For two minutes I was on cloud nine. The Hornets went wild. The Red Devils were silent. We had equalised against Manchester United.
Yes, I may have only been in dreamland for just over two minutes, but what a great place it was. I could see Wembley; I could hear 30,000 members of the yellow army singing their heart out. Then the same man who ruined England’s dreams, ruined mine. Cristiano Ronaldo strolled in to put United back in front. Of course, those reading will know all this, and will also know that United went on to score two further goals to inflict a much underserved 4-1 defeat on Aidy Boothroyd’s warriors. For anyone who saw the score line and not the contest, will assume it was a walk in the park for Sir Alex’s men. Yet I know and 17,000 other Hornets know that this simply was not the case.
It was great being back at the scene of our previous FA Cup Semi-Final against Southampton. I still remember the application form I had to fill in to obtain tickets that time round. Fortunately, being a season ticket holder now, it was a much smoother transaction.
It was always going to be difficult against United, especially as they were coming into the game with a 7-1 Champions League victory under their belt. But there’s something about following your team that makes you block all that out. Yes they’re top of the league. Yes they’re in the semi-final of the Champions League. And yes, they have Ron and Roon. But we have Aidy. We have Jay from the USA. And we have the Algerian wing wizard Hameur Bouazza. With those three, surely we could not fail? Yes I know, its wishful thinking on my part, but I never bet against my side no matter how long the odds may be. All day I was like a kid who had eaten too much sugar. I could not sit down and I had that feeling you have in your stomach when you know something special is about to happen.
The train to Aston from Birmingham was brilliant. A set of Watford fans completely out singing a handful of Manchester’s finest. The walk to the ground was tense, and the atmosphere inside electric. Then the teams were read out. MARLON ON THE BENCH. Did I hear right? The King of Vicarage Road is back? Surely not? Yes, yes it was true, the King was back and what a great sight it was. I was a little disappointed to see Tommy Smith stuck out on the left however, as he had been superb against Pompey on Easter Monday in his natural right wing slot. Also, what has happened to Big Danny Shittu. I was gutted for him that he didn’t even make the bench. The man has been a mountain at the back. Any answers Aidy?
Anyway, we all know what happened during the game. I haven’t been that tense since the Play-Off final. I was bitterly disappointed with the result, but utterly proud of the performance. An honest group of players giving their all, what more can you ask for? We’ll be back, and we will learn from this season. For a club our size, three cup semi-finals in five seasons is a magnificent achievement. The next one might just be our lucky day.
A trip up to Blackburn tomorrow night awaits. For those going, see you there.
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