That night changed my life forever
HORNETS ACE BLISSETT ON UNITED UPSET
IT WAS the night Luther Blissett announced himself as a future England striker after warming up for a giant- killing in a field by the M56.
Superstar chairman Sir Elton John embraced the sense of occasion by flying to Old Trafford in a private jet – with the wife and daughters of Watford manager Graham Taylor as his co- passengers.
And as Blissett’s pair of soaring headers handed one of Europe’s giants their biggest cup shock, Manchester United felt the Hornets sting for their supper. He came, he soared, he conquered.
On Taylor’s rise from the Fourth Division to Europe with Watford, Blissett’s air raid was probably the moment when a nation realised his magic carpet was Aladdin’s Persian rug, not just a budget shagpile.
The Golden Boys had only just been promoted to the Third Division when Blissett, now 62, came calling in the League Cup third round in October 1978.
Tomorrow evening, Championship promotion hopefuls Watford return to Old Trafford in the FA Cup third round, with United anxious to avoid the ignominy of elimination from both domestic cup competitions in four days.
And 43 years on, the Hornets’ favourite son – who scored a record 186 goals for the club -– said: “It definitely changed my life as a player – United were the team I had supported as a boy because
George Best was my hero.
“However football is a team game, and it also announced to the world that Watford meant business as a club. We had a dynamic manager and Elton, one of the world’s most famous showbiz acts, lighting the path out of the lower divisions and it was a magical time.
“When you have a superstar chairman who goes on stage for 10 nights in a row, and every gig has to be 10 out of 10 perfection, you follow his lead. Hitting the right note three or four times out of 10 was no good to him on tour – and it was no good to us as a team.” Watford’s final preparations for that 2- 1 shock were so low- key that motorists speeding past did not even know who they were. Blissett said: “We had travelled up the night before, and instead of milling around in the hotel all day, the boss organised a light training session after lunch. It was just a few set- piece drills, a gentle workout in a playing field next to the M56. But what mattered was the way we played in the game itself.
“In those days, there was no social media and the best way to project yourself as a footballer was through your efforts condensed into 90 minutes every week.”