Watford Football Club was formed as Watford Rovers in 1886 when George Capell, Earl of Essex and owner of the Cassiobury estate, gave a group of boys permission to use his grounds for football.

The club’s members included Henry Grover, later recognised as the club’s founder, and Charlie Peacock, who became the proprietor of the Watford Observer.

Over the next five years, the team participated in friendly matches against schools and local clubs.

In the Victorian era, football teams were often formed from church groups. The Factory Act of 1850 stated that all work must stop at 2pm on Saturday afternoons. This meant that people had free time on their hands, and the church was concerned that this would lead to disturbances most likely related to drink.

Sporting pursuits were believed to encourage abstinence and the church keenly supported clean living, so football was highly encouraged.

In the 1886-7 season, Watford Rovers entered the FA Cup for the first time, but they were eliminated in their opening game.

They joined the Southern Football League in 1896, and started to turn professional the following year. In 1898, they merged with Watford St Mary’s to become Watford Football Club.

The same year, the club moved to a ground on Cassio Road. Despite regular 3,000-plus attendances at their matches, the club struggled financially. Pressure from the owner of the ground eventually forced the manager, Harry Kent, to look for a new permanent ground.

He finally found one in 1914 at Vicarage Road, the club’s home today.

Benskins Brewery sponsored the purchase of Vicarage Road, earning the team the nickname of ‘The Brewers’.

Having changed their strip from green, yellow and red hoops to black shorts and white shirts, they were given the brief nickname of ‘Magpies’, before the change to gold shirts and black shorts transformed them into ‘The Hornets’.

Although now a professional club, amateur attitudes prevailed. It wasn’t uncommon for the secretary to arrive late for the game and to halt proceedings while he cycled across the pitch to his seat.

Watford won the Southern League title in 1914-15. Such a success would have enabled them to apply to join the Football League, but the application was never made, for football was suspended for the duration of the war.

The last months of their successful campaign were blighted by hostility as some felt the players should have hung up their boots and headed for the trenches.

Football was badly hit by World War I. The Football League campaign was immediately suspended following the government’s ban on the assembly of crowds. But the need to boost morale on the home front proved persuasive, so friendly matches were played featuring professionals guesting for one side or the other.

Along with the rest of the division, Watford left the Southern League in 1920, becoming founder members of the Football League Third Division.

In 1922, the new ground at Vicarage Road hosted its first League game on a damp, goalless August night against Millwall.

The club was soon in dire straits as the weight of debts and loan repayments became unbearable.

A public meeting resulted, and the Watford Observer launched another of its shilling funds to help them.

The 1930s would be regarded as Watford FC’s halcyon era. Despite this, they never gained promotion and, for the majority of the decade, the club was under the control of a hard-drinking manager who had a penchant for diverting other people’s money into his own pockets.

In the 1950s, a new loudspeaker system was introduced at Vicarage Road and the cinder and railway-sleeper terraces largely gave way to concrete.

The club was purchased by lifelong supporter Elton John in 1977. The same year, the greyhound track that encircled the pitch was removed as it was seen to lower the club’s professional reputation.

In the 21st century, Watford FC matches continue to be attended by crowds of up to 20,000.