--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-06-09T17:25:27.960Z data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/watford/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2F0Zm9yZG9ic2VydmVyLmNvLnVrL3Nwb3J0LzI2MTI1NzUyLnR3by1sZWdlbmRzLXRlbGwtc3Rvcnktd2F0Zm9yZHMtMjAwNi1wcm9tb3Rpb24vP3JlZj1yc3M --- # 20 years on: Doyley and Mariappa tell the story of Watford - **Source:** - **Club:** Watford - **Original URL:** https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/26125752.two-legends-tell-story-watfords-2006-promotion/?ref=rss Twenty years ago today, nearly 30,000 Watford fans created a sea of yellow and a cacophony of noise at one end of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. From long before kick-off through to long after promotion had been secured, Aidy Boothroyd's Yellow Army enjoyed one of the finest days in the club's history, Watford trampling all over Leeds United to beat them 3-0 and secure promotion to the Premier League. It was a triumph for Boothroyd, the unheard of coach who had ripped up the rulebook by pulling together a squad from here, there and everywhere, turning them into a formidable force of nature. For much of the season, a tilt at automatic promotion appeared on, though Reading – who broke the Championship record points tally with 106 – and Sheffield United eventually pulled clear. But after a 3-0 aggregate victory over Crystal Palace in the play-off semi-final, the Hornets did the business in south Wales. The story, though, begins more than 12 months earlier, when – with 2004/05 relegation from the second-tier a real possibility – Ray Lewington was sacked as manager and Boothroyd drafted in. It appeared an extraordinary risk, betting survival on a 34-year-old novice with limited first-team coaching experience at, funnily enough, Leeds. When Boothroyd was hired, Watford were 15th but just four points above the dotted line – but by the time they had lost his first three matches, they had sunk to 21st with just goal difference acting as a buffer. Fortunately, Heidar Helguson was on hand to save the day. The iconic striker netted winners at Rotherham and Stoke City as Watford took seven points from three matches to stay up. It seemed Boothroyd was desperate to enact change, though, and once survival was assured he didn't hang about. Lloyd Doyley, key first-teamer at the time, tells The Watford Observer: "He [Boothroyd] wanted us to play slightly differently and he wanted us to be together. "When we went into that first summer he had a massive belief that, even though we had been trying to fight relegation, we were going to get promoted. "He got a good squad together and allowed some youngsters coming through the system to be involved as well." Helguson was sold to Fulham, while Neil Cox and Sean Dyche were released, freeing up some funds and allowing Boothroyd to really put his stamp on a new-look side. While the recruitment strategy will hardly have had rivals quaking in their boots, Boothroyd expertly offered promising players the opportunity to revitalise their careers. Clarke Carlisle had been in rehab less than two years prior and Marlon King was less than three years out of jail; both had worked with Boothroyd at Leeds and were signed. Malky Mackay had won promotion in each of the last two seasons with Norwich City and West Ham United only to be released by both, Matthew Spring – another from Leeds – had only left rivals Luton Town in 2004, while Darius Henderson had scored nine goals as Gillingham were relegated from the Championship. Ben Foster, too, was handed his first taste of second-tier football on loan from Manchester United. There were a number of other strange cases. Spanish full-back Sietes signed from Murcia but was never seen, Martin Devaney joined from Cheltenham Town but was allowed to leave the same summer, Brazilian striker Junior had paperwork issues, and Les Ferdinand was technically on the books but never played. But Boothroyd's belief and charisma drove things forwards. Aidy Mariappa, at the time a young player fighting his way into the squad, says: "In his first meeting that summer he told us we were going to get promoted. "He had us literally in a bus formation and told us the direction the bus was heading, so stay onboard or get off. "There was a feeling in the room of, 'This is crazy, you're a bit mad.'" It was the springboard for a fantastic start, King scoring five as Boothroyd's side won five of their next six and shot up to third. Doyley says: "It was seeing that his methods worked for us. "We saw in the first few weeks of the season that we were having success – and once you get success, you get buy-in. "We had a small squad at the time but everyone bought in." Mariappa adds: "You could see all the stuff we were working on happening on the pitch. "The recruitment was massive. Darius and Marlon were great, Ashley was a young player coming through, and even senior people like Jordan [Stewart] did well. "I remember Malky coming in and he had that will to win every game. He had something to prove because he had been released from those last two teams, it was a chance for him to get promoted again and prove himself in the Premier League. "He automatically drove the group and then with that added flair we ended up being a really good team." A few wobbles, inevitably, followed – but between October 18 and March 20, the Hornets lost just three of 26 league games, a run worthy of a promotion challenge. A famous 2-1 win at Luton Town on New Year's Day was a highlight, as was a run of five straight victories in January and February that featured a 4-1 thrashing of second-place Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. Winger Anthony McNamee, who played 38 times that season, says: "We knew we were going to get promoted about halfway through the season. "That was one of our great strengths, that he [Boothroyd] built this belief in the group. "From December, I thought we were going to go up through the play-offs." It was King and Henderson's partnership that was really taking the division by storm. Known as the Championship's Sutton and Shearer – a nod to Blackburn Rovers' Premier League-winning front two from 1994/95 – Henderson's bruising physicality and King's pace and composure in front of goal were a potent combination. Mariappa says: "Darius and Marlon were probably two of the hungriest strikers you'll see. "They felt like they had a point to prove and that was the feeling in training every day. "It was probably the most competitive training I've ever seen. Every day was like matchday." Boothroyd developed a reputation for direct football that may not have always been the easiest on the eye but was mighty effective, with King – whose initial loan had been turned permanent – winning the Golden Boot. Nobody at Vicarage Road cared about playing through the thirds or opening teams up with one-touch football. Watford were playing the type of front-foot, high-octane, energetic style that had defined their run to the top under Graham Taylor in the 1970s and 80s, as they scored 15 goals in four games at the beginning of 2006. Doyley says: "I think it's safe to say nobody enjoyed playing against us. "We were all on the same page. We knew each other. I knew as a right-back that if a striker started his run, I was going to put it in beyond. "We were all on this wavelength." Even the finest margins were going Watford's way. Chris Eagles scored an extraordinary halfway-line goal to secure a 1-0 win at Brighton, before King capitalised on a poor back pass to net a late winner at home to Cardiff. Whether the belief coursing through the team forced those moments, or whether those moments fuelled the belief, it doesn't particularly matter. Tommy Smith, who rejoined the club that summer, says: "Aidy was really big on unity. "He put demands on players, not just on the pitch but off it as well. I loved playing for him, really loved it." Automatic hopes faded between late March and early April but even that played in Watford's favour. Boothroyd had weeks to prepare his team for the play-offs, memorably staging a penalty shoot-out in front of the Rookery after the 2-1 win over Ipswich Town on Easter Monday, when he encouraged supporters to put the players off. The 2-1 win at QPR in the final away game of the season featured the latest in a catalogue of Young beauties – and two weeks later, Watford were back in London for the semi-final first leg against Palace. King and Young scored trademark goals – the striker backing in, spinning and slamming home, the winger bending a stunning free-kick into the top corner – before Spring put the seal on a famous win. The winning margin appeared to have made the victory look easy, though Doyley correctly remembers that Palace had much the better of the opening exchanges, Boothroyd forced to withdraw Henderson for midfielder Al Bangura to plug the gaps at the break. Bangura also started the second leg, a 0-0 draw that did the job and became most famous for Boothroyd's scrap with Fitz Hall on the touchline. Doyley says: "Nobody fancied us, especially because Palace during that season had beaten us twice in the league. "We ended up beating them in the play-offs but even though we won 3-0, they were tough games. "It could've gone either way, really." Young's free-kick at Selhurst Park was his fourth – and best – of a superb campaign, during which he announced himself as not just an exciting youngster but a future England international. He scored 15 goals across the campaign, his wicked delivery also perfect for King and Henderson, while he operated as a second striker with King on occasion. This was a team whose strength was its togetherness, but the fact that Young was at Aston Villa by the following January showed he was a starring individual. Mariappa says: "What's crazy with Youngy is that I was two years younger than him and he was coming in to train with my age group. "I remember when he didn't get a scholarship, so he's had to work for it. "Ultimately, it was the work he put in on the training pitch. He was out there every day, so fixated on what he was trying to achieve. "It's no surprise to me that he had the career he went on to have, and the longevity, because he did everything he could control to make it happen. "He's a top, top boy. And I remember him practising those free-kicks specifically. "He'd be out there by himself sometimes, putting out the mannequins. He didn't even need a goalkeeper – and that technique obviously helped with his crosses as well." So it was on to Cardiff on this day two decades ago, where Leeds lay in wait for a place in the Premier League. Boothroyd – along with Carlisle, Spring and King – didn't need a whole lot of motivation against his former club, particularly as it was suggested that is departure hadn't gone down too well with Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell. It has also long been felt that Leeds expected to turn up and beat this team of misfits, with no apparently star quality, comfortably. Boothroyd, clearly, dismissed that notion, taking his team to the stadium early so that they could get used to their surroundings before clicking into business mode on matchday. And it was the manager's mind games that Mariappa and Doyley believe won Watford the final before it had even begun. With the teams lined up in the tunnel, the Hornets began bellowing encouragement to each other at the top of their voices, a truly remarkable scene. Leeds looked stunned before they'd stepped foot on the pitch – and Mariappa reveals it was a tactic that had worked in the semis, too. The defender, who was on the bench in Cardiff, says: "Leeds were one million per cent beaten in the tunnel. "It happened in the semi-final, too. I felt we had the psychological edge in the tunnel for the first leg, and then before the second leg Palace were trying to be as loud as us. "I remember thinking, '"We've got them here'. They hadn't been doing that in the home game. "It was the same in the final. We knew we had it." Another Young delivery was nodded in by Jay Demerit for the opener, before Gavin Mahon – the understated but consistent skipper – chucked in a long throw that landed at James Chambers' feet. Chambers' shot came back off the post, onto Leeds goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, and spun into the net. Watford were not just a set-piece team, but they were very good at them – and it was no coincidence they were able to make their mental and physical advantage count. Henderson slammed in a late penalty, won by King, to seal the deal. It was fitting that the strike duo had linked up for the final flourish. McNamee had been injured for the final, but still remembers the celebrations fondly. He says: "We were unstoppable, we knew we'd win. "A lot of friends and family came up and we had a nice meal afterwards. It was a great moment." He seemed to have the whole of Watford eating out of the palm of his hand by this stage, and there's no doubt there are those who will have believed him, but in the end the Premier League proved a much tougher task. Smith says: "A promotion always gives you that buzz, particularly through the play-offs. It's the best way to do it because it's like winning a cup final and getting promoted at the same time. "By the time I arrived Watford were on the crest of a wave. There was real unity. "It ended up being a tough season, unfortunately." Watford weren't terrible in the top flight, only losing by more than one goal away at Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool before the turn of the year. They conceded a last-minute goal to lose 1-0 at Bolton in September, chucked away a 2-0 lead and drew 3-3 with Fulham in October, and lost to 88th- and 89th-minute strikes against Portsmouth and Sheffield United in November. By the time Young was sold in January, relegation seemed inevitable. Mariappa says: "Aidy came out and said he wanted Europe, that was his vision. "And our way of playing worked to an extent. I think he told us after the season that if games had finished at 80 minutes, we'd have been comfortably in mid-table. "Looking back, maybe we were a bit naïve in games. We should have taken a point here or there, changed the shape, but we kept playing the exact same way. "I remember we beat West Ham in January and we might have been above them at the time. Then they went and stayed up." Still, it was surely worth it for the journey and the memories all Watford fans hold of May 21, 2006.