# 1996–97 Watford F.C. season

During the 1996–97 English football season, Watford F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.

## Season summary

In the 1996–97 season, although Jackett oversaw a long unbeaten stretch of results, Watford were unable to mount a serious promotion challenge and finished a disappointing campaign in 13th place – Watford's lowest position in the league structure since the 1970s. During the close season, Jackett was demoted to the position of first-team coach, with Graham Taylor once again becoming manager.

## Final league table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 11 | Gillingham | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 60 | 59 | +1 | 67 |
| 12 | Walsall | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 67 |
| 13 | Watford | 46 | 16 | 19 | 11 | 45 | 38 | +7 | 67 |
| 14 | Millwall | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 61 |
| 15 | Preston North End | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 49 | 55 | −6 | 61 |

## Results

Watford's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Second Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 17 August 1996 | Bournemouth | A | 2–1 | 7,672 | Connolly, White |
| 24 August 1996 | Millwall | H | 0–2 | 9,495 | |
| 27 August 1996 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–2 | 7,349 | |
| 31 August 1996 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 2–0 | 3,655 | Palmer, Mooney |
| 7 September 1996 | Stockport County | H | 1–0 | 7,208 | Mooney (pen) |
| 10 September 1996 | Notts County | A | 3–2 | 3,660 | Mooney (2), Andrews |
| 14 September 1996 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–0 | 6,276 | White |
| 21 September 1996 | Peterborough United | H | 0–0 | 12,007 | |
| 28 September 1996 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 0–1 | 3,655 | |
| 1 October 1996 | Preston North End | H | 1–0 | 6,434 | Palmer |
| 5 October 1996 | York City | A | 2–1 | 5,232 | Andrews, Penrice |
| 12 October 1996 | Wrexham | H | 1–1 | 8,441 | Mooney (pen) |
| 15 October 1996 | Burnley | H | 2–2 | 6,450 | Andrews, R Johnson |
| 19 October 1996 | Bury | A | 1–1 | 4,092 | Andrews |
| 26 October 1996 | Blackpool | A | 1–1 | 6,072 | Mooney |
| 29 October 1996 | Luton Town | H | 1–1 | 14,109 | Bazeley |
| 2 November 1996 | Brentford | H | 2–0 | 11,448 | Gibbs, Mooney |
| 9 November 1996 | Rotherham United | A | 0–0 | 3,619 | |
| 19 November 1996 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 1–0 | 7,657 | Connolly |
| 30 November 1996 | Blackpool | H | 2–2 | 12,017 | Millen, Noel-Williams |
| 3 December 1996 | Bristol City | A | 1–1 | 9,097 | Noel-Williams |
| 14 December 1996 | Walsall | H | 1–1 | 3,674 | R Johnson |
| 21 December 1996 | Gillingham | H | 0–0 | 7,809 | |
| 26 December 1996 | Notts County | H | 0–0 | 9,065 | |
| 18 January 1997 | Preston North End | A | 1–1 | 8,735 | Mooney |
| 27 January 1997 | Luton Town | A | 0–0 | 7,428 | |
| 1 February 1997 | Rotherham United | H | 2–0 | 10,657 | Bazeley, Slater |
| 8 February 1997 | Brentford | A | 1–1 | 8,679 | Scott |
| 22 February 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 0–0 | 8,438 | |
| 25 February 1997 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–0 | 6,378 | Phillips, Bazeley |
| 1 March 1997 | Bristol City | H | 3–0 | 8,539 | Phillips (3) |
| 4 March 1997 | Peterborough United | A | 1–2 | 4,200 | Mooney |
| 8 March 1997 | Gillingham | A | 1–3 | 7,385 | Scott |
| 15 March 1997 | Walsall | H | 1–0 | 7,818 | Mooney |
| 18 March 1997 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–0 | 6,139 | Mooney |
| 22 March 1997 | Millwall | A | 1–0 | 8,713 | Mooney |
| 29 March 1997 | Bournemouth | H | 0–1 | 10,019 | |
| 31 March 1997 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–0 | 6,836 | |
| 5 April 1997 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 0–1 | 12,441 | |
| 8 April 1997 | Chesterfield | A | 0–0 | 4,258 | |
| 12 April 1997 | York City | H | 4–0 | 7,645 | Ramage (2), Mooney, Easton |
| 14 April 1997 | Stockport County | A | 0–1 | 7,164 | |
| 19 April 1997 | Wrexham | A | 1–3 | 3,437 | Ramage |
| 24 April 1997 | Chesterfield | H | 0–2 | 6,411 | |
| 26 April 1997 | Bury | H | 0–0 | 9,017 | |
| 3 May 1997 | Burnley | A | 1–4 | 8,269 | Millen |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 17 November 1996 | Northampton Town | A | 1–0 | 7,342 | Bazeley |
| R2 | 7 December 1996 | Ashford Town | H | 5–0 | 7,590 | Bazeley (2), Connolly (3) |
| R3 | 21 January 1997 | Oxford United | H | 2–0 | 9,502 | White, Connolly |
| R4 | 5 February 1997 | Manchester City | A | 1–3 | 24,031 | Noel-Williams |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 20 August 1996 | Walsall | A | 0–1 | 2,659 | |
| R1 2nd Leg | 3 September 1996 | Walsall | H | 2–0 (won 2–1 on agg) | 5,325 | Andrews, Porter |
| R2 1st Leg | 17 September 1996 | Sunderland | H | 0–2 | 9,136 | |
| R2 2nd Leg | 24 September 1996 | Sunderland | A | 0–1 (lost 0–3 on agg) | 10,659 | |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SR2 | 7 January 1997 | Torquay United | H | 2–1 | 2,298 | Page, Connolly |
| SQF | 11 February 1997 | Bristol City | H | 2–1 | 3,142 | Andrews, Bazeley |
| SSF | 18 February 1997 | Peterborough United | H | 0–1 | 4,941 | |

## 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 | Kevin Miller |
| — | DF | ENG | Darren Bazeley |
| — | DF | ENG | Colin Foster |
| — | DF | ENG | Nigel Gibbs |
| — | DF | ENG | Dominic Ludden |
| — | DF | ENG | Keith Millen |
| — | DF | WAL | Rob Page |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve Palmer |
| — | DF | ENG | Paul Robinson |
| — | DF | ENG | Darren Ward |
| — | MF | ENG | Clint Easton |
| — | MF | ENG | Richard Flash |
| — | MF | AUS | Richard Johnson |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Gary Porter |
| — | MF | ENG | Craig Ramage |
| — | MF | ENG | Stuart Slater |
| — | MF | ENG | Steve Talboys |
| — | FW | ENG | Wayne Andrews |
| — | FW | IRL | David Connolly |
| — | FW | ENG | Nathan Lowndes |
| — | FW | ENG | Tommy Mooney |
| — | FW | ENG | Gifton Noel-Williams |
| — | FW | ENG | Gary Penrice |
| — | FW | ENG | Kevin Phillips |
| — | FW | ENG | Keith Scott (on loan from Norwich City) |
| — | FW | ENG | Devon White |

### 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 |
| — | DF | ENG | Craig Armstrong (on loan from Nottingham Forest) |
| — | DF | ENG | David Holdsworth (to Sheffield United) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Craig Ramage (on loan to Peterborough United) |

### 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 | Colin Miles |
| — | DF | ENG | David Perpetuini |
| — | DF | ENG | Mark Rooney |
| — | MF | ENG | Danny Grieves |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Chris Johnson |
| — | FW | ENG | Colin Simpson |
| — | MF | ENG | Tommy Smith |