Chapter 17 – A Day in the Sun

'I wish we’d been told it was just a normal game of football,' Neil PriceThe FA Cup final on May 19, 1984 put Watford on the biggest stage in world football, in front of a global audience of hundreds of millions. Just six years earlier they'd been facing the likes of Southport and Darlington in the Fourth Division.Finishing runners-up to Liverpool had been one thing but to reach Wembley marked the culmination of the journey, the realisation of a dream.Elton's tears flowed as Abide with Me and the national anthem played and the magnitude of the achievement sank in.For the players, the build-up to the final was tricky, Everton were a formidable opponent on the cusp of turning themselves into the best team in England, one of their goals should have been disallowed and, if truth be told, the occasion got to them as Watford’s day in the sun ended up giving them the blues.Enjoy the game by Lionel Birnie. Read by Colin Mace. Produced by Jon Moonie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.