# 2006–07 Watford F.C. season

During the 2006–07 English football season, Watford competed in the FA Premier League, after being promoted from the Football League Championship last season.

## Season summary

Watford were involved in the setting of several Premier League records during the season: when Tottenham Hotspur keeper Paul Robinson accidentally scored for Spurs from a long free-kick that bounced over Ben Foster's head, he became only the third keeper to score in the Premier League (the other two being Peter Schmeichel and Brad Friedel); and when Alec Chamberlain (born in 1964) came on a substitute in a Premier League match, he became the oldest player to appear in the Premier League. Watford were relegated after only one season in the top-flight.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 16 | Fulham | 38 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 38 | 60 | −22 | 39 | |
| 17 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 37 | 59 | −22 | 38 | |
| 18 | Sheffield United (R) | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 32 | 55 | −23 | 38 | Relegation to Football League Championship |
| 19 | Charlton Athletic (R) | 38 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 34 | 60 | −26 | 34 | Relegation to Football League Championship |
| 20 | Watford (R) | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 29 | 59 | −30 | 28 | Relegation to Football League Championship |

## Results

Watford's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 19 August 2006 | Everton | A | 1–2 | 39,691 | Francis |
| 22 August 2006 | West Ham United | H | 1–1 | 18,344 | King |
| 26 August 2006 | Manchester United | H | 1–2 | 19,453 | Francis |
| 9 September 2006 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 21,140 | |
| 16 September 2006 | Aston Villa | H | 0–0 | 18,620 | |
| 23 September 2006 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–1 | 16,359 | Bouazza |
| 2 October 2006 | Fulham | H | 3–3 | 17,982 | King, Young (2) |
| 14 October 2006 | Arsenal | A | 0–3 | 60,018 | |
| 21 October 2006 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–0 | 27,011 | |
| 28 October 2006 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–0 | 19,660 | |
| 4 November 2006 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–0 | 18,951 | Woodgate (own goal), Young |
| 11 November 2006 | Chelsea | A | 0–4 | 41,936 | |
| 18 November 2006 | Portsmouth | A | 1–2 | 19,738 | DeMerit |
| 28 November 2006 | Sheffield United | H | 0–1 | 18,887 | |
| 4 December 2006 | Manchester City | A | 0–0 | 35,915 | |
| 9 December 2006 | Reading | H | 0–0 | 19,223 | |
| 16 December 2006 | Newcastle United | A | 1–2 | 49,231 | Bouazza |
| 23 December 2006 | Liverpool | A | 0–2 | 42,807 | |
| 26 December 2006 | Arsenal | H | 1–2 | 19,750 | Smith |
| 1 January 2007 | Fulham | A | 0–0 | 19,698 | |
| 13 January 2007 | Liverpool | H | 0–3 | 19,746 | |
| 20 January 2007 | Aston Villa | A | 0–2 | 35,892 | |
| 23 January 2007 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2–1 | 16,455 | Emerton (own goal), DeMerit |
| 31 January 2007 | Manchester United | A | 0–4 | 76,032 | |
| 3 February 2007 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0–1 | 18,722 | |
| 10 February 2007 | West Ham United | A | 1–0 | 34,625 | Henderson (pen) |
| 21 February 2007 | Wigan Athletic | H | 1–1 | 18,338 | Henderson |
| 24 February 2007 | Everton | H | 0–3 | 18,761 | |
| 3 March 2007 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–2 | 19,782 | Bouazza, Francis |
| 17 March 2007 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–3 | 36,051 | Henderson |
| 31 March 2007 | Chelsea | H | 0–1 | 19,793 | |
| 7 April 2007 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–4 | 25,534 | Francis |
| 9 April 2007 | Portsmouth | H | 4–2 | 18,119 | Bouazza (2, 1 pen), Mahon, Priskin |
| 18 April 2007 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–3 | 16,035 | Rinaldi |
| 21 April 2007 | Manchester City | H | 1–1 | 18,537 | Priskin |
| 28 April 2007 | Sheffield United | A | 0–1 | 30,690 | |
| 5 May 2007 | Reading | A | 2–0 | 23,294 | Shittu, King |
| 13 May 2007 | Newcastle United | H | 1–1 | 19,830 | King (pen) |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 6 January 2007 | Stockport County | H | 4–1 | 11,745 | Mackay (2), Smith, Ashikodi |
| R4 | 27 January 2007 | West Ham United | A | 1–0 | 31,168 | McNamee |
| R5 | 17 February 2007 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–0 | 17,016 | Francis |
| QF | 11 March 2007 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–0 | 20,652 | Bouazza |
| SF | 14 April 2007 | Manchester United | N | 1–4 | 37,425 | Bouazza |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 | 19 September 2006 | Accrington Stanley | H | 0–0 (won 6–5 on pens) | 8,368 | |
| R3 | 24 October 2006 | Hull City | H | 2–1 | 8,274 | Young, Priskin |
| R4 | 7 November 2006 | Newcastle United | H | 2–2 (lost 4–5 on pens) | 16,791 | Francis, Shittu |

## 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 |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Alec Chamberlain |
| 2 | DF | ENG | James Chambers |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Jordan Stewart |
| 4 | DF | SCO | Malky Mackay |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Clarke Carlisle |
| 6 | DF | USA | Jay DeMerit |
| 7 | MF | JAM | Damien Francis |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Gavin Mahon (captain) |
| 9 | FW | JAM | Marlon King |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Darius Henderson |
| 11 | DF | ENG | Chris Powell |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Lloyd Doyley |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Dominic Blizzard |
| 15 | FW | ENG | Steve Kabba |
| 16 | GK | ENG | Richard Lee |
| 17 | DF | NGA | Danny Shittu |
| 18 | FW | ALG | Hameur Bouazza |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Anthony McNamee |
| 20 | MF | SLE | Alhassan Bangura |
| 21 | MF | FRA | Toumani Diagouraga |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Junior Osborne |
| 23 | DF | ENG | Adrian Mariappa |
| 24 | FW | HUN | Tamás Priskin |
| 25 | MF | SCO | Gareth Williams |
| 26 | GK | ENG | Ben Foster (on loan from Manchester United) |
| 27 | FW | JAM | Joel Grant |
| 28 | MF | SLE | Albert Jarrett |
| 29 | FW | ENG | Tommy Smith |
| 30 | MF | ENG | Jordan Parkes |
| 31 | MF | BRA | Douglas Rinaldi (on loan from Veranópolis) |
| 32 | DF | FRA | Cédric Avinel |
| 33 | GK | ENG | Scott Loach |
| 34 | MF | ENG | Ben Gill |
| 35 | MF | ENG | Alex Campana |
| 36 | FW | ENG | Moses Ashikodi |
| 37 | FW | ENG | Will Hoskins |
| 38 | MF | ENG | Lee Williamson |
| 40 | FW | ENG | Theo Robinson |
| 41 | MF | FRA | Johan Cavalli |

### Left club during 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 |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Ashley Young (to Aston Villa) |
| 25 | MF | ENG | Matthew Spring (to Luton Town) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 31 | FW | CIV | Claude Seanla (to Kettering Town) |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Sheku Kamara (released) |

## Transfers
### In

* Chris Powell – Charlton Athletic, 30 June, free
* Damien Francis – Wigan Athletic, 12 July, £1,500,000
* Danny Shittu – Queens Park Rangers, 6 August, £1,600,000 (rising to £3,000,000)
* Tamás Priskin – Győr, 9 August, undisclosed
* Ben Foster – Manchester United, 10 August, season-long loan
* Albert Jarrett – Brighton & Hove Albion, 16 August, free
* Tommy Smith – Derby County, 30 August, £500,000
* Moses Ashikodi – Rangers, 1 January, nominal fee
* Will Hoskins and Lee Williamson – Rotherham United, 5 January, £1,000,000 (joint transfer fee)
* Steve Kabba – Sheffield United, 26 January, £500,000
* Gareth Williams – Leicester City, 31 January, £600,000
* Johan Cavalli – Istres, 31 January, free
* Cédric Avinel – Créteil, 31 January, free
* Douglas Rinaldi – Veranópolis, 31 January, six-month loan

### Out

* Ashley Young – Aston Villa, 23 January, £8,000,000 (rising to £9,650,000)
* Matthew Spring – Luton Town, 18 January, £200,000 (rising to £300,000)
* Claude Seanla – Kettering Town
* Sheku Kamara – released
* Francino Francis – Redditch United, free
* Les Ferdinand – retired
* Joe O'Cearuill – Arsenal, free
    Transfers in: >£5,700,000 (rising to >£7,100,000)
    Transfers out: >£8,200,000 (rising to >£9,950,000)

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | ENG | Alec Chamberlain | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | GK | ENG | Richard Lee | 14 | 0 | 9+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 26 | GK | ENG | Ben Foster | 33 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | James Chambers | 15 | 0 | 8+4 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Jordan Stewart | 36 | 0 | 30+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | SCO | Malky Mackay | 17 | 2 | 13+1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Clarke Carlisle | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | USA | Jay DeMerit | 39 | 2 | 29+3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | ENG | Chris Powell | 18 | 0 | 9+6 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Lloyd Doyley | 25 | 0 | 17+4 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | NGA | Danny Shittu | 34 | 2 | 27+3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 23 | DF | ENG | Adrian Mariappa | 25 | 0 | 17+2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | ENG | Jordan Parkes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | FRA | Cédric Avinel | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 7 | MF | JAM | Damien Francis | 39 | 5 | 28+4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Gavin Mahon | 38 | 1 | 33+1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Dominic Blizzard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Anthony McNamee | 10 | 1 | 4+3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | SLE | Al Bangura | 20 | 0 | 12+4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | FRA | Toumani Diagouraga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | SCO | Gareth Williams | 3 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | SLE | Albert Jarrett | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | BRA | Douglas Rinaldi | 7 | 1 | 6+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | MF | ENG | Lee Williamson | 5 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | MF | FRA | Johan Cavalli | 4 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | JAM | Marlon King | 14 | 4 | 12+1 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Darius Henderson | 41 | 3 | 24+11 | 3 | 3+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | ENG | Steve Kabba | 14 | 0 | 6+5 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | ALG | Hameur Bouazza | 38 | 8 | 27+5 | 6 | 3+1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | HUN | Tamás Priskin | 22 | 3 | 7+9 | 2 | 2+1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 29 | FW | ENG | Tommy Smith | 37 | 2 | 32 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | FW | ENG | Moses Ashikodi | 3 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | FW | ENG | Will Hoskins | 9 | 0 | 4+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | FW | ENG | Theo Robinson | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players transferred out during the season ||||||||||||
| 15 | MF | ENG | Ashley Young | 23 | 4 | 20 | 3 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 25 | MF | ENG | Matthew Spring | 9 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 31 | FW | CIV | Claude Stephane Seanla | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Sheku Kamara | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
Last updated: 15 May 2007 Source: Competitions