Managers have come and gone. Owners have come and gone. And countless players have come and gone. But loyal Lloyd Doyley remains a permanent and reassuring presence at Watford.

He joined the club as an 11-year-old and almost 20 years later is regarded as a legend at Vicarage Road.

His unwavering commitment and consistent performances were rewarded this week with a new one-year contract which keeps him with the Hornets until the end of next season. But was there ever a chance that the talismanic defender would leave Watford this summer?

“I always wanted to stay,” Doyley told the Watford Observer on Wednesday. “It took a little bit of time to sort out and I was concentrating on trying to get us promoted to the Premier League. So it was at the back of my mind until the season was over.

“My first offer was from Watford and that was the offer I wanted to take. Any other offer was a long shot. We agreed the deal yesterday and I am grateful to be here for another year.”

Since making his debut for Watford in 2001 Doyley has gone on to make 409 appearances for the club, the tenth highest in Hornets’ history.

It is an achievement he is proud of but he insists he does not dwell on his past achievements.

He said: “I don’t think about the amount of appearances I’ve made too much to be honest.

“My aim is to just play every game, give 100 per cent and play as well as I can. Hopefully I can continue to do that.”

During his Watford career, the 30-year-old has celebrated promotion and suffered the disappointment of relegation.

He admits last season’s play-off final defeat to Crystal Palace was heartbreaking but hopes to help the Hornets secure promotion to the Premier League in the forthcoming campaign.

“It is always about progression,” Doyley said. “We did well last year but I am sure that we want to progress and get into the Premier League.

“That won’t be easy because three strong teams have come down and there are good teams that remain in the division.

“There are a lot of transfers being done and good players are moving around. So teams are becoming stronger and that makes it even more difficult. But I am sure that we will have a team together that will compete for a place in the top six.”

Doyley will meet up with the rest of the Watford squad on Sunday and they will fly out to Italy for a pre-season training camp.

It is a far cry from the days of doing lap after lap of the pitches at London Colney.

Doyley admits: “Eight or nine years ago we would have had a track around the pitch and we would run thousands of metres in the first week.

“It has changed. Now the sports scientists get involved and everything is ball related. You need that base of running but working with the ball makes it that little bit harder.”

He added: “We will get the whole team together and I am sure there will be a bit of team bonding out. Training together every day also means you get to know players.

“So I’m looking forward to it. We will get our thinking caps back on and get prepared for the next season.

“We have only had four weeks off and that has perhaps allowed us to stay that little bit fitter. The season starts in five weeks which I am sure will fly by.”

The Hornets’ players will reunite just over a month since their play-off final defeat at Wembley. It was a game Watford failed to perform in, although Doyley was arguably Watford’s best outfield player.

The defender says it took a while to get over the disappointing loss but believes the players will come back stronger.

“I am sure it will make us a lot hungrier this season,” he said.

“We finished third and were one of the most consistent teams in the league but we can’t dwell on that now.

“All we can do is look forward to next season which starts on Sunday. We will get fit, get a team built again and play the football we did last season.”

It is likely to be another eventful league campaign for Watford with a promotion bid anticipated.

Doyley should, as he has done for the past 12 years, play an important role and strengthen his claim as one of the most influential players in the club’s history.