A year ago Watford Women were relegated from the Championship to the National League South in the cruellest of fashions.

A 30-yard free-kick seven minutes into stoppage time at Vicarage Road gave Coventry City a 1-0 win that kept them up and condemned Watford to the drop.

Wind forward 12 months and the Golden Girls are 90 minutes away from securing a return to the Championship at the first attempt, as they face Northern Division winners Nottingham Forest in the play-off final at Stadium MK on Saturday afternoon.

Vice-captain Megan Chandler was part of the team that suffered the heartbreak of that late goal, but she’ll also be part of the team that bids to end the current season with promotion.

“As a player that went through it, it was tough,” admitted the 29-year-old defender.

“The toughest experience I’ve had as a footballer and not something anyone wants on their CV, that’s for sure.

“It was the manner in which it happened – 90+7 on the clock – but we’re in a different place now and a big chunk of the team have gone and there’s only a few of us still here.

“In the back of your mind you’ve got that fuelling you on, and for those that did experience it there is that extra bit of wanting to succeed.

“It feels nice to be in a positive environment a year later, preparing for a positive game, rather than fighting for survival.

“We’ve come full circle and as someone who has experienced both, where we are now is a really nice place to be.”

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Chandler also has the recent League Cup Final defeat to Saturday’s opponents to deal with, but stressed that won’t be on the player’s minds come kick-off.

“We had a lot of disappointment that day, but to be honest we’ve not really thought about that game since,” she said.

“We had a couple of big games in between then and now, and I know the girls won’t be turning up on Saturday thinking about when we lost to them.

“It’s a chance for pay-back and I think that’s a blessing in disguise.”

Saturday’s play-off will be a game of contrasting styles: Watford like to get the ball down and play, whereas Forest tend to want to get to the final third more quickly.

“We’re two very good teams at what we do – we’re a passing team and they are a bit more direct,” said Chandler.

“The cup final was a great game for the neutral to watch and a great advert for tier three football, and I think Saturday will be more of the same.

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“When we played the cup final, we were the weakest we’ve been all season in terms of numbers and we didn’t have many to bring on and change the game.

“But on Saturday we’ll be pretty much at full strength – and all of us are so ready for the game.”

Forest are a bigger and more physical side, but that’s something Watford have come up against all season.

“There are a lot of teams within the league that are very direct, so we’ve faced it a lot this season and it’s something that we’ve known about and we work on in training,” said the former Charlton and Crystal Palace player.

“That means this Saturday will be no different to a lot of the games we’ve played during the season.

“Obviously when you’re a bit smaller you don’t necessarily want to be marking the big girls, but we have players who are very good in the air – so any threat they might have we’ll be just as good, if not better, at dealing with.”

As vice-captain, Chandler has worn the armband regularly this season when captain Helen Ward hasn’t started games – but she’s not letting on who will be leading the team out on Saturday afternoon.

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“I honestly don’t know! That’s not up to me but if I do I will do my best to lead the team in the very best way I can.

“If it’s Helen, well she is the greatest player Watford have ever had. She is a great leader, and teams need more than one leader.

“It’s not just me and Helen, we have a lot of players across the pitch who are leaders. Look at Gemma Davison: her CV is amazing and she’s a great player.

“Leaders don’t have to be vocal, and throughout the squad we have players who lead in their own way. And that’s great and it’s made a massive difference this season.”

Before the last home game of the men’s season, Chandler and her teammates took to the Vicarage Road pitch and were given a tremendous reception by the fans.

For Chandler, it became even more special when she was presented with the Player of the Season award.

“That was a really lovely moment and a great experience. It’s not something that’s ever happened to me before,” she said.

“Defenders don’t tend to win Player of the Season awards! I was shocked, because even if you feel you’ve had a good season, as a defender you don’t think you get noticed. You’re not a goalscorer.

“We’ve had a lot of players who have been fantastic this season, and any of them could have won the award, so it was a very pleasant surprise.”

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With 30 starts this season, Chandler is Watford’s leading appearance maker, and has seen interest in the team grow throughout the campaign.

“A few of us were talking about how many tickets have been sold for Saturday, and it really is amazing.

“The crowds have grown as the season has gone on, and I think we’ve had a positive impact on Watford this season.

“We truly are so grateful for any support we get, and we’d love to see a big crowd on Saturday.

“It’s such a great environment to be part of and it continues to go in the right direction, so we’re really thankful for the Watford fans and their support.”

Tickets for the play-off final at Stadium MK on Saturday (1pm) are £5 for adults, £2.50 for Under-16s and Over-65s, and free for Under-10's. You can purchase them by clicking here.