2009 - 2010 Season

Perhaps my most frustrating season to date and in truth a bit of a non entity.

As with every season I approached it with hope. Hope that I could oust Scott and get myself re-established as Watford's number one keeper and in truth I don't think there was much more I could've done, Scott was consistent in his performances and although I shone in the reserves it would never be enough to reclaim the spot I badly desired.

Nevertheless 2009/10 was certainly eventful for several other reasons and here's my recollection of the highlights.

A new start, a new boss. Malky Mackay took the reigns, a popular choice among the lads, many of whom, including me, knew him well on a friendly level prior to his step up into coaching. This transition could potentially have proved difficult but in truth it was never really an issue. We knew that the dynamic had changed, simple as that, he was now our boss.

The season got off to a soild enough start and I would play my only 2 games of the season early on and I was proud of my performances in both games. The first against Barnet would yield a clean sheet and a 2-0 win. I was forced into action once of note making a good save down to my left with the score at 0-0 and approaching extra time. The other game was at Elland road against a strong Leeds outfit. I was busy from start to finish, making several saves but gutted that we would go down to a winner in extra time. At the time I didn't think this would be my last appearance of the season and I was hungry for more.

In the league we picked up a fantastic win away to Nottingham Forest 4-2, we then won several home games, including wins against Sheffield Wednesday and QPR, both live on sky and both in emphatic style meant there was a buzz about the place. We also gained wins over Barnsley and Scunthorpe and further away wins at Plymouth and Middlesbrough saw us riding high and on the verge of the play offs. This wasn't to last and a poor run of results meant that we were looking down rather than up come February.

There would be drama mid season with the threat of administration seeming a large possibility. A dispute between the board left the clubs future in severe uncertainty. In hindsight in was around this time that our form began to dip, this was perhaps a catalyst among many other circumstances that all seemed to strike like dominos during the period between December and March.

The playing surface deteriorated badly with the adverse weather conditions and results were far from satisfactory. We also had a high number of games fall foul to the weather meaning one of the most intense run ins I've ever experienced, something that despite great preparation and recovery schedules still led to a run that saw us come to close to being relegated from a league that only a couple of months prior we had harboured hopes of an unlikely promotion.

A 3-0 victory against Reading in the penultimate game of the season ensured safety and a feeling of relief could be felt around Vicarge road.

Prior to this we had picked up a valuable win against Ipswich and points against Preston and West Brom eased the pressure slightly. Despite our bad run it was widely agreed that we never deserved to be in the position we found oursleves in. The standard of football on the whole was of a high standard and in truth some of the decisions we received were incomprehendable. Again I'm the last person to make an excuse but I've never experienced a season like it and towards the end I wondered whether it was written in that stars that we would be relegated because we couldn't catch a break. But one thing the team of 09/10 had in abundance was togetherness.

Despite the bad times and poor results we remained as one which I believe was what made the difference in the run in.

We ended the season on a massive high with a resounding win away at Coventry 4-0 and meant we would creep up into a respectable 16th position.

Which bearing in mind the financial uncertainty off the pitch and the at times unexplainable happenings on it would probably sit ok with most fans.

There were several stand out performers in 09/10, namely Tom Cleverley, who came in on loan from Manchester United and a string of fantastic performances deservedly saw him pick up the player of the season award. Scott Loach played every single league game and continued to add to his growing reputation. John Eustace, who perhaps not expected to play much at the start of the season turned out to be a key figure, his experience and leadership skills were certainly appreciated as we approached the crunch. Young lads rose through the ranks to play a significant number of games, Lee Hodson, Dale Bennett, Henri Lansbury (Another Loanee) all played their part and the goals of returning hero Heidar Helguson and Danny Graham would in the end prove vital.

Personally the end of a season brought another quandry. Despite not playing I had once more impressed enough to be offered an extention to the contract that I'm on but it came without the promise of first team football and at the time of writing this I honestly don't know which way I'm going to sway.

I have written more pro's and con's list that I care to mention and I'm happy to share them with you. In terms of staying with Watford the Pro's are as follows - I have a strong affection for the club, the fans are fantastic with me and I'm close to all the people connected with this club, I like the area, my family and friends are close and I honestly believe that my job isn't finished here. And in terms of Cons - I haven't played football for 18 months and I miss the buzz like you couldn't imagine.

I'm realistic in that the situation could be far worse and although it's causing sleepless nights I'll soon make a decision and roll with it. If I do stay I'll do all in my power to regain my place in the team and fulfil what I believe was written for me to do here and if it's pastures new then I'll wish everyone good luck and embrace the change.

Watch this space.

Thanks for your support again this season

Rich