Watford Football Club (also known simply as Watford, or as The Hornets) is an English football club from Watford, Hertfordshire. The team competed in the EFL Championship in 2011–12, their fifth consecutive season in the second tier of English football since their relegation from the Premier League in 2006–07.[1] The 2011–12 season consisted of pre-season friendlies in July 2011, followed by competitive matches in the Football League, FA Cup and EFL Cup between August 2011 and April 2012. Assistant manager Sean Dyche became manager in July 2011, following the departure of Malky Mackay. The club's captain for the season was central midfielder John Eustace. Watford's chairman was Graham Taylor, who previously took Watford from the Fourth Division to the First Division as manager.
| 2011–12 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Graham Taylor | ||
| Manager | Sean Dyche | ||
| Stadium | Vicarage Road | ||
| Football League Championship | 11th | ||
| FA Cup | Fourth round (eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur) | ||
| League Cup | First round (eliminated by Bristol Rovers) | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Troy Deeney: 11 All: Troy Deeney: 12 | ||
| Highest home attendance | 16,314 (vs. Blackpool, 6 April 2012) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 10,592 (vs Millwall, 27 September 2011) | ||
The team was widely tipped for relegation in 2011–12, following the pre-season departures of attacking players Danny Graham, Will Buckley and Don Cowie for a combined total of £4.5million. Following an early run of two wins from the first thirteen league fixtures, Watford's form improved, and the team lost just one of the remaining eleven games in 2011. Watford suffered four defeats in January 2012, and sold Marvin Sordell – then the team's top goalscorer – on the last day of the January transfer window. The team regained its form between February and April, and finished the league season in the top half of the table for the first time in four years.[2] Watford's top scorer was Troy Deeney with 12 goals in all competitions, followed by Sordell with 10. Centre back Adrian Mariappa was voted Watford F.C. Player of the Season,[3] while Sean Murray received the young player award.[4]
Off the field, 2011 and 2012 marked a period of transition. Laurence Bassini purchased the club in March 2011, and after the 2010–11 season several senior members of staff left the club, including chief executive Julian Winter and manager Malky Mackay.[5] Bassini himself attracted criticism from some Watford supporters, as well as chairman Graham Taylor, for his reluctance to speak to supporters or the media.[6] Taylor resigned as chairman at the end of the season,[7] and in June 2012 a company owned by Giampaolo Pozzo and his family took control of the club.[8]
Background
The end of the 2010–11 season signalled the start of a period of change, on and off the pitch. Watford sold the club's top scorer Danny Graham to newly promoted Swansea City for £3.5 million.[9] They also sold Young Player of the season Will Buckley to Brighton & Hove Albion for £1m, and Liam Henderson left on a free transfer to York City. Off the field, Watford's chief executive Julian Winter left the club shortly after the sales of Buckley and Graham, and manager Malky Mackay joined Cardiff City the following week. On 21 June, 20-year-old defender Tom Aldred left on a season-long loan to Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Nathan Ellington went on a free transfer to Ipswich Town.[10] Meanwhile, on the same day, Craig Forsyth came to Watford from Dundee United and Sean Dyche was appointed as new manager.
Pre-Season Friendlies
| 9 July 2011 | Boreham Wood | 2–2 | Watford | Meadow Park |
| 15:00 | Noto  12' Chabaan 40' | Eustace 30' Mingoia 48' |
| 19 July 2011 | Wealdstone | 1–3 | Watford | St Georges Stadium |
| 19:45 | Jolly ?' | Yeates ?' Iwelumo ?' Sordell ?' |
| 23 July 2011 | AFC Wimbledon | 2–1 | Watford | Kingsmeadow |
| 15:00 | L. Moore 40', 55' | Eustace 13' | Attendance: 1,613 |
| 26 July 2011 | Brentford | 0–0 | Watford | Griffin Park |
| 19:45 | Attendance: 2,491 |
| 30 July 2011 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Watford | Weston Homes Community Stadium |
| 15:00 | Odejayi 25' |
Championship
| 6 August 2011 1 | Burnley | 2–2 | Watford | Turf Moor |
| 15:00 | Austin 77' Treacy 84' | [11] | 45' Forsyth 70' Yeates | Attendance: 14,617 |
| 13 August 2011 2 | Watford | 0–1 | Derby County | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | [12] | 51' S. Davies | Attendance: 12,263 |
| 16 August 2011 3 | Watford | 0–4 | West Ham United | Vicarage Road |
| 19:45 | [13] | 3' Tomkins 45+2' O'Brien 71' Cole 90+1' Parker | Attendance: 14,747 |
| 20 August 2011 4 | Coventry City | 0–0 | Watford | Ricoh Arena |
| 15:00 | [14] | Attendance: 13,043 |
| 28 August 2011 5 | Watford | 2–2 | Birmingham City | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | Sordell 80' Taylor 90+1' | [15] | 39' Rooney 88' Wood | Attendance: 11,937 |
| 10 September 2011 6 | Reading | 0–2 | Watford | Madejski Stadium |
| 15:00 | [16] | 12' Yeates 51' Eustace | Attendance: 17,128 |
| 24 September 2011 8 | Watford | 0–1 | Nottingham Forest | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | [18] | 61' Miller | Attendance: 11,437 |
| 27 September 2011 9 | Watford | 2–1 | Millwall | Vicarage Road |
| 19:45 | Dickinson 78' Forsyth 85' | [19] | 68' Feeney | Attendance: 10,592 |
| 1 October 2011 10 | Southampton | 4–0 | Watford | St Mary's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Lambert 22' (pen.), 55' (pen.) do Prado 70' Holmes 88' | [20] | Attendance: 23,574 |
| 15 October 2011 11 | Watford | 0–2 | Crystal Palace | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | [21] | Zaha 66' Easter 90+2' | Attendance: 12,559 |
| 19 October 2011 12 | Leicester City | 2–0 | Watford | King Power Stadium |
| 19:45 | Nugent 19' Beckford 36' | [22] | Attendance: 20,304 |
| 22 October 2011 13 | Hull City | 3–2 | Watford | KC Stadium |
| 15:00 | Fryatt 51' Mclean 66' Koren 90+4' | [23] | 36' (o.g.) Chester 56' Iwelumo | Attendance: 18,324 |
| 29 October 2011 14 | Watford | 3–2 | Peterborough United | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | Yeates 5' Sordell 31' (pen.), 33' | [24] | 15' Frecklington 39' Sinclair | Attendance: 15,031 |
| 1 November 2011 15 | Watford | 1–0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Vicarage Road |
| 19:45 | Deeney 77' | [25] | Attendance: 11,818 |
| 5 November 2011 16 | Middlesbrough | 1–0 | Watford | Riverside Stadium |
| 17:20 | McDonald 41' | [26] | Attendance: 14,366 |
| 19 November 2011 17 | Watford | 2–0 | Portsmouth | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | Kightly 2' Sordell 45' | [27] | Attendance: 12,864 |
| 26 November 2011 18 | Doncaster Rovers | 0–0 | Watford | Keepmoat Stadium |
| 15:00 | [28] | Attendance: 8,389 |
| 29 November 2011 19 | Watford | 2–2 | Bristol City | Vicarage Road |
| 19:45 | Dickinson 25' Beattie 42' | [29] | 44' Elliott 46' (o.g.) Mariappa | Attendance: 12,418 |
| 3 December 2011 20 | Ipswich Town | 1–2 | Watford | Portman Road |
| 15:00 | Andrews 45' | [30] | 70' (pen.) Sordell 74' Deeney | Attendance: 16,262 |
| 10 December 2011 21 | Watford | 1–1 | Leeds United | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | Kightly 28' | [31] | 90+5' (pen.) Snodgrass | Attendance: 13,573 |
| 17 December 2011 22 | Blackpool | 0–0 | Watford | Bloomfield Road |
| 15:00 | [32] | Attendance: 11,652 |
| 26 December 2011 23 | Watford | 1–1 | Cardiff City | Vicarage Road |
| 12:00 | Buaben 62' | [33] | 80' (o.g.) Mariappa | Attendance: 14,604 |
| 31 December 2011 24 | Watford | 4–1 | Doncaster Rovers | Vicarage Road |
| 13:00 | Sordell 44', 68' Eustace 84' Kightly 90+3' | [34] | 47' Sharp | Attendance: 11,654 |
| 2 January 2012 25 | Portsmouth | 2–0 | Watford | Fratton Park |
| 15:00 | Futács 54' Mullins 87' | [35] | Attendance: 14,362 |
| 14 January 2012 27 | Watford | 1–2 | Reading | Vicarage Road |
| 17:20 | Cummings 29' (o.g.) | [36] | 42' Kebe 85' Le Fondre | Attendance: 11,291 |
| 21 January 2012 27 | Birmingham City | 3–0 | Watford | St Andrew's |
| 15:00 | Davies 35', 60' Burke 81' | [37] | Attendance: 18,681 |
| 4 February 2012 29 | Watford | 2–1 | Barnsley | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | Eustace 33', 68' | [39] | 85' Golbourne | Attendance: 11,306 |
| 11 February 2012 30 | Nottingham Forest | 1–1 | Watford | City Ground |
| 15:00 | McCleary 19' | [40] | 44' Deeney | Attendance: 21,712 |
| 14 February 2012 31 | Watford | 3–2 | Leicester City | Vicarage Road |
| 19:45 | Mariappa 5' Murray 33'Forsyth 80' | [41] | 11', 18' Nugent | Attendance: 11,800 |
| 18 February 2012 32 | Crystal Palace | 4–0 | Watford | Selhurst Park |
| 15:00 | Zaha 22' Martin 38', 50' Dikgacoi 64' | [42] | Attendance: 13,324 |
| 25 February 2012 33 | Watford | 0–3 | Southampton | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | [43] | 13', 21', 72' Lambert | Attendance: 13,424 |
| 3 March 2012 34 | Watford | 3–2 | Burnley | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | Nosworthy 54' Kacaniklic 72' Deeney 75' | [44] | 41' Rodriguez 50' (o.g.) Nosworthy | Attendance: 11,612 |
| 7 March 2012 35 | West Ham United | 1–1 | Watford | Upton Park |
| 19:45 | Vaz Te 87' | [45] | 68' Murray | Attendance: 31,674 |
| 10 March 2012 36 | Derby County | 1–2 | Watford | Pride Park |
| 15:00 | S. Davies 31' | [46] | 8' Murray 15' Deeney | Attendance: 23,130 |
| 17 March 2012 37 | Watford | 0–0 | Coventry City | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | [47] | Attendance: 12,563 |
| 20 March 2012 38 | Bristol City | 0–2 | Watford | Ashton Gate |
| 19:45 | [48] | 15' (o.g.) James 20' Murray | Attendance: 12,017 |
| 24 March 2012 39 | Watford | 2–1 | Ipswich Town | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | Murray 71' Deeney 82' | [49] | 18' Emmanuel-Thomas | Attendance: 12,757 |
| 31 March 2012 40 | Leeds United | 0–2 | Watford | Elland Road |
| 15:00 | [50] | 5', 89' Iwelumo | Attendance: 21,766 |
| 6 April 2012 41 | Watford | 0–2 | Blackpool | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | [51] | 25', 70' (pen.) Dobbie | Attendance: 16,314 |
| 9 April 2012 42 | Cardiff City | 1–1 | Watford | Cardiff City Stadium |
| 15:00 | Miller 45+1' | [52] | 82' Nosworthy | Attendance: 21,259 |
| 14 April 2012 43 | Watford | 1–1 | Hull City | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | Deeney 12' | [53] | 4' Chester | Attendance: 11,596 |
| 17 April 2012 44 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2–2 | Watford | Falmer Stadium |
| 19:45 | Calderón 55' Buckley 79' | [54] | 6' Murray 44' (pen.) Deeney | Attendance: 19,189 |
| 21 April 2012 45 | Peterborough United | 2–2 | Watford | London Road Stadium |
| 15:00 | Tomlin 14' (pen.) Taylor 54' | [55] | 26' Deeney 48' Murray | Attendance: 8,725 |
| 28 April 2012 46 | Watford | 2–1 | Middlesbrough | Vicarage Road |
| 12:30 | Iwelumo 69' Deeney 88' | [56] | 85' Emnes | Attendance: 14,022 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Leicester City | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 66 | 55 | +11 | 66 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 52 | 52 | 0 | 66 |
| 11 | Watford | 46 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 64 |
| 12 | Derby County | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 50 | 58 | −8 | 64 |
| 13 | Burnley | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 61 | 58 | +3 | 62 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Round by round summary
FA Cup
| 7 January 2012 R3 | Watford | 4–2 | Bradford City | Vicarage Road |
| 15:00 | Deeney 3' Sordell 40' Forsyth 56', 59' | [57] | 8' Hanson 88' Wells | Attendance: 8,935 |
| 27 January 2012 R4 | Watford | 0–1 | Tottenham Hotspur | Vicarage Road |
| 19:45 | [58] | 42' van der Vaart | Attendance: 15,384 |
Football League Cup
| 10 August 2011 | Bristol Rovers | P–P | Watford | Memorial Stadium |
| [59] |
Players
Statistics
Correct as of 28 April 2012.
| No. | Pos | Name | P | G | P | G | P | G | P | G |  |  | Age | Joined club | Yth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | Discipline | ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | Scott Loach | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 years, 337 days | 2006 | No | — |
| 2 | DF | Lee Hodson | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 years, 209 days | 2009 | Yes | — |
| 3 | DF | Carl Dickinson | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 25 years, 28 days | 2011 | No | — |
| 4 | MF | John Eustace | 39 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 32 years, 177 days | 2008 | No | — |
| 5 | DF | Martin Taylor | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 years, 171 days | 2010 | No | — |
| 6 | DF | Adrian Mariappa | 39 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 25 years, 208 days | 2005 | Yes | — |
| 7 | MF | Mark Yeates | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 27 years, 108 days | 2011 | No | — |
| 8 | MF | Josh Walker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 years, 67 days | 2010 | No | — |
| 9 | FW | Troy Deeney | 43 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 23 years, 304 days | 2010 | No | — |
| 10 | FW | Chris Iwelumo | 39 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 33 years, 271 days | 2011 | No | — |
| 11 | MF | Craig Forsyth | 20 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 23 years, 64 days | 2011 | No | — |
| 12 | DF | Lloyd Doyley | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 1[n 3] | 29 years, 149 days | 2001 | Yes | — |
| 13 | GK | Rene Gilmartin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 years, 333 days | 2010 | No | — |
| 14 | MF | Ross Jenkins | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 years, 171 days | 2008 | Yes | — |
| 15 | MF | Stephen McGinn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 years, 148 days | 2010 | No | — |
| 16 | MF | Michael Bryan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 years, 67 days | 2009 | Yes | — |
| 17 | DF | Dale Bennett | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 years, 113 days | 2008 | Yes | — |
| 18 | FW | Alexander Kacaniklic | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 years, 290 days | 2012 | No | Loan player |
| 18 | FW | Michael Kightly | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 26 years, 95 days | 2011 | No | Loan player |
| 18 | FW | Andreas Weimann | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 years, 267 days | 2011 | No | Loan player |
| 19 | MF | Prince Buaben | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 24 years, 5 days | 2011 | No | — |
| 20 | FW | Marvin Sordell | 26 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 21 years, 71 days | 2009 | Yes | — |
| 20 | FW | Marcello Trotta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 years, 212 days | 2012 | No | Loan player |
| 21 | DF | David Mirfin | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 years, 10 days | 2011 | No | — |
| 22 | MF | Sean Murray | 18 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 18 years, 200 days | 2010 | Yes | — |
| 23 | MF | Piero Mingoia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 years, 191 days | 2010 | Yes | — |
| 24 | FW | Matthew Whichelow | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 years, 213 days | 2010 | Yes | — |
| 25 | FW | Joe Garner | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 24 years, 16 days | 2011 | No | — |
| 26 | MF | Britt Assombalonga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 years, 144 days | 2011 | Yes | — |
| 27 | FW | Gavin Massey | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 years, 207 days | 2010 | Yes | — |
| 28 | MF | Chez Isaac | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 years, 164 days | 2011 | Yes | — |
| 29 | DF | Adam Thompson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 years, 213 days | 2010 | Yes | — |
| 30 | GK | Jonathan Bond | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 years, 345 days | 2010 | Yes | — |
| 31 | DF | Tom James | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 years, 161 days | 2011 | No | — |
| 32 | MF | Jonathan Hogg | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 23 years, 144 days | 2011 | No | — |
| 33 | DF | Nyron Nosworthy | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 31 years, 200 days | 2011 | No | Initially on loan; signed permanently |
| 34 | GK | Jack Bonham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 years, 227 days | 2010 | Yes | — |
| 35 | GK | Tomasz Kuszczak | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 years, 39 days | 2012 | No | Loan player |
| 37 | FW | Craig Beattie | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 years, 103 days | 2011 | No | Loan player |
Transfers
Unless a country is specified, all clubs play in the English football league system.
In
| Date | Player | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 June 2011 | Craig Forsyth | Dundee | Undisclosed [61] |
| 4 July 2011 | David Mirfin | Scunthorpe United | Free (end of contract) [62] |
| 13 July 2011 | Mark Yeates | Sheffield United | Undisclosed [63] |
| 14 July 2011 | Prince Buaben | Dundee United | Free (end of contract) [64] |
| 19 July 2011 | Chris Iwelumo | Burnley | Undisclosed [65] |
| 29 July 2011 | Carl Dickinson | Stoke City | Undisclosed [66] |
| 4 August 2011 | Tom James | Stratford Town | Free [67] |
| 27 August 2011 | Jonathan Hogg | Aston Villa | Undisclosed [68] |
| 31 August 2011 | Joe Garner | Nottingham Forest | Undisclosed [69] |
| 10 January 2012 | Nyron Nosworthy | Sunderland | Undisclosed [70] |
Out
| Date[n 4] | Player | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 May 2011 | Liam Henderson | York City | Free (end of contract, released)[71] |
| 6 June 2011 | Will Buckley | Brighton & Hove Albion | £1m[72] |
| 7 June 2011 | Danny Graham | Swansea City | £3.5m[73] |
| 21 June 2011 | Nathan Ellington | Ipswich Town | Free (end of contract, released)[74] |
| 27 June 2011 | Mat Sadler | Walsall | Free (end of contract, released)[75] |
| 28 June 2011[76] | Rob Kiernan | Wigan Athletic | Free (end of contract, rejected renewal)[77] |
| 1 July 2011 | Don Cowie | Cardiff City | Free (end of contract, rejected renewal)[78] |
| 31 August 2011 | Tom Aldred | Colchester United | Free (contract terminated)[79] |
| 31 August 2011 | Eddie Oshodi | Forest Green Rovers [n 5] | Free (contract terminated) |
| 31 January 2012 | Marvin Sordell | Bolton Wanderers | Undisclosed [81] |
Loans
- ‡ Loan end date was end of season
- † Watford academy scholar
In
| Start | Player | From | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 August 2011 | Andreas Weimann | Aston Villa | 23 September 2011 [n 6] |
| 11 October 2011 | Michael Kightly | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 January 2012 [n 7] |
| 24 October 2011 | Craig Beattie | Swansea City | 8 January 2012 [86] |
| 28 October 2011 | Nyron Nosworthy | Sunderland | 8 January 2012 [87] |
| 30 January 2012 | Alexander Kacaniklic | Fulham | End of the season [n 8] |
| 21 February 2012 | Tomasz Kuszczak | Manchester United | 28 April 2012 ‡ [90] |
| 23 February 2012 | Marcello Trotta | Fulham | 24 March 2012 [91] |
Out
Reserves and academy
Watford's reserve side played friendlies in 2011–12, following their withdrawal from the Totesport.com Combination East Division. The under-18s played their home games at Watford's training base at the UCL training ground, London Colney. They are members of the FA Premier Academy League. They went out of the FA Youth Cup in the fourth round away at Newcastle United, losing 2–1,[146] having beaten Millwall 2–1 away in the third round.[147] They also played in the Herts Senior Cup, going out to Bishop's Stortford in the first round.[148] The side were coached by technical skills coach Adam Pilling from the end of August until the first week of October, when David Hughes, who had been appointed on 22 September,[149] took up his position as youth team coach.[150]
Watford's academy consists of 20 scholars:
- In the second year, goalkeeper Jack Bonham, defenders Chimdi Akubuine, Matt Bevans, Tommie Hoban, Brandon Horner and Aaron Tumwa, midfielders Stephan Hamilton Forbes, and Sean Murray, and strikers Dereece Gardner, Michael Kalu and Connor Smith.
- In the first year, defenders Kyle Connolly, David O'Connor and Jordan Wilmore, midfielders Austin Eaton, Kamaron English, Luke O'Nien, Jack Westlake, and strikers Bernard Mensah and Morgan Ferrier.
Murray signed a professional contract during the 2010 pre-season, alongside his scholarship forms.[151] Bonham and Hoban signed a professional deals in September 2010 and May 2011 respectively.[152] In July 2011 Mensah signed a contract that saw him turn professional on his 17th birthday. Ferrier joined Watford on 20 September after a trial period, having previously been in Arsenal's youth system.[153] Connolly joined on 1 December at second year scholar age, following a trial period.[154] In April Watford announced the fates of the remaining second-year scholars; Hamilton Forbes, Smith and Tumwa were given professional contracts, Akubine, Horner, Kalu and Gardner were released, while Bevans had his scholarship extended due an injury which kept him sidelined from October.[155]
Hoban and Murray both made first-team appearances during 2010–11, while Smith was an unused substitute. Murray has played for the first-team in 2011–12, while Bonham has been an unused substitute. Bonham, Hamilton-Forbes, Hoban, Smith and Tumwa have all been loaned to non-league sides in 2011–12.