Football memories VII – Watford vs Bolton 1999!!!

It was May 1999 and I was at Wembley Stadium for the 1999 Football league First Division play-off Final.  

The match was played on 31^st May 1999 between Bolton Wanderers and Watford.  The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football league First Division, the second tier of English football to the Premiership.  

The top two teams of the First Division gained promotion automatically, while the clubs placed from third to sixth took part in play-off semi-finals.  

Bolton ended the season in sixth place and played Ipswich Town while  Watford had finished in fifth place and beaten Birmingham City on penalties at St Andrews.

I went to the match with my son, but the day began in Rickmansworth at the Wetherspoons pub, for opening time, where we met up with some of Scott’s friends who watched Watford’s games with him.  

We then got the train from Rickmansworth, filled with many Watford fans, to Wembley Park.  As we made our way out of the station the atmosphere was terrific with all the fans in good voice!

Despite having beaten Bolton home and away in the league the Lancashire team were still pre-match favourites. They had been relegated from the Premier League the season before and had a much more valuable squad than Watford.

The final was played in front of a crowd of 70,343 and was refereed by Terry Heilbron.  

The game started with Bolton doing most of the attacking and should have gone ahead through Eidur Gudjohnsen. His shot from around the penalty spot but was saved by Alec Chamberlain in the Watford goal.  

Towards the end of the first-half Watford took the lead when Nick Wright scored a spectacular goal with an overhead kick – possibly one of the best goals ever scored at Wembley. 

The second half was much the same as the first with Bolton doing most of the attacking.  Then with two minutes remaining Watford scored their second goal through Allan Smart.  

I have to say I cannot remember much about how the goal was scored except I ended up hugging the girl in the row in front of me!!

An amazing day!!