THANK you to everyone who sent in their memories to www.watfordfc.com of the 8-0 victory over Sunderland at Vicarage Road back on 25 September 1982.

Despite being 25 years ago you could easily be mistaken for thinking it was yesterday judging by some of our responses and the attention to detail! Part two will follow shortly.

Here's what you had to say.

Kev Adams

Now children, sit at my feet and I will tell you a story about Luther, Digger, Cally and Ross....

Twenty five years, eh? Where does the time go? I was only 28....Chief memory of the day is the way the 'Orns stormed forward at will.

Everything seemed to work, each flick, pass, cross, shot or header. It was a flawless demonstration of the art of incisive forward play, based on getting the ball wide to Digger or Cally, who would beat their full backs and cross from the goal line. I'm sure not all the goals came that way, but that's what it seems like at this distance. I've never seen footage of it so the detail has faded from memory.

I stood in the sunshine up on the Vicarage Road terrace (where the away fans now sit) and marveled. I'd just moved up from Kent to coincide with our first season in Div 1 which was great - I was able to get to most games, which had been difficult for me during the preceding ten years of exile. No M25 in those days.

Best of all, I had left behind a colleague and good friend who was solid Sunderland, and was able to write to him a letter (remember writing letters?) describing the match, trying hard not to make it too painful for him, and including what I thought  was a very witty line about Barnes roasting Venison for the entire game. (Or was it Cally? Crikey, I'm not sure now) What a season that was! What an era that was! And hey, we're in the middle of another one equally good!

Jerry Ladell

I still remember that day fondly. In the morning the travelling Hornets played Southampton fans - who I think were playing in London somewhere that afternoon.  We played at Oxhey playing fields and won - 8-0! One of our players, Jeff Griffin, made some comment along the lines of - 'I hope we don't get a score like that this afternoon, my heart won't take it'.  Well obviously we did get the score and his heart survived, it has since also survived a flight to Australia, where he now lives!

The strange thing about the game was, before we scored Sunderland looked a pretty good outfit and came close to opening the scoring - that didn't last too long though…Happy memories.

Ross Jenkins

Other travelling Hornets playing that day were, if my memory serves me correctly were:  Dave King; Andy Jordan; John Souter; Graham Mallett; Simon Green; Paul Heffernan; Les Morris; Kevin Orchard; Perry Banner and then we also had Simmo, Slippery (our keeper!) and the Price brothers, I'm sure there were others but time plays tricks with your memory.

Peter Stevens

I remember the match only too well as I took my second eldest son, Paul, to his very first match at Vicarage Road for an early birthday treat. His birthday was the following month in October in which he would be eight-years-old. So thanks Watford for scoring a goal for each of his years. Coincidentally it was also my eldest son's 10th birthday the following day (26th) so that match made it a great celebration for both of them

Jason Rose

I was indeed at that game and my two most vivid memories of the game was Steve Terry making a fantastic goal-line clearance at 0-0 and me turning to my dad and saying 'That could be important' and the other was I think Luther's second goal. Ian Bolton's long pass to Cally on the wing; first time cross to Luther who's headed the ball into the net. I've got the goals on VHS and recently transferred them to DVD, it was a great day and certainly signaled Luther's and the teams arrival on the big stage.
 
The other memory is a story told to me by former Watford striker Any Kennedy at a sponsors dinner many moons ago. He used to play with former Sunderland striker Ally McCoist at Rangers and the story goes that if you remember whenever we scored in the 80's we used to have three little men appear on the old electronic scoreboard jumping up and down.

Well the eight goal went in and Ally McCoist looked up at the scoreboard and saw the three little men jumping up and down. He turned to his strike partner Gary Rowell at the kick off and said 'You'd think they'd be tired by now!' Nice story and great days.

Jeremy Marshall

I was there. I was right behind the goal at the Vicarage Road end, I think with my school friend David Loveday, who I haven't seen in 20 odd years. Standing up of course, every time a goal was scored the stand went crazy, people jumping around. So a lot of craziness! I forget how many went in at that end and how many at the Rookery but I can remember at least a couple hitting the back of the net as if it were yesterday.

Watford were on fire, and it could have easily been more than eight. If I remember right Ally McCoist made his Sunderland debut that day and actually I think he and they had some decent chances as well, especially before we scored.

That day I was a 19-year-old student living in Hemel, now a 44-year-old father of three living in Kent - still supporting Watford. Now with an 11-year-old Watford supporting son - we are still working on his brother!

Nigel Callaghan

Jerry Hughes, Amersham

Sadly I missed a few games that season as I was working in a pub in Covent Garden. I watched the reports as the goals came streaming in on Grandstand knowing that my brother and my mates were there. It seemed that there was a goalflash every time I looked at the TV. I was in the Kings Cross Snooker club which was full of jealous Gooners who at the time were struggling to score eight a season!

Sandra Crouch-Pettitt

My friend was getting married (she had four brothers who weren't pleased that she was getting married when Watford were at home, nor was she or her future husband as they both supported Watford as well). I was invited but as the church was only down the road I decided to go to the first half then rush to the church at half time.  We were 4-0 up so was happy as we were obviously going to win so left. You can imagine us all coming out of the Church and finding they had won 8-0 especially her brothers who missed the whole match.  Watford were certainly a joy to watch with that team. 
 
Happy 25th Anniversary Chris and Steve.

 BUY YOUR WATFORD PICS HERE