Alec Francis Roy Chamberlain

After becoming the first Watford goalkeeper for 26 years to keep a clean sheet on his first-team début for the club, Alec Chamberlain had to wait eight months for his second appearance, having been signed as Kevin Miller’s understudy. With Miller’s departure, however, and although well into his thirties, he embarked on a distinguished club career which established him as one of the major and most popular Vicarage Road figures of modern times. He ended the 1998/99 season with an ever-present League record for the eighth time in his career. Climaxing that season – and Alec Chamberlain’s career – were a shoot-out penalty save in highly-charged circumstances which took the club through to the Play-off final, followed by a clean sheet at Wembley to help ensure promotion to the Premier League. That penalty save was at odds with his overall record when facing spot-kicks on Watford’s behalf, which was quite dreadful: excluding shoot-outs, he faced 37 kicks and saved only three, from two of which the penalty-taker scored following up. His Football League career began as understudy to Mike Walker (ex-Watford) at Colchester United, for whom he was ever-present in four consecutive seasons, and it ended with a last-minute substitute appearance in the Premier League which made him the second-oldest player ever to have represented Watford in a competitive first-team match.

West Herts / Watford Career