Not only was the recent game at Sheffield United the first time Watford have worn a purple kit, but there was also the unexpected added bonus of seeing a Hornets goalkeeper in yellow.

The purple third strip was one of the trio of new Kelme kits unveiled during the summer, but the colour of the keeper’s kit to go with it wasn’t revealed.

So last Sunday, there was the unexpected sight of Daniel Bachmann in all yellow.

The kit, which has a black trim and the Mr Q logo in white with black edging, is not currently intended to be made available to purchase the club have said.

While it is the first time Watford have had a yellow goalkeeper’s kit, it isn’t the first time a Hornets goalkeeper has started a game wearing a yellow shirt – though it was only very briefly on the previous occasion.

Back in the 1997/98 season, before football clubs allocated players squad numbers, each team named their players in 1 to 11 format and also had three substitutes, making a squad of 14 for every game.

Because players came in and out of the team, and also played different positions, they would sometimes wear different shirt numbers.

However, in that 97/98 campaign, Watford’s Steve Palmer became the first player ever – as squad numbers were introduced in 1999 – to wear all 14 different-numbered shirts in the same season.

Being something of a utility man who could play in a variety of different positions in defence and midfield, Palmer had joined the Hornets from Ipswich in 1995 for a fee of £135,000.

He was part of the team that won the 1999 Play-Off Final at Wembley and consequently played for the Hornets in the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history.

But in August 1997 he started the new season on the bench, and wore both the number 12 and 14 shirts in the opening month.

He came into the team for the away defeat at Preston on August 30, and wore No.5

Palmer donned the black-and-red-striped No.8 shirt in the famous 4-0 derby at Luton in October and 10 days later was wearing No.2 when Watford won away at Bristol Rovers.

The number 13 was usually reserved for the sub goalkeeper, but Palmer wore that for a 1-0 defeat at Millwall.

Shortly before Christmas he was No.11 in an FA Cup win over Torquay at home, and then wore the No.6 shirt in a 1-1 draw against Bristol City at Vicarage Road, meaning he ended the calendar year having worn eight of the 14 different numbers.

That quickly became ten as he wore No.4 on January 10 at Burnley and then No.3 at home to Chesterfield on January 31.

When he appeared against Carlisle United at Vicarage Road on March 17 wearing No.10, the great Graham Taylor had got wind of the fact Palmer had now worn 12 of the 14 different shirt numbers.

Palmer with the full collection of shirts.Palmer with the full collection of shirts. (Image: Peter Cook/copyright Alan Cozzi)

All he needed to complete the set was No.9 . . . and No.1. And Taylor was keen to make both happen.

The latter was obviously tricky as, although Palmer could turn his hand to most things on a football pitch, playing between the posts wasn’t one of them.

So, with Taylor’s full support, Palmer was named in, and wore, the No.1 shirt when Watford lined up at home against Bournemouth on Tuesday April 28.

Consequently, Alec Chamberlain became the first Watford keeper to wear a yellow shirt at the start of a game until Bachmann at Bramall Lane.

On that April night, Watford took the kick-off and instantly thumped the ball deep into the crowd, therefore allowing the referee – who was also aware of the situation – to pause the game long enough for Palmer and Chamberlain to quickly change shirts and return to their more usual positions.

That just left the No.9 shirt, which Palmer sported away at Fulham on the last day of the season, when a 2-1 win secured the league title and promotion to the Championship.

That meant Palmer had worn all 14 shirts and played in a match in each, as he came on as sub when wearing 12, 13 and 14.

He also wore four different kits: the yellow home kit, the red and black away kit, the goalkeeper kit and, at Fulham, the new blue and silver kit which was unveiled that day.

Reflecting upon his little slice of football history, Palmer said: “I was fairly versatile and played in a number of positions. I was of the mentality that you played wherever you were asked to play.

“We got to the stage where there were only three numbers that I hadn’t worn through the season.

“We were at the top of the league, we needed a couple of wins to get promoted, and Graham just decided it was a little lightener to get me in all the numbers.

“I started one game in goal very briefly and the last game of the season I needed to wear the number nine shirt, so we did that.

“It was a little diversion and it took the heat out of the situation a little bit. It was Graham’s idea.”

Palmer made a total of 183 appearances for Watford after his 68 for Ipswich. He left Watford and joined QPR, where he made 135 outings before ending his career with 39 at MK Dons.