These were the jubilant scenes 40 years ago tonight when thousands of Watford fans celebrated on the Vicarage Road pitch and in the pond after the Hornets clinched promotion to the top tier of English football for the very first time.
A tale of the unexpected which had begun in 1977 when Elton John recruited a young manager from Lincoln City and had seen Watford rise from Division Four to Division Two reached previously unscaled heights on Tuesday, May 4, 1982 when an attendance of 20,028 was inside Vicarage Road to witness Graham Taylor’s side beat Wrexham 2-0 to secure promotion to Division One.
The Hornets celebrate promotion
A rise to the top flight had looked an increasing possibility since the spring, but a sticky start to April – which had seen Watford pick up two points from three games – saw doubts start to creep in again.
Thousands celebrate on the pitch
Taylor steadied the ship though, as his charges took ten points out of the next 12 before, rather fittingly, Ross Jenkins – a striker who had been there every step of the way from Division Four – scored both goals as the most glorious period in the club’s history reached a new level.
The architect of Watford's rise through the divisions is caught on camera
This was far from the end of the journey, Watford’s greatest ever manager was to lead his player to even greater heights over the coming seasons, but that was for the future as fans partied in the pond long into the night.
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