Six more questions on our next opponents covering the period 1960s to the present day, I’ll post the answers on match day.
60s. Who is this Watford player from this decade?
“Regarded by many as the best player never to be capped by his home country, this midfield man and member of a famous local sporting family left for Wales in the late fifties after he broke up with his girlfriend and spent a couple of seasons playing with, among others, players who had more famous brothers before leaving for the Bluebirds. His next transfer, in 1964, saw him move fifty miles up the coast to a team which came close to reaching the old Second Division for the first time ever while he was there. However, a decline, from which that club never really recovered, was started when he and other important members of the team followed their manager to Watford. He was in his mid thirties by the time he left Vicarage Road as a new decade arrived and returned to Wales where he worked in the NHS, managed a couple of Welsh League sides and kept on playing until he was fifty four.”
70s. City’s twelve man squad for a win over Watford during this decade contained three players born in locations to the west of Cardiff in the old county of Glamorgan less than twenty miles apart, can you name them?
80s. In an illustration of how much things have changed at City in the past forty years or so, a twelve man squad which avoided defeat at Watford during this decade only included five non Welsh players – the Bennett bothers were two of them, but who were the goalkeeper, left back and striker that made up the rest of the non Welsh contingent?
90s. Watford were relegated to what is now League One in 1995/96. Their squad that year included a player who would later play for us, another one who was there on loan who would later play for us and another loannee who would go on to be employed by us in a non playing capacity, can you name them?
00s. What is the link between this member of a Watford team which won at Ninian Park in this decade and the current City side?
10s. I make it that five members of our squad from the last Watford v City game at Vicarage Road are still at the club, while there are only two survivors from the Watford eighteen, can you name all seven players?
Answers.
60s. Dixie Hale played for Waterford in the late fifties before moving on to Swansea Town. In 1961 he moved to Cumberland when he signed for Barrow and then Workington three years later when his former manager took him to Watford.
70s. Nigel Rees, born in Bridgend, and Leighton Phillips from Briton Ferry both started for City in their 2-0 win over Watford at Ninian Park on 18 December 1971, while Neath’s Alan Couch was an unused substitute.
80s. Peter Grotier, Tim Gilbert and Gary Stevens all started for City in the 0-0 draw at Vicarage Road on 14/11/81 – a game that was featured on Match of the Day if I remember rightly.
90s. Rob Page was the permanent member of the Watford staff in 95/96, Danny Hill had a short spell there on loan from Tottenham and Paul Wilkinson played four times for them while on loan from Middlesbrough.
00s. Brynjar Gunnarsson was in the Watford which beat us 3-0 at Ninian Park on 14/9/04.
10s. Matt Connolly, Sean Morrison, Anthopny Pilkington, Aron Gunnarsson and Joe Ralls are still with City and I think Troy Denney and Craig Cathcart are the only current Watford players from that day in November 2014 when we beat them 1-0.
