THE theory goes that you have to experience pain to truly appreciate pleasure.

Don't panic I don't mean this in a foul kinky way. There will be no leather and whips on the Watford FC site.

I mean it, like how a hamburger tastes ten times better after a month long diet, how a pint refreshes deeper having played a game of footy with your mates in the blazing sun, how Lance Armstrong's Tour de France victory felt better than anyone else's because of the extreme battles he had been through.

For these half-baked reasons I truly believe that no Chelsea fan could ever have enjoyed a goal like the 15,000 noisy Hornets enjoyed Priskin's opener in the cup. You can win week-in week-out, but that kind of absolute joy (as rare as it is) will allude you.

If Chelsea was enjoyable, despite the eventual defeat, Swansea was brilliant. The atmosphere at The Vic always seems to be better under the floodlights, and as the superb gang at the back of the Rookery fought to get the place rocking, Brendan's men played sublimely.

There's nothing better for a fan than seeing a one-club man putting in a brilliant performance - Lloydy did just that.

When a battler like Doyley plays so fantastically, it feels like you yourself have played that well. Fitting that his name was still ringing out in the Watford car parks long after the final whistle.

Cue Blackpool. The rubble patch stadium, looks like the kind of place a TV inspector would find a dead body on some BBC drama. Fitting as playing the Seasiders again did feel like returning to a crime scene.
 
Last year, the disappointment on missing out on automatic promotion culminated there, and this year our 3-4 Blackpool defeat of course ended the Aidy era.

Playing the tangerine coloured fellas felt like a test on how far we'd come. A test we passed in a manner that makes you only wish the season could start up afresh tomorrow.

It sadly can't, but we can however go into what feels like our 678th game against Palace in the past three years, with a feeling of excitement. 

So hoist up the Watford flag, hear all the hornets sing, and if you won't join in I'll sing on my oooooooooooown…

Season Ticket holder Lee Coan will be bringing you regular updates on life as a Hornet and following the team on the road throughout the season. To see past articles click here.

The views in this blog are not necessarily the views of Watford Football Club.