The guests change but a consistent theme through Tales from the Vicarage Live has been the affection with which they continue to hold Watford. The latest show was no different.

It can be argued that former players, coaches or managers are unlikely to reflect on their time at Vicarage Road, in front of an audience of Hornets fans, in a disparaging fashion. But John Eustace is a good example of a guest who looks back on his time at Watford fondly, despite it being a far from smooth time throughout.

The former captain joined Nigel Callaghan, Andy Hessenthaler and Micah Hyde at the Palace Theatre on Sunday as Sky Sports presenter and Watford fan Adam Leventhal again hosted an enjoyable trip down Hornets memory lane.

Eustace made no attempt to sugar coat the first part of his Watford career.

Signed by Aidy Boothroyd mid-way through the 2008/09 season, the now Queens Park Rangers assistant boss felt there were a lot of egos when he arrived and blamed a poor team spirit for the Hornets’ failure to achieve promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Eustace’s Vicarage Road fortunes deteriorated further the following season when he joined Derby County on loan after Brendan Rodgers had made it clear he wasn’t part of his plans, with the former midfielder being unimpressed at being allowed to play in a league fixture against his parent club – a game in which he scored for the Rams.

With Malky Mackay now at the helm, Eustace felt he had something to prove when he returned to Vicarage Road for the 2019/10 campaign. It proved to be the turning point. Eustace was to take on the captaincy, enjoyed the responsibility that came with it and “took the club to heart”.

One of Watford’s greatest wingers, Callaghan, said the club “means everything” to me, while Hyde explained before the show: “It was really nice when we had the 20-year anniversary [of the 1999 play-off victory] and I got so emotional. And do you know why? It’s because it was the first time I’ve sat down amongst the players we got promoted with, with the fans as well and it all resonated, it all came back.

“I’ve never really had to reflect on what I did because I’m not that sort of person. I learn but I’m not someone to harp on about what happened in the past.

“Now when I talk about it and why I was so emotional at the time is because of that, I never had the chance to really embrace my teammates again and embrace the fans more importantly.

“The fans were brilliant with me during my time, absolutely fantastic with me and I looked through the [reunion event] programme at the things we achieved and they were things I don’t even know myself that we’d done.

“I’ve always said I love coming back to Watford, I love the club and the opportunity it gave me to play football.”

The show followed the now established format of Leventhal having a one-to-one with each guest before hosting more of a group question-and-answer session with all four former players after the interval.

On this occasion though, part two kicked off with The Attwell Files, a ‘tribute’ to the referee and his assistant who somehow contrived to award the infamous ‘ghost goal’ against Reading in 2008.

That may have been more than a decade ago but it was apparent the passing of time has done little to reduce Eustace’s bemusement at his part in being credited with an own goal that wasn’t.

Tales from the Vicarage Live is all about the guests and although this show did not have a larger than life character on stage, there were plenty of light-hearted moments as the guests reflected on their Hornets’ careers, at one stage prompting an exchange with audience member Ian Bolton as Callaghan recalled staying up late on the night before games with his former room mate and how, as a young apprentice, you didn’t want to be in the wall when the defender was practicing his powerful free-kicks.

Hessenthaler recalled taking a pay cut when he first joined Watford, having combined playing non-league while working as a plasterer, to how he may have been a “bit hasty” when he chose to leave after turning down the offer a new contract, a decision that caused some resentment among Hornets fans.

Memories of Graham Taylor were never far away from the conversation; Callaghan describing how the legendary Hornets boss “could make players play better” while Hyde said he “allowed me to express myself within his framework”.

"My whole career at Watford was a pleasure," said Callaghan summing up. It was a sentiment that was evident throughout the evening.

Gerry Armstrong, John McClelland, Pat Jennings and Pat Rice will be guests at the next Tales from the Vicarage Live on Thursday, April 18. Tickets are available here.