Been At Both: Five Who Have Represented The Hornets And Boro

The Hornets continue their Sky Bet Championship campaign at home to Middlesbrough this Saturday (September 30, 3pm KO), following a disappointing 3-0 defeat against Leeds United last time out.

As kick-off draws nearer, we pick out five former Golden Boys who also represented the red and white of Boro at the Riverside Stadium during their playing days…

Nathaniel Chalobah started his professional career at Chelsea after growing up in their academy. At the time, he was a precious footballing talent, captaining the Blues to FA Youth Cup success.

He joined Watford on loan for the 2012/13 Championship season and played a vital role in the Hornets’ midfield, starting 37 games and scoring five goals. The peak of his Watford loan came when he unleashed a blistering long-range shot away at Leicester City, scoring to win the Hornets the match in a promotion battle.

In January 2014, Chelsea sent him on loan to Middlesbrough for the remainder of the season, where he made 19 appearances and scored once to help secure a mid-table finish.

Watford later bought the midfielder permanently in the summer of 2017, and he received a full England call-up due to a strong start to the season. Chalobah went on to tally up over 100 appearances for the Golden Boys, before joining Fulham in 2021, and then West Bromwich Albion in January 2023.

Danny Graham signed his first professional contract in March 2004 for Middlesbrough. He only made 15 appearances for Boro between 2004 and 2009, as most of his time there saw him sent on loan to clubs including Darlington, Derby, Leeds, Blackpool and Carlisle.

The forward then joined Watford on a permanent transfer in 2009. During his first season for the Golden Boys, Graham made 46 appearances, scoring 14 goals. His second season brought him the club’s highest individual goal tally for 28 years, with 24 goals. He also became only the second player in the club’s history to have scored twice in four consecutive matches, and he then enjoyed scoring sequences of seven games and six games later in the season.

More than just a goalscorer, he impressed with his all-round game, resulting in a transfer to the Premier League with Swansea City. After joining Sunderland in January 2013, he had another loan spell for Boro in the 2013/14 season, making 18 appearances and scoring six goals.

In two loan spells from Crystal Palace, Adlène Guedioura assisted Watford’s successful charge for promotion to the top-flight with his energetic and skilful performances. He appeared 17 times for Watford during the second half of the 2014/15 season, scoring three goals.

After the Hornets achieved promotion, Guedioura struggled to break into the starting XI, making 15 appearances from the bench and only three starts. Memorably during an FA Cup fixture against Arsenal at the Emirates, the midfielder won the game with a thunderous first-time effort from outside of the box.

After his time with Watford had concluded, Middlesbrough signed the midfielder in January 2017. Guedioura made five appearances for Boro in their Premier League season, which ended in relegation.

Former Watford left-back Andrew Taylor started his career at Middlesbrough at the age of nine. He signed his first professional contract in 2003, but didn’t play until a loan move to Bradford City in 2005.

After arriving back from that temporary spell, Taylor completed six seasons in a row with Boro, with the first four being in the Premier League. In the 2010/11 campaign, he joined Watford on loan for the first half of the season.

The Englishman scored his first-ever professional goal for the Hornets on his final home appearance against Portsmouth, with a long-range volley which he struck in spectacular fashion.

Mark Yeates started his career at Tottenham Hotspur, rising through the academy from the age of 14. He embarked on a series of loan spells while trying to earn himself a place in Spurs’ first team. However, he was sold to Colchester in 2007, where he became the first goalscorer at their new ground.

Middlesbrough were impressed with his performances for the U’s and decided to sign him in the 2009/10 season to play in the Championship. The busy midfielder made 19 appearances for Boro that season, getting on the scoresheet once.

Yeates was bought by Watford in the summer of 2011, where he spent two seasons. During his first campaign in yellow, the Hornets finished 11th in the Championship, with Yeates making 33 appearances and scoring three goals. His second season helped Watford into the play-offs, finishing third in the league, just missing out on automatic promotion. He featured 29 times, scoring four goals.