Patience has often been needed when trying to buy tickets for a big match. Now it is usually a case of sitting in front of a computer, or on a phone, waiting for a website to let you into the sales page, but in the past fans have often had to queue for hours eager to get their hands on a coveted piece of paper after being served at the ticket office.
That was the case on a cold January day in 1979 when a Watford Observer photographer captured the scenes as a long row of supporters queued the full length of Occupation Road and beyond into Vicarage Road, back towards the hospital, keen to make sure they would not miss out on being at a cup semi-final against the reigning league champions.
As we recalled last week, Graham Taylor’s Division Three side had already claimed a famous victory at Manchester United en route to reaching the last four of the League Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
- When Blissett fired the Hornets to a famous League Cup success
- Nostalgic snaps of jubilant fans welcoming Radio 1 stars to town
Standing in their way were a Nottingham Forest side who would go on to crown the 1978/79 season by winning the European Cup.
The two-legged semi-final was always likely to favour Brian Clough’s big guns and so it proved as they won 3-1 at the City Ground, but an attendance of 27,656 – still a club record for the competition – packed into Vicarage Road to watch the Hornets hold Forest to a goalless draw in the second game.
Watford were out but it had further fuelled the belief that Taylor was building something special.
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