As the countdown begins in earnest to Watford's first FA Cup final appearance in 35 years, we look back on how Javi Gracia's side secured their Wembley showpiece showdown with Manchester City.

Watford's journey to the FA Cup final began on a chilly day in January when Wembley could not seem any further away.

A short jaunt down the road to Surrey saw the Premier League Hornets plunged into the unfamiliar territory of a non-league ground where the Cards lay in wait, hoping to deal out an upset.

Even the team had a pang of mystery about it with young Adalberto Penaranda finally let loose for the first time in what seemed like an eternity since he had been announced as a squad member.

The game itself was far from pretty, Will Hughes swept the ball into the net to give the visitors a predictable and deserved opening goal, before a laborious effort that saw the makeshift Watford team huff and puff their way to victory with some late help from Troy Deeney.

It wasn't one for the neutrals, it certainly hadn't captured the oft-aggrandised magic of the FA Cup and some supporters could even be forgiven for having already forgotten exactly what happened, but Watford had done what was required and they were on their way, with Brown Ale in hand and an exciting journey waiting to unfurl ahead of them.