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| Jon, Matt Rowson, Jason and an amazing Object from Watford's History |
Nobody reading this will need
reminding that Watford’s first (and to-date only) foray into Europe began in
Kaiserslautern in September 1983.
The 1.F.C. Kaiserslautern of today are a yo-yo club in the Bundesliga,
so it’s easy to forget that this was a side that had murdered Real Madrid on
the way to the semi-finals of the same competition two years earlier, and
disposed of Napoli and Sevilla before a quarter-final exit the previous season.
No easy tie this, for a Watford side missing seven first teamers and already
struggling to overcome the loss of the previous season’s forward line over the
close season.
The dramatic second leg in whicha 3-1 first leg defeat was overturned by a team of reserves and local
schoolkids (perhaps I’m exaggerating) is most widely celebrated. I
suspect I’m one of few who only managed the away leg…
We had emigrated to the south of
Germany in the April, days after a 5-2 win over Luton but before the win over
Liverpool which was a much bigger deal at the time than it would be now, end of
season slump or otherwise. In the
wake of listening to that one on World Service, my Dad boldly and perhaps
recklessly proclaimed that we would be at the first UEFA Cup game, whether it
was in Watford, Norway, Greece or wherever. He got lucky.
Very lucky. Kaiserslautern
was about 50 miles away.
I was 10. It was my first away game. All the things that are still insanely exciting about midweek football – the dark,
the chill, the lights, the claustrophobia of the whole thing – were amplified
by the significance of the occasion.
The camaraderie in the stands still stands out as a memory, although I
did remember feeling that by living nearby we had somehow cheated, that we were
less worthy than those who’d made the trip.
Another interloper who had made a
slightly more straightforward trip than most in the away end was AC Milan’s new
striker Luther Blissett, affably munching an apple in the away stand and
perfectly happy to sign my commemorative pennant. I suspect that it wasn’t the only one he signed that night,
but I wonder if others have survived the intervening 29 (NB NOT 30) years. As pennants go it’s a hefty beast;
sadly the balsa plinth and yellow cotton from which it hung have not stood the
test of time but the pennant itself remains pinned to my noticeboard in pride
of place next to the Cup Final rosette. It merits entry in this list as
testimony to surely the greatest achievement of that Watford side, the second
place finish in 1983.
- Matt Rowson
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