December 2, 1967, was the worst day in Graham Taylor’s career. “I’ll never forget that,” said Taylor “and funnily enough it was at Vicarage Road.”

The occasion was Watford’s largest post-war League win. They beat Grimsby 7-1 with Dixie Hale (2), Terry Garbett (2) and Tony Currie (3) delivering the goods before a 9,074 strong crowd.

“I’ll never forget that afternoon. I turned to look at the Watford Observer clock on that end stand and only an hour of the game had gone and we were six goals down. I never wanted a match so end so much,” Watford’s new boss recalls.

Taylor was at left back that afternoon with Scullion giving him a torrid time, occasionally switching wings with new boy Bernard Lewis.

The only Watford player still at the club who played that day is Tom Walley. The rest, plus Slater, Welbourne, Garvey, Williams, Farrall and substitute Hamilton have left.

“Make no mistake. If we are five goals up in an hour, there will be no question of strolling through the remainder. I want that record off the books but even more, I want our team, our players, to get their own names in the books,” says Taylor.

“I want people in years to come to reflect on good days and be able to say: ‘That’s when Graham Taylor was there’.”

[From the Watford Observer of June 24, 1977]

NOSTALGIA NOTE: Taylor finally got his wish in September 1982, when Watford beat Sunderland 8-0 in front of 16,816 supporters at Vicarage Road. Luther Blissett scored four of the goals with the other four coming from Nigel Callaghan (2) and Ross Jenkins (2). As for his words in the final paragraph, I’m sure even all these years later, many Watford fans will be nodding in agreement.

ONLINE ON MONDAY: Watford Observed - more stories from Junes past