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===Early years=== The origins of the club can be traced back to 1881 when Watford Rovers were formed by Henry Grover, who went on to play for the club as a [[full-back (football)|full back]].<ref name="wfcnotablepeople">{{cite web|url=http://www.watfordfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0,,10400~65917,00.html |title=They shaped the club |access-date=27 October 2009 |publisher=Watford Football Club |date=29 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203170637/http://www.watfordfc.com/page/History/0%2C%2C10400~65917%2C00.html |archive-date= 3 December 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=j15/> Rovers, originally composed entirely of [[amateur football|amateur players]], held home games at several locations in the [[Watford|town of Watford]].<ref name=j15>Jones 1996, p. 15.</ref><ref name=chronology/> The team first competed in the [[FA Cup]] in the [[1886β87 FA Cup|1886β87 season]], and in 1889 Watford won the [[Herts Senior Cup|County Cup]] for the first time. The team became the football section of "West Hertfordshire Club and Ground" in 1891, and consequently moved to a ground on [[Cassio Road]]. In 1893 Watford Rovers changed their name to "West Herts" and in 1896 they joined the [[Southern Football League]]. West Herts fortunes slumped at the start of the 1897–98 season and attendances were less than 200. They took the bold step of turning professional and their fortunes revived. Watford St. Mary's were runners up in the Hertfordshire Senior Cup of 1894–95 and attracted crowds of 400 to 500 even when West Herts were at home. The two clubs talked of an amalgamation, which ultimately occurred on 15 April 1898. This was reported by the ''[[Watford Observer]]'' of 7 May 1898. It was agreed that the two clubs should complete their remaining fixtures for the season. The new club was named Watford Football Club.<ref name=chronology>Jones 1996, pp. 8β9.</ref> [[File:SkillyWilliams.jpg|thumb|200px|left|alt=The head and shoulders of a man, wearing a hat and coat.|Long-serving [[Skilly Williams]] was Watford's first choice goalkeeper between 1914 and 1926.]]Following [[Promotion and relegation|relegation]] to the Southern League Second Division in 1903, Watford appointed its first manager β former England international and First Division top scorer [[John Goodall]]. He led Watford to promotion, and kept the team in the division until his departure in 1910.<ref name=managers/> Despite financial constraints, Watford won the Southern League title in the [[1914β15 Watford F.C. season|1914β15 season]] under his successor, [[Harry Kent (footballer)|Harry Kent]]. Watford held the title for five years following the suspension of the Southern League during the First World War β after finishing the [[1919β20 Watford F.C. season|1919β20 season]] runners-up on [[goal average]], the club resigned from the Southern League to join the new [[Football League Third Division]].<ref>Jones 1996, p. 267.</ref> From [[1921β22 in English football|1921β22]], the third tier of [[The Football League]] consisted of two parallel sections of 22 clubs, fighting both for promotion to the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] and also battling to hold on to their league status.<ref name=arsenal>Hodgson, Guy (17 December 1999). [https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-how-consistency-and-caution-made-arsenal-englands-greatest-team-of-the-20th-century-1133020.html "How consistency and caution made Arsenal England's greatest team of the 20th century"]. ''The Independent.'' Retrieved 21 April 2012.</ref> There was a re-election system in place which meant the bottom two teams in each of the two divisions had to apply for re-election to the league.<ref>Titford, Roger (July 2006). [http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/1287/29/ "Fifth amendment"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519105333/http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/1287/29/ |date=19 May 2012 }}. ''[[When Saturday Comes]]''. Retrieved 19 April 2012.</ref> Watford finished outside the top six league positions in every season between 1922 and 1934. Following Kent's departure in 1926, they finished 21st out of 22 clubs in [[1926β27 in English football|1926β27]], but were unanimously re-elected to the league after a ballot of clubs in the top two divisions of The Football League.<ref>{{cite book|title=League Football and the Men Who Made It|first=Simon|last=Inglis|publisher=Willow Books|year=1988|isbn=0-00-218242-4|page=132}}</ref> By contrast, under [[Neil McBain]] and subsequently [[Bill Findlay (footballer)|Bill Findlay]], the team recorded five consecutive top six finishes between [[1934β35 in English football|1934β35]] and [[1938β39 in English football|1938β39]], and won the [[Football League Third Division South Cup]] in 1937.<ref>Brown, Tony. [http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/division-three-south-cup/honours "English Division Three South Cup : Honours"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204094305/http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/division-three-south-cup/honours|date=4 December 2008}}. Statto.com. Retrieved 19 April 2012.</ref> The Football League was suspended in 1939 due to the Second World War.
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