1953/1954

<<< 1952/1953 1954/1955 >>>

Manager(s)

L. A. Goulden

Final league position

4th of 24 in Football League Division 3 (South)

Average league attendance

Home: 11,873
Away: 10,927

Home-and-away league doubles for Watford

Coventry City, Gillingham, Newport County

Home-and-away league doubles against Watford

Exeter City, Norwich City

Goals from penalty kicks

J. D. Bowie - 17, 22, 23, 27, 28, 30, 33, 2, 4, 8

Sent off

F. R. Mitchell - 26

Match-by-match details

							Manager: Goulden, L. A.	Own goals	Adams, C. J.►	Bennett, E. E.►	Bewley, D. G.►	Bowie, J. D.	Brown, H. R.►	Brown, T. G.■	Cook, M.►	Gallogly, C.■	Hapgood, E. A.►■	Jones, B. J.■	Kelly, J.	Meadows, J. A.	Mitchell, F. R.	Nolan, P.	Oelofse, R. J. G.►■	Paterson, T.	Paton, J.	Phipps, H. J.■	Saphin, R. F. E.■	Shipwright, W. K.►	Smith, E. W. A.►	Underwood, E. D.	Wilson, J. T.
Appearances - League							46		11	23	46	43	36	6	44	12	1	29	44	8	40	31	15	13	37	6	1	2	28	22	8
Substitute Appearances - League									0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Goals - League								2	1	0	0	20	21	1	9	0	0	0	1	2	0	1	0	1	11	0	0	0	8	0	5
Appearances - Other Competitions							1		0	0	1	1	1	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1
Substitute Appearances - Other Competitions									0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Goals - Other Competitions								0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1	Wed 19 Aug	Southampton	A	Lge	0-2	16,754	X				X►	X	X►		X►				X	X	X		X►		X	X				G
2	Sat 22 Aug	Shrewsbury Town	A	Lge	4-6	12,080	X				X	X3(P)	X1		X				X	X	X		X		X	X				G
3	Mon 24 Aug	Millwall	A	Lge	0-1	18,321	X	1			X	X	X	X	X		X►■		X		X		X			X				G
4	Sat 29 Aug	Torquay United	H	Lge	3-1	11,166	X				X	X1(P)		X1	X				X		X		X		X1	X				G	X
5	Tue 01 Sep	Millwall	H	Lge	2-1	13,997	X				X	X			X				X	X1	X		X		X	X				G	X1
6	Sat 05 Sep	Northampton Town	A	Lge	1-4	13,752	X				X	X			X				X	X	X		X		X1	X■				G	X
7	Wed 09 Sep	Reading	A	Lge	1-4	12,671	X				X	X1			X	X			X	X	X	X			X					G	X
8	Sat 12 Sep	Gillingham	H	Lge	6-1	12,929	X				X	X2(P)	X2		X			X	X		X	X		X	X					G
9	Tue 15 Sep	Reading	H	Lge	3-0	12,729	X				X	X1	X1		X			X	X		X	X		X1	X					G
10	Sat 19 Sep	Coventry City	A	Lge	1-0	13,752	X				X	X	X		X1			X	X		X	X		X	X					G
11	Wed 23 Sep	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	Lge	3-3	14,557	X				X	X1	X2		X			X	X		X	X		X	X					G
12	Sat 26 Sep	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	H	Lge	2-3	17,233	X				X	X	X		X1			X	X		X	X		X	X1					G
13	Tue 29 Sep	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	Lge	1-1	9,560	X				X	X	X	X	X1			X	X		X	X			X					G
14	Sat 03 Oct	Ipswich Town	A	Lge	0-1	15,406	X				X	X	X	X	X			X	X		X	X			X					G
15	Sat 10 Oct	Newport County	A	Lge	1-0	5,959	X				X	X	X1	X	X	X		X			X	X			X					G
16	Sat 17 Oct	Norwich City	H	Lge	1-3	15,116	X				X	X	X1	X■	X			X			X	X		X	X					G
17	Sat 24 Oct	Queens Park Rangers	A	Lge	4-0	15,434	X				X	X1(P)	X1		X			X	X		X	X			X1				X►	G
18	Sat 31 Oct	Southampton	H	Lge	2-0	13,157	X	1			X	X	X1		X			X	X		X	X			X				X1	G
19	Sat 07 Nov	Colchester United	A	Lge	2-2	6,905	X				X	X1	X		X			X	X		X	X1			X				X	G
20	Sat 14 Nov	Crystal Palace	H	Lge	4-1	14,547	X				X	X	X1		X			X	X		X	X			X1					G	X2
21	Sat 21 Nov	Nuneaton Borough	A	FA1	0-3	12,665	X				X	X	X		X			X	X		X	X			X					G	X
22	Sat 28 Nov	Aldershot	H	Lge	6-1	12,685	X				X	X2(P)	X2		X2			X	X		X		X		X				X	G
23	Sat 05 Dec	Swindon Town	A	Lge	2-2	8,769	X				X	X1(P)	X		X			X	X		X		X		X1				X	G
24	Sat 19 Dec	Shrewsbury Town	H	Lge	3-1	10,194	X			G►	X	X	X		X			X	X		X		X		X1				X2
25	Fri 25 Dec	Southend United	H	Lge	2-2	12,002	X			G	X	X	X2		X			X	X		X		X		X				X
26	Sat 26 Dec	Southend United	A	Lge	0-3	7,545	X			G	X	X			X			X	X	X	X!		X		X				X
27	Sat 02 Jan	Torquay United	A	Lge	2-2	7,629	X			G	X	X1(P)	X		X			X	X		X		X		X				X1
28	Sat 16 Jan	Northampton Town	H	Lge	1-1	13,134	X			G	X	X1(P)	X		X			X	X		X		X		X				X
29	Sat 23 Jan	Gillingham	A	Lge	3-2	9,547	X			G	X	X	X1		X			X	X				X	X	X1				X1
30	Sat 06 Feb	Coventry City	H	Lge	1-0	10,125	X				X	X1(P)	X		X			X	X		X		X■		X		G■		X
31	Sat 13 Feb	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	A	Lge	3-1	8,514	X			G	X	X	X		X1			X	X			X		X	X1				X1
32	Wed 24 Feb	Walsall	H	Lge	3-1	4,358	X			G	X	X	X		X1			X	X		X	X			X1				X1
33	Sat 27 Feb	Newport County	H	Lge	1-0	13,428	X			G	X	X1(P)	X		X			X	X		X	X			X				X
34	Wed 03 Mar	Ipswich Town	H	Lge	1-0	7,418	X			G	X	X	X		X			X	X		X	X			X1				X
35	Sat 06 Mar	Norwich City	A	Lge	1-4	14,349	X			G	X	X	X1		X			X	X		X	X			X				X
36	Sat 13 Mar	Bristol City	H	Lge	2-0	13,048	X			G	X	X1	X1		X			X	X		X	X			X				X
37	Sat 20 Mar	Aldershot	A	Lge	1-3	5,943	X		X►	G	X	X	X1		X			X■	X			X		X							X
38	Sat 27 Mar	Colchester United	H	Lge	3-0	11,246	X		X1	G	X	X	X1		X1	X			X			X		X					X
39	Sat 03 Apr	Crystal Palace	A	Lge	1-1	9,477	X		X	G	X	X	X		X	X			X1		X	X							X
40	Sat 10 Apr	Swindon Town	H	Lge	2-1	11,634	X		X	G	X	X1	X1		X	X			X		X	X							X
41	Fri 16 Apr	Exeter City	H	Lge	0-2	14,861	X		X	G	X	X	X		X	X			X		X	X							X
42	Sat 17 Apr	Walsall	A	Lge	0-0	7,154	X		X	G	X	X	X		X	X			X		X	X							X
43	Mon 19 Apr	Exeter City	A	Lge	1-2	8,939	X		X	G	X	X			X1	X			X		X	X			X				X
44	Thu 22 Apr	Leyton Orient	A	Lge	1-1	7,095	X		X	G	X	X				X			X	X1	X	X			X				X
45	Sat 24 Apr	Queens Park Rangers	H	Lge	0-2	12,431	X		X	G	X					X			X	X	X	X		X	X				X
46	Tue 27 Apr	Bristol City	A	Lge	1-2	10,765	X		X	G	X				X	X			X			X		X				X►	X1		X
47	Fri 30 Apr	Leyton Orient	H	Lge	3-1	6,078	X		X	G	X				X	X■			X			X		X				X	X		X2
							Manager: Goulden, L. A.	Own goals	Adams, C. J.►	Bennett, E. E.►	Bewley, D. G.►	Bowie, J. D.	Brown, H. R.►	Brown, T. G.■	Cook, M.►	Gallogly, C.■	Hapgood, E. A.►■	Jones, B. J.■	Kelly, J.	Meadows, J. A.	Mitchell, F. R.	Nolan, P.	Oelofse, R. J. G.►■	Paterson, T.	Paton, J.	Phipps, H. J.■	Saphin, R. F. E.■	Shipwright, W. K.►	Smith, E. W. A.►	Underwood, E. D.	Wilson, J. T.

► = first appearance; ■ = last/most recent appearance.

G = goalkeeper; X = starting appearance; R = started, then replaced; S = substitute appearance, ! = sent off; 1 = goals scored; P = penalties scored.

Cup fixture rows have a grey background; home fixture rows have red text. Manager columns have a grey background.

Other matches

Date	Opponent	H/A	Result	Att	Team	Notes
Sat 08 Aug	Blues vs Whites	H	4-0	nearly 4000	1: E.D.Underwood (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly, P.Nolan & T.Paterson; E.A.Hapgood [1 goal], J.A.Meadows [2 goals], H.R.Brown, T.G.Brown & J.Paton [1 goal] 2: R.F.E.Saphin (gk); C.Bateman & W.K.Shipwright; R.Gibbons, E.Bateman & J.T.Wilson; H.A.Bennett, A.Smith, H.Meadows, H.Evans & M.Cook	public trial match
Sat 15 Aug	Blues vs Whites	H	1-1		1: ÃÂ E.D.Underwood (gk); R.J.G.Oelofse & D.G.Bewley; J.Kelly, H.J.Phipps & F.R.Mitchell; E.A.Hapgood (sub: M.Cook), J.D.Bowie [1 goal], H.R.Brown, J.A.Meadows & J.Paton 2: R.F.E.Saphin (gk); C.Bateman (sub: W.K.Shipwright) & B.J.Jones; J.T.Wilson, P.Nolan & J.Paterson; M.Cook (sub:ÃÂ ??ÃÂ Vater), A.Smith, E.W.A.Smith [1 goal], H.A.Bennett & H.Evans	public trial match
Tue 13 Oct	Luton Town	H	1-1	12,294	E.D.Underwood (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly, P.Nolan & F.R.Mitchell; M.Cook, T.G.Brown [1 goal], H.R.Brown, J.D.Bowie & J.Paton	Rigby Taylor Cup 1st leg. This was the first match played under floodlights at Vicarage Road. The Rigby Taylor Cup was at this time known as the Watford Invitation Cup.
Mon 19 Oct	Pegasus	H	2-1	11,005	E.D.Underwood (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; T.Paterson, R.J.G.Oelofse & F.R.Mitchell; M.Cook, J.A.Meadows, E.W.A.Smith [2 goals], J.D.Bowie & J.Paton
Tue 27 Oct	Stoke City	H	4-2	11,212	E.D.Underwood (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly [1 goal], P.Nolan & F.R.Mitchell; M.Cook, E.W.A.Smith, H.R.Brown, J.D.Bowie [2 goals] & J.Paton [1 goal]
Tue 10 Nov	Brentford	H	4-1	11,538	E.D.Underwood (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly [1 goal], P.Nolan & F.R.Mitchell; M.Cook, J.T.Wilson [2 goals], H.R.Brown, J.D.Bowie & J.Paton [1 goal]
Sat 12 Dec	Southampton	H	1-1	5,212	E.D.Underwood (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly, E.Bateman & F.R.Mitchell; M.Cook, E.W.A.Smith, H.R.Brown [1 goal], J.D.Bowie & J.Paton
Sat 09 Jan	Northampton Town	A	0-3	2,877	E.E.Bennett (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; E.Bateman, R.J.G.Oelofse & F.R.Mitchell; M.Cook, E.W.A.Smith, H.R.Brown, J.Kelly & J.Paton
Mon 25 Jan	Hajduk Split, Yugoslavia	H	1-0	11,524	E.E.Bennett (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly, E.Bateman & F.R.Mitchell; E.A.Hapgood, E.W.A.Smith, H.R.Brown [1 goal], J.D.Bowie & J.Paton	Hajduk were the reigning Yugoslavian league champions
Mon 08 Feb	FC Wien, Austria	H	1-0	7,268	R.F.E.Saphin (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly, R.J.G.Oelofse (sub: P.Nolan) & T.Paterson; M.Cook, T.G.Brown, H.R.Brown [1 goal], J.D.Bowie & J.Paton
Fri 19 Feb	Middlesbrough	H	3-1	6,513	E.E.Bennett (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly, P.Nolan & F.R.Mitchell; M.Cook, J.D.Bowie, H.R.Brown, E.W.A.Smith [2 goals] & J.Paton [1 goal]
Mon 22 Feb	Portuguesa, Brazil	H	2-5	14,105	E.E.Bennett (gk); C.Gallogly & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly, E.Bateman & F.R.Mitchell; M.Cook, E.W.A.Smith (sub: T.G.Brown), H.R.Brown [2 goals], J.D.Bowie & J.Paton
Mon 15 Mar	England Amateur XI	H	2-1	7,744	M.J.Pinner (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones; J.Kelly [1 goal], P.Nolan & F.R.Mitchell; E.A.Hapgood, H.Bennett, H.R.Brown, J.D.Bowie [1 goal] & R.W.Walker
Wed 24 Mar	Luton Town	A	1-4	6,122	E.E.Bennett (gk); D.G.Bewley & B.J.Jones (sub: M.Cook); J.Kelly, E.Bateman & T.Paterson [1 goal]; E.A.Hapgood, T.G.Brown, H.R.Brown, H.A.Bennett & C.J.Adams	Rigby Taylor Cup, 2nd leg - lost 2-5 on aggregate
Tue 06 Apr	All Star XI	H	3-3	est 18000	E.E.Bennett (gk); D.G.Bewley & C.Gallogly; J.Kelly, P.Nolan & F.R.Mitchell (sub: T.Paterson); M.Cook [1 goal], J.D.Bowie [1 penalty goal], H.R.Brown [1 goal], E.W.A.Smith & C.J.Adams	Benefit match for J.Kelly & P.Nolan