# 1997–98 Watford F.C. season

During the 1997–98 English football season, Watford F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.

## Season summary

In the 1997–98 season, Kenny Jackett was demoted to the position of assistant manager and Graham Taylor returned for a second spell as Watford manager. The transition proved a success; Watford secured the Division Two title, beating Bristol City into second place after a season-long struggle.

## Final league table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Watford | 46 | 24 | 16 | 6 | 67 | 41 | +26 | 88 | Division Champions, promoted |
| 2 | Bristol City | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 69 | 39 | +30 | 85 | Promoted |
| 3 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 72 | Promoted through play-offs |
| 4 | Northampton Town | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 71 | Participated in play-offs |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 70 | 64 | +6 | 70 | Participated in play-offs |

## Results

Watford's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Second Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 9 August 1997 | Burnley | H | 1–0 | 11,155 | Lee |
| 16 August 1997 | Carlisle United | A | 2–0 | 7,395 | Kennedy, Johnson |
| 23 August 1997 | Brentford | H | 3–1 | 10,125 | Millen, Melvang, Johnson |
| 30 August 1997 | Preston North End | A | 0–2 | 11,042 | |
| 2 September 1997 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–0 | 5,141 | Noel-Williams |
| 7 September 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 2–1 | 12,100 | Hyde, Lee |
| 13 September 1997 | Chesterfield | H | 2–1 | 11,204 | Rosenthal, Lee |
| 20 September 1997 | Gillingham | A | 2–2 | 7,780 | Rosenthal (pen), Johnson |
| 27 September 1997 | York City | H | 1–1 | 13,812 | Lee |
| 4 October 1997 | Luton Town | A | 4–0 | 9,041 | Johnson, Thomas, Kennedy (2) |
| 14 October 1997 | Bristol Rovers | A | 2–1 | 8,110 | Kennedy, Rosenthal (pen) |
| 18 October 1997 | Millwall | H | 0–1 | 12,530 | |
| 21 October 1997 | Fulham | H | 2–0 | 11,486 | Rosenthal, Robinson |
| 25 October 1997 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–0 | 5,699 | Rosenthal |
| 1 November 1997 | Blackpool | H | 4–1 | 9,723 | Lee (2), Johnson, Rosenthal |
| 4 November 1997 | Southend United | A | 3–0 | 4,001 | Kennedy (3) |
| 8 November 1997 | Walsall | A | 0–0 | 5,077 | |
| 18 November 1997 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2–1 | 8,397 | Thomas, Mooney |
| 22 November 1997 | Northampton Town | A | 1–0 | 7,373 | Kennedy |
| 29 November 1997 | Wigan Athletic | H | 2–1 | 9,455 | Thomas, Mooney |
| 2 December 1997 | Wrexham | A | 1–1 | 3,702 | Rosenthal |
| 13 December 1997 | Bristol City | H | 1–1 | 16,072 | Noel-Williams |
| 20 December 1997 | Bournemouth | A | 1–0 | 6,081 | Kennedy |
| 26 December 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 0–0 | 8,090 | |
| 28 December 1997 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 1–1 | 11,594 | Mooney |
| 10 January 1998 | Burnley | A | 0–2 | 9,551 | |
| 17 January 1998 | Preston North End | H | 3–1 | 10,182 | Kennedy (2), Hyde |
| 24 January 1998 | Brentford | A | 2–1 | 6,969 | Mooney, Johnson |
| 31 January 1998 | Chesterfield | A | 1–0 | 5,975 | Noel-Williams |
| 8 February 1998 | Gillingham | H | 0–2 | 10,498 | |
| 14 February 1998 | Luton Town | H | 1–1 | 15,182 | Robinson |
| 21 February 1998 | York City | A | 1–1 | 4,890 | Palmer |
| 25 February 1998 | Millwall | A | 1–1 | 7,126 | Mooney |
| 28 February 1998 | Bristol Rovers | H | 3–2 | 12,186 | Noel-Williams, Rosenthal, Mooney |
| 3 March 1998 | Walsall | H | 1–2 | 8,096 | Noel-Williams |
| 7 March 1998 | Blackpool | A | 1–1 | 5,237 | Bazeley |
| 14 March 1998 | Southend United | H | 1–1 | 10,750 | Hyde |
| 17 March 1998 | Carlisle United | H | 2–1 | 7,274 | Palmer, Bazeley |
| 21 March 1998 | Oldham Athletic | A | 2–2 | 5,744 | Bazeley, Gibbs |
| 28 March 1998 | Northampton Town | H | 1–1 | 14,268 | Johnson |
| 4 April 1998 | Wigan Athletic | A | 2–3 | 4,262 | Foley, Hyde |
| 11 April 1998 | Wrexham | H | 1–0 | 12,340 | Lee |
| 13 April 1998 | Bristol City | A | 1–1 | 19,141 | Lee |
| 25 April 1998 | Grimsby Town | H | 0–0 | 14,002 | |
| 28 April 1998 | Bournemouth | H | 2–1 | 12,834 | Lee, Noel-Williams |
| 2 May 1998 | Fulham | A | 2–1 | 17,114 | Noel-Williams, Lee |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 15 November 1997 | Barnet | A | 2–1 | 4,040 | Rosenthal (2) |
| R2 | 6 December 1997 | Torquay United | A | 1–1 | 3,416 | Noel-Williams |
| R2R | 16 December 1997 | Torquay United | H | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 5,848 | Noel-Williams (2) |
| R3 | 3 January 1998 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–1 | 18,306 | Kennedy |
| R3R | 14 January 1998 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–0 (lost 3–5 on pens) | 18,707 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 13 August 1997 | Swindon Town | A | 2–0 | 6,271 | Noel-Williams, Rosenthal |
| R1 2nd Leg | 26 August 1997 | Swindon Town | H | 1–1 (won 3–1 on agg) | 7,712 | Hyde |
| R2 1st Leg | 16 September 1997 | Sheffield United | H | 1–1 | 7,154 | Kennedy |
| R2 2nd Leg | 23 September 1997 | Sheffield United | A | 0–4 (lost 1–5 on agg) | 7,511 | |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SR1 | 9 December 1997 | Fulham | A | 0–1 | 3,364 | |

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Alec Chamberlain |
| — | GK | ENG | Chris Day |
| — | GK | ENG | Andrew Iga |
| — | DF | ENG | Darren Bazeley |
| — | DF | ENG | Clint Easton |
| — | DF | ENG | Nigel Gibbs |
| — | DF | ENG | Dominic Ludden |
| — | DF | ENG | Colin Miles |
| — | DF | ENG | Keith Millen |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve Palmer |
| — | DF | ENG | Paul Robinson |
| — | DF | ENG | Mark Rooney |
| — | DF | ENG | Darren Ward |
| — | DF | WAL | Rob Page |
| — | DF | DEN | Lars Melvang |
| — | MF | ENG | Micah Hyde |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Stuart Slater |
| — | MF | ENG | Tommy Smith |
| — | MF | ENG | Steve Talboys |
| — | MF | NIR | Peter Kennedy |
| — | MF | ISL | Jóhann Guðmundsson |
| — | MF | ISR | Alon Hazan |
| — | MF | AUS | Richard Johnson |
| — | FW | ENG | Wayne Andrews |
| — | FW | ENG | Jason Lee |
| — | FW | ENG | Nathan Lowndes |
| — | FW | ENG | Tommy Mooney |
| — | FW | ENG | Gifton Noel-Williams |
| — | FW | WAL | Dai Thomas |
| — | FW | IRL | Dominic Foley (on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers) |
| — | FW | ISR | Ronny Rosenthal |

### Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | David Perpetuini |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | FW | ENG | Danny Grieves |