2008–09 Watford F.C. season

"Watford sign Rose from Tottenham". BBC Sport. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

Watford
2008–09 season
ChairmanGraham Simpson (until December 2008)
Jimmy Russo (from December 2008)
ManagerAidy Boothroyd (until October 2008)
Malky Mackay (caretaker in November 2008)
Brendan Rodgers (November 2008 – June 2009)
Malky Mackay (June 2009)
StadiumVicarage Road
Football League Championship13th
FA CupFifth Round (eliminated by Chelsea)
League CupFifth Round (eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur)
Top goalscorerLeague: Tommy Smith (17)
All: Tommy Smith (17)
Highest home attendance16,386 (vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, 25 October 2008)
Lowest home attendance13,193 (vs Burnley, 27 January 2010)
Average home league attendance14,858

Watford Football Club are an association football team from the county of Hertfordshire, England. Waford has played in the Championship since being relegated from the Premier League in 2006–07. The club finished the season in 13th position out of 24 Championship teams. The club went through four managers during the season.

Background, review and events

The 2008–09 season was their second consecutive one in the Football League Championship, following relegation from the Premier League in 2006–07.[1]

They reached the fifth round of both the League Cup and FA Cup, where they were eliminated by Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea respectively. Both teams went on to reach the finals of the corresponding competitions, with Chelsea going on to win the 2009 FA Cup Final.[2]

Off the pitch, there were a series of personnel changes through the course of the season. Chairman Graham Simpson and chief executive Mark Ashton resigned, and were replaced by Jimmy Russo and Julian Winter respectively. Following a decline in form throughout 2008, manager Aidy Boothroyd left the club by mutual consent, and was replaced by Brendan Rodgers. In turn, Rodgers controversially left the club a few weeks after the last game of the season, having previously suggested that rumours linking him to Reading were "questioning his integrity".[3] His replacement was first team coach and former player Malky Mackay.[4]

The season is perhaps best remembered for the "ghost goal" incident, which occurred in a league match against Reading on 20 September 2008. Following a corner from Reading player Stephen Hunt, John Eustace kicked the ball across the line, level with the six-yard box. Initially, linesman Nigel Bannister seemed to signal for a goal kick, and players from both sides ran away from the penalty area, waiting for goalkeeper Scott Loach to take it. However, Bannister walked over to referee Stuart Attwell, and after a brief discussion, Attwell awarded Reading a goal. The match eventually finished 2–2. The match also marked Loach's debut; the "ghost goal" was the first goal he conceded in his Watford career.[5][6]

Match results

League results
Match Date Stadium City Opponent Result Attendance Goalscorers Source
Watford Opponent
1 Sat 9 August Selhurst Park London Crystal Palace 0–0 15,614
2 Sat 16 August Vicarage Road Watford Charlton Athletic 1–0 14,413 Smith, T.W.
3 Sat 23 August City Ground Nottingham Nottingham Forest 2–3 20,005 Smith, T.W. (2)
4 Sat 30 August Vicarage Road Watford Ipswich Town 2–1 16,345 Eustace, J.M., O'Toole, J.J.
5 Sat 13 September Hillsborough Sheffield Sheffield Wednesday 0–2 17,066
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Results summary
OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
46 16 10 20 68 72  −4 58 11 6 6 42 32  +10 5 4 14 26 40  −14

Last updated: 17 March 2013.
Source: Fussballdaten.de

Final league table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
11 Queens Park Rangers 46 15 16 15 42 44 −2 61
12 Sheffield Wednesday 46 16 13 17 51 58 −7 61
13 Watford 46 16 10 20 68 72 −4 58
14 Doncaster Rovers 46 17 7 22 42 53 −11 58
15 Crystal Palace 46 15 12 19 52 55 −3 56[lower-alpha 1]
Updated to match(es) played on 3 May 2009. Source: The Football League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. Crystal Palace were give a one-point deduction for using an ineligible player during a match against Sheffield United on 3 May 2009.[7]

FA Cup
Match Date Stadium City Opponent Result Attendance Goalscorers Source
Watford Opponent
3 3 January 2009 Vicarage Road Watford Scunthorpe United 1–0 8,690 Rasiak 67' — [MR 1]
4 24 January 2009 Vicarage Road Watford Crystal Palace 4–3 10,006 DeMerit 17'
Cork 27'
Hoskins 67'
Rasiak 70'		 Hill 48'
Ifill 83', 90'		 [MR 2]
5 14 February 2009 Vicarage Road Watford Chelsea 1–3 16,851 Priskin 69' Anelka 75', 77', 90' [MR 3]

League Cup
Match Date Stadium City Opponent Result Attendance Goalscorers Source
Watford Opponent
1 12 August 2008 Vicarage Road Watford Bristol Rovers 1–0 5,574 Hoskins 88' — [MR 4]
2 28 August 2008 Vicarage Road Watford Darlington 2–1 5,236 Francis 37'
O'Toole 116'		 Blundell 90' [MR 5]
3 23 September 2008 Vicarage Road Watford West Ham United 1–0 12,914 Mullins 70' (o.g.) — [MR 6]
4 11 November 2008 Liberty Stadium Swansea, Wales Swansea City 1–0 9,549 Williamson 21' — [MR 7]
5 3 December 2008 Vicarage Road Watford Tottenham Hotspur 1–2 16,501 Priskin 13' Pavlyuchenko 45' (pen.)
Bent 76'		 [MR 8]

Player information

First-team squad
Squad at end of season[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  EST Mart Poom
2 DF  ENG Gavin Hoyte (on loan from Arsenal)
3 DF  ENG Mat Sadler
4 MF  ENG Jack Cork (on loan from Chelsea)
6 DF  USA Jay DeMerit
7 MF  SCO Don Cowie
8 MF  ENG John Eustace
9 FW  HUN Tamás Priskin
10 FW  POL Grzegorz Rasiak (on loan from Southampton)
11 MF  JAM Jobi McAnuff
12 DF  ENG Lloyd Doyley
13 GK  ENG Scott Loach
14 MF  JAM Lee Williamson
15 DF  ENG Jon Harley
16 GK  ENG Richard Lee
17 GK  ENG Stuart Searle
18 FW  ENG Theo Robinson
19 FW  ENG Steve Kabba
20 MF  SLE Al Bangura
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 FW  ENG Tommy Smith
22 FW  ENG Will Hoskins
23 DF  ENG Adrian Mariappa
24 DF  ENG Mike Williamson
25 MF  SCO Gareth Williams
26 MF  IRL John-Joe O'Toole
27 MF  ENG Billy Gibson
28 MF  LVA Aleksandrs Cauņa (on loan from Skonto)
30 GK  WAL Jonathan North
31 DF  ENG Jordan Parkes
32 MF  ENG Lewis Young
33 FW  ENG Liam Henderson
35 MF  ENG Ross Jenkins
36 DF  ENG Eddie Oshodi
37 FW  ENG Marvin Sordell
38 DF  ENG Rob Kiernan
39 DF  ENG Danny Rose (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
40 DF  EST Andrei Stepanov
41 DF  NIR Lee Hodson

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 DF  NGA Sam Sodje (on loan from Reading)
5 DF  ENG Leigh Bromby (on loan to Sheffield United)
7 MF  JAM Damien Francis (retired)
7 MF  ENG Liam Bridcutt (on loan from Chelsea)
19 FW  ENG Lionel Ainsworth (to Huddersfield Town)
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 DF  ENG Darren Ward (on loan from Wolves)
28 FW  ENG Moses Ashikodi (to Shrewsbury Town)
29 DF  FRA Cédric Avinel (on loan to Gueugnon)
30 GK  ENG Mark Tyler (on loan from Peterborough United)
34 DF  ENG Dale Bennett (on loan to Kettering Town)

In
Date Nationality Position Name Club From Fee Reference
18 July 2008 DF Jon Harley Burnley Free [9]
26 January 2009 DF Mike Williamson Wycombe Wanderers Undisclosed [10]
2 February 2009 MF Don Cowie Inverness CT Nominal [11]

Out
Date Nationality Position Name Club To Fee Reference
30 May 2008 MF Jordan Stewart Derby County Free [12]
8 July 2008 MF Toumani Diagouraga Hereford United Undiclosed [13]
22 July 2008 FW Darius Henderson Sheffield United £2,000,000 [14]
6 August 2008 DF Danny Shittu Bolton Wanderers Undisclosed [15]
23 January 2009 FW Lionel Ainsworth Huddersfield Town Undisclosed [16]
27 February 2009 FW Moses Ashikodi Shrewsbury Town Free [17][18]

Loan In
Date Nationality Position Name Club From Length Reference
15 August 2008 FW Grzegorz Rasiak Southampton Full-Season [19]
27 November 2008 MF Liam Bridcutt Chelsea One Month [20]
31 December 2008 DF Gavin Hoyte Arsenal Until end of season [21]
2 January 2009 MF Jack Cork Chelsea Until end of season [22]
2 February 2009 MF Aleksandrs Cauņa Skonto FC Until end of season [11]
24 March 2009 DF Danny Rose Tottenham Hotspur Until end of season [23]

Loan Out
Date Nationality Position Name Club To Length Reference
30 May 2008 FW Nathan Ellington Derby County Full-Season [12]
5 August 2008 FW Moses Ashikodi Hereford United Until January [24]
21 November 2008 FW Lionel Ainsworth Hereford United One Month [25]
12 January 2009 DF Leigh Bromby Sheffield United Until end of season [26]
23 January 2009 DF Cédric Avinel FC Gueugnon Until end of season [27]

Squad, appearances and goals
No. Pos Nat Player TotalChampionshipFA CupLeague Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
1 GK  EST Mart Poom 70700000
14 GK  ENG Scott Loach 3803103040
16 GK  ENG Richard Lee 1101001000
Defenders
2 DF  ENG Gavin Hoyte 100703000
3 DF  ENG Mat Sadler 1601501000
6 DF  USA Jay DeMerit 3813203130
12 DF  ENG Lloyd Doyley 4303702040
15 DF  ENG Jon Harley 4313712040
23 DF  ENG Adrian Mariappa 4713913050
24 DF  ENG Mike Williamson 1711710000
Midfielders
4 MF  ENG Jack Cork 2111902100
7 MF  SCO Don Cowie 1131031000
11 MF  JAM Jobi McAnuff 4534033020
14 MF  JAM Lee Williamson 3833421031
Forwards
9 FW  HUN Tamas Priskin 411436122131
21 FW  ENG Tommy Smith 491744172030

References

Match reports
  1. "Watford 1–0 Scunthorpe". BBC. 3 January 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  2. "Watford 4–3 Crystal Palace". BBC. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  3. "Watford 1–3 Chelsea". BBC. 14 February 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  4. "Watford 1–0 Bristol Rovers". BBC. 12 August 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  5. "Watford 2–1 Darlington (aet)". BBC. 26 August 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  6. "Watford 1–0 West Ham". BBC. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  7. "Swansea 0–1 Watford". BBC. 11 November 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  8. "Watford 1–2 Tottenham". BBC. 3 December 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2013.

Other references
  1. Chris Bevan (21 April 2007). "Watford 1–1 Man City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  2. Chris Bevan (30 May 2009). "Chelsea 2–1 Everton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  3. Frank Smith (22 May 2009). "'No contact at all' from Reading for Rodgers". Newsquest.
  4. "Mackay appointed Watford manager". BBC Sport. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  5. "Watford 2–2 Reading". BBC Sport. 20 September 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  6. Richard Evans (30 June 2010). "England's future stars – ones to watch for the 2014 World Cup squad". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  7. "Crystal Palace have one point deduction for fielding ineligible Rui Fonte". The Guardian. 1 June 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  8. "FootballSquads - Watford - 2008/09".
  9. "Defender Harley signs for Watford". BBC Sport. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  10. "Watford sign defender Williamson". BBC Sport. 26 January 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  11. "Watford swoop for double signing". BBC Sport. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  12. "Rams sign Ellington and Stewart". BBC Sport. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  13. "Bulls sign midfielder Diagouraga". 8 July 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  14. "Henderson makes switch to Blades". BBC Sport. 23 July 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  15. Staff (6 August 2008). "Bolton sign defender Shittu". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  16. "Huddersfield make double signing". BBC Sport. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  17. "Watford terminate Ashikodi deal". BBC Sport. 3 February 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  18. "Shrewsbury sign striker Ashikodi". BBC Sport. 27 February 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  19. "Rasiak joins Watford". Eurosport. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  20. "Watford land Chelsea's Bridcutt". BBC Sport. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  21. "Watford swoop for defender Hoyte". BBC Sport. 31 December 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  22. "Chelsea's Cork loaned to Watford". BBC Sport. 2 January 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  23. "Watford sign Rose from Tottenham". BBC Sport. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  24. "Hereford snap up Ashikodi on loan". BBC Sport. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  25. Carley, Steve (20 November 2008). "Ainsworth returns to boost Bulls". Worcester News. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  26. Smith, Frank (13 January 2009). "Bromby: 'I didn't want to leave Sheffield United in the first place'". Watford Observer. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  27. Smith, Frank (23 January 2009). "Have Watford fans seen the last of Avinel". Watford Observer. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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