The idea of footballers occupying their spare time by playing a guitar or practicing their putting on a rug on a hotel floor feels somewhat alien in this modern era of games consoles and Netflix, but that’s how these Watford players helped keep themselves busy when they took a trip to the seaside.
These wonderful snaps from the Watford Observer archive were taken in 1965 when Ken Furphy took his players to Margate – in November.
Whether the players appreciated having to train in presumably chilly conditions on a beach beneath the cliffs is open to question, although they looked happy enough as their manager appeared to outline some tactics in the sand.
Our photographer’s diary states the pictures were taken on November 10, 1965, three says before Watford won 5-1 at Corinthian Casuals in the first round of the FA Cup thanks to two goals apiece from Stuart Brace and Brian Owen, with Duncan Welbourne also on the scoresheet.
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