1998–99 Watford F.C. season
# 1998–99 Watford F.C. season

During the 1998–99 English football season, Watford F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.

## Season summary

In the 1998–99 season, Watford's second successive promotion was achieved with a 2–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the playoff final, securing the club's promotion to the top flight for the first time since 1988.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 26 | 8 | 12 | 69 | 32 | +37 | 86 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 4 | Birmingham City | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 66 | 37 | +29 | 81 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 5 | Watford (O, P) | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 65 | 56 | +9 | 77 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 78 | 59 | +19 | 76 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 73 | |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Fulham (C, P) | 46 | 31 | 8 | 7 | 79 | 32 | +47 | 101 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Walsall (P) | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 63 | 47 | +16 | 87 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 3 | Manchester City (O, P) | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 69 | 33 | +36 | 82 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 4 | Gillingham | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 75 | 44 | +31 | 80 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 5 | Preston North End | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 78 | 50 | +28 | 79 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 6 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 75 | 48 | +27 | 76 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 7 | Bournemouth | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 63 | 41 | +22 | 76 | |
| 8 | Stoke City | 46 | 21 | 6 | 19 | 59 | 63 | −4 | 69 | |
| 9 | Chesterfield | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 64 | |
| 10 | Millwall | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 52 | 59 | −7 | 62 | |
| 11 | Reading | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 54 | 63 | −9 | 61 | |
| 12 | Luton Town | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 51 | 60 | −9 | 58 | |
| 13 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 65 | 56 | +9 | 56 | |
| 14 | Blackpool | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 44 | 54 | −10 | 56 | |
| 15 | Burnley | 46 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 54 | 73 | −19 | 55 | |
| 16 | Notts County | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 52 | 61 | −9 | 54 | |
| 17 | Wrexham | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 43 | 62 | −19 | 53 | |
| 18 | Colchester United | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 52 | 70 | −18 | 52 | |
| 19 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 52 | 58 | −6 | 51 | |
| 20 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 48 | 66 | −18 | 51 | |
| 21 | York City (R) | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 56 | 80 | −24 | 50 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 22 | Northampton Town (R) | 46 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 48 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 23 | Lincoln City (R) | 46 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 42 | 74 | −32 | 46 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 24 | Macclesfield Town (R) | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 43 | 63 | −20 | 43 | Relegation to the Third Division |

## Results

Watford's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| - | - | - |

### Football League First Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 8 August 1998 | Portsmouth | A | 2–1 | 15,275 | Thomson (own goal), Lee |
| 15 August 1998 | Bradford City | H | 1–0 | 10,731 | Ngonge |
| 22 August 1998 | Bristol City | A | 4–1 | 13,063 | Johnson (2), Yates, Hazan |
| 25 August 1998 | Sunderland | A | 1–4 | 36,587 | Smart |
| 28 August 1998 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–2 | 12,016 | |
| 8 September 1998 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–2 | 9,811 | |
| 12 September 1998 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–1 | 14,251 | Millen, Smart |
| 19 September 1998 | Swindon Town | A | 4–1 | 8,781 | Smart (2), Wright, Hazan |
| 26 September 1998 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–0 | 13,109 | Kennedy (pen) |
| 29 September 1998 | Sheffield United | H | 1–1 | 9,090 | Noel-Williams |
| 4 October 1998 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–4 | 11,840 | Kennedy (pen) |
| 10 October 1998 | Birmingham City | H | 1–1 | 10,096 | Rowett (own goal) |
| 17 October 1998 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 2–3 | 6,753 | Smart, Noel-Williams |
| 20 October 1998 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–1 | 15,921 | Noel-Williams, Kennedy (pen) |
| 24 October 1998 | Port Vale | H | 2–2 | 8,750 | Guðmundsson (2) |
| 31 October 1998 | Bury | A | 3–1 | 4,342 | Bazeley, Ngonge, Smart |
| 3 November 1998 | Norwich City | H | 1–1 | 10,011 | Jackson (own goal) |
| 7 November 1998 | Oxford United | H | 2–0 | 10,137 | Palmer, Noel-Williams |
| 14 November 1998 | Stockport County | A | 1–1 | 8,019 | Johnson |
| 21 November 1998 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 4–2 | 9,405 | Noel-Williams (2), Bazeley, Wright |
| 28 November 1998 | Crystal Palace | A | 2–2 | 19,521 | Wright, Kennedy |
| 5 December 1998 | Barnsley | H | 0–0 | 10,165 | |
| 12 December 1998 | Stockport County | H | 4–2 | 9,250 | Johnson, Wright, Noel-Williams (2) |
| 19 December 1998 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–2 | 6,679 | Noel-Williams |
| 26 December 1998 | Bristol City | H | 1–0 | 15,081 | Smart |
| 29 December 1998 | Norwich City | A | 1–1 | 19,255 | Palmer |
| 9 January 1999 | Portsmouth | H | 0–0 | 12,057 | |
| 16 January 1999 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | 23,408 | |
| 23 January 1999 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 0–2 | 11,664 | |
| 30 January 1999 | Sunderland | H | 2–1 | 20,188 | Wright, Noel-Williams |
| 6 February 1999 | Bradford City | A | 0–2 | 14,142 | |
| 16 February 1999 | Huddersfield Town | H | 1–1 | 10,303 | Mooney |
| 20 February 1999 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2–1 | 14,918 | Wright, Smith |
| 26 February 1999 | Swindon Town | H | 0–1 | 8,692 | |
| 2 March 1999 | Ipswich Town | A | 2–3 | 18,818 | Smith, Mooney |
| 6 March 1999 | Sheffield United | A | 0–3 | 15,943 | |
| 13 March 1999 | Oxford United | A | 0–0 | 8,137 | |
| 20 March 1999 | Bury | H | 0–0 | 9,336 | |
| 3 April 1999 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–1 | 8,682 | Kennedy, Ngonge |
| 5 April 1999 | Birmingham City | A | 2–1 | 24,877 | Mooney, Daley |
| 10 April 1999 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–0 | 13,001 | Hyde, Mooney |
| 17 April 1999 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–0 | 5,461 | Mooney |
| 24 April 1999 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–1 | 15,590 | Hyde, Mooney |
| 27 April 1999 | Port Vale | A | 2–1 | 7,126 | Mooney (2) |
| 1 May 1999 | Barnsley | A | 2–2 | 17,098 | Ngonge, Mooney |
| 9 May 1999 | Grimsby Town | H | 1–0 | 20,303 | Kennedy |

### First Division play-offs

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| SF 1st Leg | 16 May 1999 | Birmingham City | H | 1–0 | 18,535 | Ngonge |
| SF 2nd Leg | 20 May 1999 | Birmingham City | A | 0–1 (won 7–6 on pens) | 29,100 | |
| F | 31 May 1999 | Bolton Wanderers | N | 2–0 | 70,343 | Wright, Smart |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R3 | 2 January 1999 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–5 | 36,022 | Johnson, Kennedy |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R1 1st Leg | 11 August 1998 | Cambridge United | A | 0–1 | 3,073 | |
| R1 2nd Leg | 18 August 1998 | Cambridge United | H | 1–1 (lost 1–2 on agg) | 6,817 | Ngonge |

## Players

### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | - | - | - |
| — | GK | ENG | Alec Chamberlain |
| — | GK | ENG | Chris Day |
| — | DF | ENG | Darren Bazeley |
| — | DF | ENG | Clint Easton |
| — | DF | ENG | Nigel Gibbs |
| — | DF | ENG | Colin Miles |
| — | DF | ENG | Keith Millen |
| — | DF | ENG | Steve Palmer |
| — | DF | ENG | David Perpetuini |
| — | DF | ENG | Paul Robinson |
| — | DF | ENG | Darren Ward |
| — | DF | ENG | Dean Yates |
| — | DF | WAL | Rob Page (captain) |
| — | DF | NGA | Benedict Iroha |
| — | MF | ENG | Tony Daley |
| — | MF | ENG | Micah Hyde |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Stuart Slater |
| — | MF | ENG | Tommy Smith |
| — | MF | NIR | Peter Kennedy |
| — | MF | FRA | Alexandre Bonnot (on loan from Angers) |
| — | MF | ISL | Jóhann Guðmundsson |
| — | MF | ISR | Alon Hazan |
| — | MF | AUS | Richard Johnson |
| — | FW | ENG | Jason Lee |
| — | FW | ENG | Tommy Mooney |
| — | FW | ENG | Gifton Noel-Williams |
| — | FW | ENG | Guy Whittingham (on loan from Sheffield Wednesday) |
| — | FW | ENG | Nick Wright |
| — | FW | SCO | Allan Smart |
| — | FW | ISR | Ronny Rosenthal |
| — | FW | COD | Michel Ngonge |
