Watford made the perfect return to the Premier League with a fine victory in a game in which two sets of fans came together to honour the late Graham Taylor.
Aston Villa were the visitors to Vicarage Road on Saturday in a fixture poignantly referred to as the 'Graham Taylor Matchday'.
The late Mr Taylor is Watford's greatest ever manager and he is held in high regard with Aston Villa fans too, having managed at Villa Park over two spells.
The opening day of the season was made extra special because it coincided with the recent unveiling of a stunning new piece of artwork in Vicarage Road.
The mural features a beaming Mr Taylor on the side of a house along with the Watford football club crest, his signature, and one of his memorable quotes.
It has been some time in the making but talented artists transformed the wall into a fabulous new tribute in just a matter of days.
Watford Football Club worked with Cornerstone Church and artists from Murwalls to make the mural a reality.
And since its creation last week, supporters have flocked to Vicarage Road for a photo and glimpse of Watford's latest honour to the legendary figure, who passed away in 2017.
On Saturday, fans from both Watford and Aston Villa lined up for photos in front of the mural before fans came together inside the ground to pay tribute.
Love this mural of Graham Taylor on the way to Vicarage Road. How he would have loved Watford-Villa on the opening day of the season #WFC #AVFC pic.twitter.com/no1eo0Jqvd
— Nathan Salt (@NathSalt1) August 14, 2021
Love the new Graham Taylor mural next to @watfordfc pic.twitter.com/329m5nJP2h
— Roy Hayes (@lroyhayes) August 13, 2021
Today was for you, GT 💛 pic.twitter.com/5dmCx9gclm
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) August 14, 2021
Speaking by the brand new artwork, Robert Evans, from Cornerstone Church in Vicarage Road, told Watford Football Club how the idea for a mural for Mr Taylor was born.
He said: "Marc (Silver) and the artists (from Murwalls) turned up at the door one day and approached us with this idea to celebrate Graham Taylor in partnership with Watford Football Club.
"And they said could we use your wall. We thought it was a great idea so we said yes."
The preparation into coming up with the mural has taken some time, even if it took just a couple of days or so to paint.
Mr Silver, founder of street artist company MurWalls, said: "We’ve got a great team of artists, really talented, really quick, so it’s only been a couple of days really to get to this stage.
"We wanted an iconic image that really summed up Graham and I think this pose here in that classic shirt, the tracksuit that he used to wear and then just that beaming smile.
"We digitally mock it up onto the wall and we play around with it. That process was quite long but well worth it."
Mr Silver revealed the club came up with the quote that was one of the final additions to the mural.
It reads: "Make sure your footsteps are left at the club for others to follow."
The new mural is permanent and Mr Silver says the community has been "absolutely overwhelmed" by it - and that he and his team have been "overwhelmed" themselves by the response.
Hornets supporting Mr Evans said it was a "joy" to be a part of the tribute, adding: "I think Graham is uniquely special to the club when you consider what he’s achieved, how he conducted himself, how he helped develop the club, not just in terms of his football but also his community work and caring about people."
“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙗 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚...”
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) August 15, 2021
Watch how the new Graham Taylor mural on Vicarage Road came together and hear from those who made it happen! 🎨👨🎨 pic.twitter.com/1nYSGqxUUt
Watford record goalscorer Luther Blissett was among the first to visit the mural.
He tweeted on Friday: "Do I like this...Indeed I DO! Very much. Thank you to the incredibly talented guys @MurWalls their artists for making such a special tribute to the Boss. A great man not just the greatest Watford manager. Sure @AVFC agree that tomorrow is so special as we play for his trophy!"
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