Wednesday, September 6, 1961

Cliff Holton was sold to Northampton Town for £7,000.

A huge influence in the dressing room and a talismanic leader on the pitch, Holton's sale had reoptedly come about as a consequence of a "him or me" ultimatum to the board by manager Ron Burgess.

The board having denied any intention of selling Holton, the news of the sale caused immediate and bitter resentment amongst Watford's support.

Holton made his debut for Northampton three hous after signing, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace.

Many Watford supporters travelled to the County Ground in protest to watch Holton's home debut for the Cobblers against Lincoln City the following weekend.

Reproduced by kind permission of Matt Rowson from his book,Watford FC On This Day