A long-serving journalist affectionately remembered by many for his coverage of Watford FC has been selected as one of the 100 people who made Watford.

Watford Borough Council has announced the Watford Observer’s former assistant editor and sports editor Oliver Phillips has been recognised for the contribution he made to the life and community of the town.

The council asked for nominations of people who played an important part in the town’s history as part of its celebrations to mark the town’s borough centenary last year.

Oli joins a roll of honour that includes Graham Taylor, actor Terry Scott, brewer Joseph Benskin, businessman Arthur Trewin and Naughty Boy.

The citation reads: “Oliver Phillips, affectionately known as ‘Oli’, had a distinguished career at the Watford Observer where he worked for 40 years, in this time he was an assistant editor and sports editor. He was a respected authority on Watford FC, and even authored a definitive book on the club’s history, titled ‘The Official History of Watford FC 1881 – 1991’.

“In his later years at the newspaper, Oli shifted his focus to the local area’s history, writing a popular series of supplements and editing the weekly Nostalgia pages. In 2005, Oli retired to a village in France, but he didn’t stop writing. He continued to pen a regular column for the Watford Observer until 2018.

"To celebrate his 80th birthday in May 2021, the newspaper wrote an article reflecting on his amazing life. Oli said: ‘I loved my job and I loved to write. I look back with pride on a few articles which I felt hit the spot with Watford fans.’

Click on this link to see the full list of the top 100 people who made Watford.