On This Day – 2nd September
Second Division Watford completed an incredible comeback in the League Cup Second Round against First Division Southampton on this day back in 1980.
Trailing 4-0 from the first leg at The Dell, Watford came back to win the second leg 7-1 after extra time, winning 7-5 on aggregate.
Malcolm Poskett and Roy Train gave Watford a 2-0 lead at half time before Martin Patching added a third.
Steve Sims put through his own net to give Southampton a two goal advantage, making the score 5-3 on aggregate to the side from the south coast.
Watford’s Ian Bolton then scored from the penalty spot before Ross Jenkins levelled the scores on aggregate to complete a remarkable comeback by the Hornets.
Extra-time was needed to try and find a winner and it didn’t take long for the seventh goal of the night to hit the back of the net. It came from Watford’s 17 year old Nigel Callaghan and Watford lead 6-1 on the night and more importantly 6-5 on aggregate, taking the lead for the first time in the tie.
Malcolm Poskett, the scorer of the first goal then completed the scoring for the evening by firing in Watford’s seventh. The remarkable tie ended 7-5 on aggregate, leaving the 15,992 crowd inside Vicarage Road rubbing their eyes in amazement.
Watford went all the way to the Quarter Finals of the League Cup that season before losing 5-0 in a replay against Coventry City.
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