Within a few days of work starting on the new bridge across the Parade pond, I stumbled upon the above picture while wandering through the archive for 1969. It features Watford FC fans celebrating the club’s promotion to Division 2.

On April 11 that year, the Watford Observer reported on its front page the club only needed four points (in the days when you only got two points for a win, of course) to achieve promotion.

“It will take one of the biggest reversals of form in the history of Division 3 to stop Watford gaining promotion,” reported the paper, paraphrasing manager Ken Furphy’s words after a particularly successful Easter programme.

“Over 56,000 fans watched the Watford Wonders storm to within four points of Division 2 football, with a yield of five out of six points from the three-match Easter programme.”

The team, we are informed, “flushed with their 2-1 success at Plymouth on Tuesday evening, are enjoying the sea breezes at Weymouth.”

Well the bracing sea air obviously did the trick, because by the following week (April 18, 1969) the club had made sure of promotion “on the eve of their golden jubilee as members of the Football League.”

The report states: “Their 1-0 victory over Plymouth on Tuesday [this time at Vicarage Road] assured them of second place at least and with four games to play and a lead of five points, they are strong favourites for the Division 3 championship.”

It continues: “Watford’s new fountain in the Parade was a centre of attraction, and dozens of youths ploughed through the murky water to perch on the various ‘steps’.

“They didn’t seem to mind the water and, as a police spokesman said, it was better to let them cool off anyway.”

Not only that, “the balcony of the Town Hall was another target for the youngsters. some of whom clambered up drainpipes to wave triumphantly from higher places.”

Among the  messages of congratulations came a “bravo” letter from Ted Barnes, who understudied goalkeeper Joe Webster for Watford in 1912-13. He describes himself, the paper reported, “as one of Watford’s oldest ex-players and supporters”.

But becoming champions wasn’t to be the formality that many hoped. Despite a home win against Reading the day after that paper came out, the last three games of the season – including an ill-tempered battle at Luton Town – were all lost.

As it turned out, it didn’t matter. Their “worst run of the season”, three successive defeats, was still enough for them to become champions on goal average.

“They clinched the title on Monday evening when they kept rampant Mansfield down to three goals while Swindon could only find the Barrow net twice,” the paper reported. “As a result, the Wiltshire side just failed to snatch the championship, finishing in the end with the same number of points as Watford but 0.1479 of a goal behind them.”

Phew! That was a close one!

Time for one final visit to the pond – this is from the Watford Observer of April 2, 1892.

“On Tuesday, an infuriated bullock caused some excitement by its vagaries at the upper end of the town,” the paper reported.

“After knocking down a lad named John Howe and scattering the crowd, it took possession of the pond and charged at anyone who attempted to pass on the inside path.” What happened next remains a mystery...