Graham Docwra

I was born in Pinner Middlesex and lived there until I got married in 1973. I went to Cannon Lane School and Headstone Secondary School in Pinner. Some of my school friends were in the same classes as Elton John, at Pinner County School. My family was not particularly interested in football, except my grandfather who supported Everton, where he lived before the war. I first began to get interested in Watford during the 1959-60 season when they had a great cup run. The first game I went to was at the end of that season when I saw Watford v Walsall. I was hooked immediately and the following season I went to just about every game at home and a some away games. I became a Season Ticket holder and gradually each season I went to more and more away games, I traveled by coach with a group of supporters who met at the coach company, behind a cinema in the High Street, down the end towards the Town Hall. I was a Watford Pools agent for several years too.

When I married Pauline, in 1973, we moved to St. Ives in Huntingdonshire, as it was then, so did not get to many games at that time. In 1974, I moved to Bermuda for two years and had Bill Gough send me programmes. On my return to the UK, in 1976, I lived at Upper Beeding in West Sussex, so I only saw a limited number of games. In 1977 I moved to Carpenders Park and went to all the home games again and many away too. In 1978 I moved to Stevenage and was still able to go to all the home games and some away games.

In 1979 I moved to East Meadow in Long Island New York, the last game I saw that season was the promotion winning game from the 3rd Division, home to Hull, if I remember rightly. I moved to Hawthorne in New Jersey in 1980 and then back to Bermuda in 1981. I still was having programmes sent to me, as I do to this day. I watched many games in Bermuda on their TV station and still have the tapes of most of them, in the First division and the cup run of 1984. I flew home for the Cup Final in May 1994. In September 1984 I made my final move to Oakland New Jersey, were I now live.

In 1988 I started playing for Ridgewood in an Over 40 Soccer league in our area, now with 24 teams in it. In 1990 I formed my own team, the Oakland Hornets, we play in Gold & Black, I haven’t introduced the red yet. I played and managed the team for over ten years. I have stopped playing now but still help the team in other ways, if anyone wants to join, let me know. Terry Garbett played for one of the other teams for a while and I met him and spoke with him on one occasion, but, unfortunately, I never played against him.

We have three children, two boys and a girl. My elder Son is a Watford fan and goes to the games whenever he is in the UK, so it looks like the support for Watford in our family will keep on going for another generation at least.