1998–99 Watford F.C. season

Watford
1998–99 season
ChairmanElton John
ManagerGraham Taylor
StadiumVicarage Road
Football League First Division5th (promoted)
Play-offsWinners
FA CupThird round
League CupFirst round
Top goalscorerNoel-Williams (10)
Average home league attendance11,822

During the 1998–99 English football season, Watford F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.

Season summary

In the 1998–99 season, Watford's second successive promotion was achieved with a 2–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the playoff final, securing the club's promotion to the top flight for the first time since 1988.[1][2]

Final league table

Main article: 1998–99 Football League § First Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
3 Ipswich Town 46 26 8 12 69 32 +37 86 Qualification for the First Division play-offs
4 Birmingham City 46 23 12 11 66 37 +29 81
5 Watford (O, P) 46 21 14 11 65 56 +9 77
6 Bolton Wanderers 46 20 16 10 78 59 +19 76
7 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 19 16 11 64 43 +21 73
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Results

Watford's score comes first[3]

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
8 August 1998 Portsmouth A 2–1 15,275 Thomson (own goal), Lee
15 August 1998 Bradford City H 1–0 10,731 Ngonge
22 August 1998 Bristol City A 4–1 13,063 Johnson (2), Yates, Hazan
25 August 1998 Sunderland A 1–4 36,587 Smart
28 August 1998 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 0–2 12,016
8 September 1998 Huddersfield Town A 0–2 9,811
12 September 1998 Queens Park Rangers H 2–1 14,251 Millen, Smart
19 September 1998 Swindon Town A 4–1 8,781 Smart (2), Wright, Hazan
26 September 1998 Ipswich Town H 1–0 13,109 Kennedy (pen)
29 September 1998 Sheffield United H 1–1 9,090 Noel-Williams
4 October 1998 West Bromwich Albion A 1–4 11,840 Kennedy (pen)
10 October 1998 Birmingham City H 1–1 10,096 Rowett (own goal)
17 October 1998 Tranmere Rovers A 2–3 6,753 Smart, Noel-Williams
20 October 1998 Bolton Wanderers A 2–1 15,921 Noel-Williams, Kennedy (pen)
24 October 1998 Port Vale H 2–2 8,750 Guðmundsson (2)
31 October 1998 Bury A 3–1 4,342 Bazeley, Ngonge, Smart
3 November 1998 Norwich City H 1–1 10,011 Jackson (own goal)
7 November 1998 Oxford United H 2–0 10,137 Palmer, Noel-Williams
14 November 1998 Stockport County A 1–1 8,019 Johnson
21 November 1998 Crewe Alexandra H 4–2 9,405 Noel-Williams (2), Bazeley, Wright
28 November 1998 Crystal Palace A 2–2 19,521 Wright, Kennedy
5 December 1998 Barnsley H 0–0 10,165
12 December 1998 Stockport County H 4–2 9,250 Johnson, Wright, Noel-Williams (2)
19 December 1998 Grimsby Town A 1–2 6,679 Noel-Williams
26 December 1998 Bristol City H 1–0 15,081 Smart
29 December 1998 Norwich City A 1–1 19,255 Palmer
9 January 1999 Portsmouth H 0–0 12,057
16 January 1999 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 0–0 23,408
23 January 1999 West Bromwich Albion H 0–2 11,664
30 January 1999 Sunderland H 2–1 20,188 Wright, Noel-Williams
6 February 1999 Bradford City A 0–2 14,142
16 February 1999 Huddersfield Town H 1–1 10,303 Mooney
20 February 1999 Queens Park Rangers A 2–1 14,918 Wright, Smith
26 February 1999 Swindon Town H 0–1 8,692
2 March 1999 Ipswich Town A 2–3 18,818 Smith, Mooney
6 March 1999 Sheffield United A 0–3 15,943
13 March 1999 Oxford United A 0–0 8,137
20 March 1999 Bury H 0–0 9,336
3 April 1999 Tranmere Rovers H 2–1 8,682 Kennedy, Ngonge
5 April 1999 Birmingham City A 2–1 24,877 Mooney, Daley
10 April 1999 Bolton Wanderers H 2–0 13,001 Hyde, Mooney
17 April 1999 Crewe Alexandra A 1–0 5,461 Mooney
24 April 1999 Crystal Palace H 2–1 15,590 Hyde, Mooney
27 April 1999 Port Vale A 2–1 7,126 Mooney (2)
1 May 1999 Barnsley A 2–2 17,098 Ngonge, Mooney
9 May 1999 Grimsby Town H 1–0 20,303 Kennedy

First Division play-offs

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
SF 1st Leg 16 May 1999 Birmingham City H 1–0 18,535 Ngonge
SF 2nd Leg 20 May 1999 Birmingham City A 0–1 (won 7–6 on pens) 29,100
F 31 May 1999 Bolton Wanderers N 2–0 70,343 Wright, Smart

FA Cup

Main article: 1998–99 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R3 2 January 1999 Tottenham Hotspur A 2–5 36,022 Johnson, Kennedy

League Cup

Main article: 1998–99 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 1st Leg 11 August 1998 Cambridge United A 0–1 3,073
R1 2nd Leg 18 August 1998 Cambridge United H 1–1 (lost 1–2 on agg) 6,817 Ngonge

Players

First-team squad

Squad at end of season[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK England ENG Alec Chamberlain
— GK England ENG Chris Day
— DF England ENG Darren Bazeley
— DF England ENG Clint Easton
— DF England ENG Nigel Gibbs
— DF England ENG Colin Miles
— DF England ENG Keith Millen
— DF England ENG Steve Palmer
— DF England ENG David Perpetuini
— DF England ENG Paul Robinson
— DF England ENG Darren Ward
— DF England ENG Dean Yates
— DF Wales WAL Rob Page (captain)
— DF Nigeria NGA Benedict Iroha
— MF England ENG Tony Daley
— MF England ENG Micah Hyde[notes 1]
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Stuart Slater
— MF England ENG Tommy Smith
— MF Northern Ireland NIR Peter Kennedy
— MF France FRA Alexandre Bonnot (on loan from Angers)
— MF Iceland ISL Jóhann Guðmundsson
— MF Israel ISR Alon Hazan
— MF Australia AUS Richard Johnson
— FW England ENG Jason Lee
— FW England ENG Tommy Mooney
— FW England ENG Gifton Noel-Williams
— FW England ENG Guy Whittingham (on loan from Sheffield Wednesday)
— FW England ENG Nick Wright
— FW Scotland SCO Allan Smart
— FW Israel ISR Ronny Rosenthal
— FW Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Michel Ngonge[notes 2]

References

  1. ^ "Watford back in the big time". BBC Sport. 31 May 1999. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  2. ^ McGuinness, Mark (1 June 1999). "Football: You've Got Wat It Takes, Taylor: First Division Play-Off Special; Bolton 0 Watford 2 Graham back on a high with return to the top flight". The Free Library. The Mirror. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  3. ^ "Watford 1998-1999 Home - statto.com". Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
  4. ^ "Watford FC Player Appearances | Past & Present | Soccer Base".

Notes

  1. ^ Hyde was born in Newham, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally and would make his international debut for Jamaica in 2001.
  2. ^ Ngonge was born in Huy, Belgium, but also qualified to represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo internationally and made his international debut for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1995.
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