I started watching Watford in the early Graham Taylor years. And if you were there too, you'll remember what that felt like. A club on the move. A team that believed it belonged higher than anyone thought possible.
Kenny Jackett was part of that.
He signed for us as a professional in 1980, just turned eighteen. And from that moment, he became something special for those of us on the terraces. Not because he was the loudest or the flashiest. But because he was ours. A Watford lad, born five minutes from the ground, living the dream we all secretly had.
In those early 80s seasons under Graham Taylor, Kenny played all over the middle of the park. Right midfield. Central midfield. Sometimes deeper. Wherever the team needed him, he did the job. Quietly. Reliably. With a sharp pass and a football brain that Taylor trusted completely.
You don't stay in a Graham Taylor side unless you understand the game. And Kenny understood it.
While the headlines went to Barnes and Blissett, Kenny was the glue. The player who kept things ticking. Who won the ball back and gave it to someone more famous. Who kept his shape, did his job, and never complained. Every promotion side needs that player. The unsung one. The one the manager loves because he never has to be told twice.
For a fan, watching him was different. He wasn't a superstar signing from somewhere else. He was a local boy who came through the youth ranks and just kept rising as the club rose.
When injury forced him to retire at just 28, he'd given his entire playing career to one club. His club.
That's what I'll remember. A Watford lad who helped take our club to places none of us had ever been. Who wore the shirt like it meant something. Because it did. He knew it. And so did we.
Rest easy, Kenny. You did us proud.
#WatfordFC #KennyJackett #RIP