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| MF | Anthony McNamee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | John-Joe O'Toole | 23(12) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 24(14) | 3 | 4 | 1 | |
| DF | Junior Osbourne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | Jordan Parkes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| GK | Mart Poom | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | Tamás Priskin | 7(7) | 1 | 1(1) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0(2) | 0 | 10(10) | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | Douglas Rinaldi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | Mat Sadler | 14(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | Danny Shittu | 37(2) | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39(2) | 9 | 4 | 0 | |
| MF | Tommy Smith | 44 | 7 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47(1) | 7 | 3 | 0 | |
| MF | Jordan Stewart | 33(6) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34(6) | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| FW | Lee Williamson | 27(5) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30(5) | 2 | 5 | 1 | |
| Date | Player | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 May 2007 |  Mart Poom | Arsenal | Undisclosed[9] |
| 5 June 2007 |  Jobi McAnuff | Crystal Palace | £1.750.000[10] |
| 29 August 2007 |  Nathan Ellington | West Bromwich Albion | £3,250,000[11] |
| 5 January 2008 | Lionel Ainsworth | Hereford United | |
| 24 January 2008 | Mat Sadler | Birmingham City | £750,000 |
| 31 January 2008 | Leigh Bromby | Sheffield United | £600,000[12] |
| 31 January 2008 | John Eustace | Stoke City | £250,000[13] |
| Date | Player | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 July 2007 | Chris Powell | Charlton Athletic | Free[14] |
| 11 July 2007 | Harry Forrester | Aston Villa | |
| 7 August 2007 |  Hamer Bouazza | Fulham | £3,000,000 (can rise up to £4,000,000)[15] |
| 16 August 2007 | Clarke Carlisle | Burnley | £200,000[16] |
| 18 January 2008 | Anthony McNamee | Swindon Town | |
| 25 January 2008 | Marlon King | Wigan Athletic | Undisclosed[17] |
| Start date | Player | From | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 August 2007 |  Santiago Aloi | River Plate (Argentina) | |
| 14 September 2007 | Adam Johnson | Middlesbrough | |
| 22 November 2007 | Lionel Ainsworth | Hereford United | |
| 18 January 2008 | Calum Davenport | West Ham United | |
| 25 January 2008 |  Collins John | Fulham |
| Start date | Player | To | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 August 2007 |  Toumani Diagouraga | Hereford United | 31 December 2007 (later extended)[18] |
| 10 August 2007 | Theo Robinson | Hereford United | 31 December 2007 (later extended[18] |
| 14 September 2007 | *Cédric Avinel | Stafford Rangers | |
| 17 September 2007 | Scott Loach | Stafford Rangers | |
| 18 September 2007 | Will Hoskins | Millwall | |
| 30 November 2007 | Alex Campana | Wealdstone | |
| 1 January 2008 | Scott Loach | Morecambe | |
| 1 January 2008 | Gavin Mahon | Queen's Park Rangers | End of Season[19] |
| 17 January 2008 | Jordan Parkes | Brentford | |
| 18 January 2008 |  Moses Ashikodi | Swindon Town | |
| 18 January 2008 | Anthony McNamee | Swindon Town | |
| 28 January 2008 | Scott Loach | Bradford City |
