UK Edition
On Saturday, Watford will be playing in the FA Cup final for only the second time in the club’s 121-year history. It is some moment. One which, you might have thought, would be best remembered by harking back to that one previous appearance, when Graham Taylor’s young, ambitious side were defeated by Everton on 19 May 1984.
But initially none of the team who played in that game were invited along by the club to join their official party in the return to Wembley. The link with history was quietly ignored.
When Watford first made it to the final, the twelve players who stepped out at the old stadium back then were quietly told there was no room to squeeze them in. They were advised tickets would be made available that they could buy. But guests of honour? No, there were too many sponsors to accommodate.
Neil Price, who runs the Watford Former Players Association and played as left back in the final 35 years ago, took up the opportunity to purchase a couple of tickets. A lifelong Watford fan, he wanted to be there, hoping to see Javi Gracia’s side overturn all the odds against Manchester City. But then these days he is a successful property developer; tickets at £115 a time are not beyond his resources.
Some of his teammates, however, are less fortunate. George Reilly, for instance. The centre forward who scored the winner in the semi-final against Plymouth now works as a jobbing builder in Corby. He was recently diagnosed to be in the early grip of Alzheimer’s, a devastating legacy of his fearless, head-first approach to the game. He has other priorities than paying for a cup final ticket.
Les Taylor, the man who captained the side that day and had Watford’s best chance, shooting just wide before Everton had scored, also found himself in the cold. Whatever the lack of respect shown by his former employer, Taylor is not one to make a fuss; he wasn’t about to lead any vociferous protests. He just planned to watch on television.
But clearly someone had a word. When news of the snub leaked to the wider world Watford found some spare capacity. Reilly has this week been offered tickets. And rightly so. Sure, were Manchester City to invite along any surviving members of blues teams from any of their ten previous cup finals, things would get rather crowded in their official party. But for Watford, it is a different matter. The club has only been there once before. Reilly and his teammates are people who embody Hornet history.
More to the point, they represented the club in a very different era. Back then they earned a bonus of £1500 each for getting to Wembley. Which these days is roughly the weekly car wash bill at the club’s training ground. These are people with none of the financial security enjoyed by today’s Premier League players.
Now it seems the club has seen the error of its original decision to treat the old guard like an embarrassing uncle in the attic. Generously it has reversed its policy. It can only be the right thing to do. If nothing else, having a man in the party who, 35 years ago, came as close as any Watford player has before or since to securing silverware, will pay handsome dividends as a public relations gesture. As Reilly mingles with the club’s commercial partners how it will emphasise the link with the past, reinforce the idea of sustained values, demonstrate this is still a family club not a distant corporation. He also has some hilarious stories to tell.
Football's living history is too easily discarded. With Reilly finally gifted his rightful prominence at Wembley here will be proper official recognition that there was football before the Premier League began.
Common sense prevails as Watford invite class of 1984 to FA Cup final