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1977–78 Watford F.C. season

{{Short description|1977–78 season of Watford F.C.}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}

{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}

{{Infobox football club season

| club = Watford

| season = 1977–78

| chairman = Elton John

| manager = Graham Taylor

| stadium = Vicarage Road

| league = Fourth Division

| league result = 1st (promoted)

| cup1 = FA Cup

| cup1 result = Third Round (eliminated by West Ham United)

| cup2 = League Cup

| cup2 result = Third Round (eliminated by West Bromwich Albion)

| highest attendance = 18,947 (vs Southend United, 15 April 1978)

| league topscorer = Ross Jenkins (16)

| season topscorer = Ross Jenkins (18)

| lowest attendance = League: 6,850 (vs Grimsby Town, {{Nowrap|6 September 1977}})
Cup: 5,722 (vs Reading, {{Nowrap|13 August 1977}})

| average attendance =

| prevseason = 1976–77

| nextseason = 1978–79

}}

Watford Football Club is an English football team, based in Watford, Hertfordshire. 1977–78 was the club's first season under the management of Graham Taylor, and its last in the fourth tier of English football. Watford ended the season as champions of the Football League Fourth Division with 71 points, the club's highest Football League total under the system of two points for a win, and three points short of the all-time Football League record set by Graham Taylor's Lincoln City side in 1975–76. The season also marked new club records for the most league wins in a season (30), most home wins (18), most away wins (12), and most away goals scored (42).Jones, Watford Season by Season pp. 247–248

Ross Jenkins finished at the club's top scorer for the third time in four campaigns, with 18 goals in all competitions. He was followed by Alan Mayes and Keith Mercer with 16 and 13 goals respectively; both men also scored hat-tricks for the team. Bobby Downes and Alan Garner made the most appearances, playing some part in all 54 competitive fixtures. Garner went on to receive the Watford F.C. Player of the Season award for his efforts. Other player milestones included the arrival of future club captain Ian Bolton, and the breakthrough into the first team of young striker Luther Blissett, who went on to become the club's all-time leading appearance maker and goalscorer.Jones, Watford Season by Season pp. 164–165

Results

Watford's score listed first

=Legend=

class="wikitable"

|style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"|Win

|style="background-color: #ffffdd;"|Draw

|style="background-color: #ffd0e3;"|Loss

=Football League Fourth Division=

class="wikitable sortable" text-align:center"

!Date

!Opponent

!Venue

!class=unsortable|Result

!Attendance

!class=unsortable|Watford scorers

style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 20 August 1977

Stockport CountyA3–13,056Jenkins (2), Ellis (pen)
style="background-color: #ffd0e3;"

| 27 August 1977

York CityH1–37,620Mayes
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 3 September 1977

Doncaster RoversA1–02,963Jenkins
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 6 September 1977

Grimsby TownH1–06,850Blissett
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 10 September 1977

Huddersfield TownH2–07,852Jenkins (2)
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 14 September 1977

ReadingA3–14,862Mayes (2), Blissett
style="background-color: #ffd0e3;"

| 17 September 1977

BarnsleyA0–16,443
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 24 September 1977

DarlingtonH2–17,632Blissett, Ellis (pen)
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 27 September 1977

A.F.C. Bournemouth|H2–18,191Bolton, Coffill
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 1 October 1977

RochdaleA3–21,278Joslyn, Mayes, Mercer
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 3 October 1977

BrentfordA3–014,500Ellis, Jenkins, Mayes
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 8 October 1977

Swansea CityH2–110,232Downes, Mercer
style="background-color: #ffd0e3;"

| 15 October 1977

AldershotA0–18,059
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 22 October 1977

Newport CountyH2–010,749Downes, Mercer
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 29 October 1977

Crewe AlexandraH5–210,871Mercer (3), Downes, Garner
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 5 November 1977

Hartlepool UnitedA2–13,121Garner, Mercer
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 12 November 1977

Scunthorpe UnitedH4–110,565Jenkins (2), Mercer (2)
style="background-color: #ffd0e3;"

| 19 November 1977

Southend UnitedA0–110,919
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 3 December 1977

Halifax TownH1–19,329Garner
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 10 December 1977

SouthportA2–21,727Jenkins, Pollard
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 26 December 1977

Northampton TownH3–015,056Downes, Mayes, Pollard
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 27 December 1977

Torquay UnitedA3–26,228Mayes (2), Bolton
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 31 December 1977

WimbledonA3–17,324Downes, Jenkins, Mayes
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 2 January 1978

Hartlepool UnitedH1–016,866Bolton
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 13 January 1978

Stockport CountyH1–012,754Garner
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 21 January 1978

York CityA4–03,831Mayes (3), Blissett
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 28 January 1978

Doncaster RoversH6–011,816Joslyn (2), Bolton, Downes, Garner, Jenkins
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 11 February 1978

BarnsleyH0–013,216
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 25 February 1978

RochdaleH1–010,139Jenkins
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 3 March 1978

Swansea CityA3–315,000Bolton, Jenkins, Mayes
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 7 March 1978

Reading|H1–011,439Garner
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 11 March 1978

Aldershot|H1–012,641Downes
style="background-color: #ffd0e3;"

| 14 March 1978

Huddersfield TownA0–16,603
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 17 March 1978

Newport CountyA2–28,409Downes, Jenkins
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 24 March 1978

Crewe AlexandraA2–24,652Ellis (pen), Jenkins
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 25 March 1978

Torquay UnitedH1–010,491Garner
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 28 March 1978

Northampton TownA2–08,041Bolton, Mayes
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 1 April 1978

WimbledonH2–011,212Mayes, Pritchett
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 4 April 1978

A.F.C. BournemouthA2–16,532Downes, Pollard
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 8 April 1978

Scunthorpe UnitedA1–05,202Joslyn
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 11 April 1978

Grimsby TownA1–17,189Pritchett
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 15 April 1978

Southend UnitedH1–118,947Jenkins
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 18 April 1978

DarlingtonA0–02,407
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 22 April 1978

Halifax TownA1–13,542How
style="background-color: #ffffdd;"

| 25 April 1978

BrentfordH1–116,544Blissett
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"

| 29 April 1978

SouthportH3–210,089Pritchett (2 pens), Blissett

=FA Cup=

{{Main|1977–78 FA Cup}}

class="wikitable sortable" text-align:center"

!Round

!Date

!Opponent

!Venue

!class=unsortable|Result

!Attendance

!class=unsortable|Watford scorers

style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"R126 November 1977HendonH2–011,825Garner, Mercer
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"R217 December 1977Colchester UnitedH2–011,907Jenkins, Mercer
style="background-color: #ffd0e3;"R37 January 1978West Ham UnitedA0–136,475

=League Cup=

{{Main|1977–78 Football League Cup}}

class="wikitable sortable" text-align:center"

!Round

!Date

!Opponent

!Venue

!class=unsortable|Result

!Attendance

!class=unsortable|Watford scorers

style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"R1 1st Leg13 August 1977ReadingH2–15,722Mercer (2)
style="background-color: #ffd0e3;"R1 2nd Leg17 August 1977ReadingA0–14,533
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"R1 Replay23 August 1977ReadingH5–07,082Downes, Ellis (pen), Joslyn, Mayes, Pritchett
style="background-color: #d0ffe3;"R230 August 1977Grimsby TownA2–14,345Bolton, Jenkins
style="background-color: #ffd0e3;"R325 October 1977West Bromwich AlbionA0–122,140

League table

{{main|1977–78 Football League#Fourth Division}}

{{:1977–78 Football League|transcludesection=Fourth Division|showteam=WAT|only_totals=y}}

References

;General

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/19991222072353/http://www.watfordfc.co.uk/ Watford Football Club official site]
  • {{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Oliver|title=The Official Centenary History of Watford FC 1881–1991|publisher=Watford Football Club|year=1991|isbn=0-9509601-6-0}}
  • {{cite book|last=Jones|first=Trefor|year=1996|title=Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who|isbn=0-9527458-0-1}}
  • {{cite book|last=Jones|first=Trefor|year=1998|title=Watford Season by Season|isbn=0-9527458-1-X}}

;Specific

{{reflist|refs=

}}

{{Watford F.C. seasons}}

{{1977–78 in English football}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1977-78 Watford F.C. season}}

Watford

Category:Watford F.C. seasons