Town striker Michael Chopra has spoken with fondness of a loan spell at Watford, where he and his team-mates will be looking for victory today in order to keep alive their slim hopes of gatecrashing the play-offs.
The 14-goal top scorer went on loan from first club Newcastle to the Hornets for what turned out to be a memorable month nine years ago as he scored five times in six league and cup games.
Chopra, 28, recalled: "I really enjoyed my time there. I scored four times in one game, when we won 7-4 at Burnley, and you don’t forget games like that.
"They had a player [Gareth Taylor] who scored a hat-trick and he was given the first match ball because he got his three goals before me. I still got a ball to take away as a souvenir but it was one of the others that were used.”
It was former Ipswich defender Wayne Brown who opened the scoring for Watford at Turf Moor that night and there was another Portman Road connection in goalkeeper Alex Chamberlain, a former Town apprentice who is now the goalkeeping coach at Vicarage Road.
There were other highlights of Chopra’s loan spell and he added: "I played in an FA Cup semi-final against Southampton at Villa Park and I was still a teenager. It was a real privilege and an honour to play for Watford in a game of such importance and even if we lost 2-1 I will always be grateful to them for that.
"The current manager, Sean Dyche, was a player at the time. He was a winner and an inspirational figure, always encouraging the people around him. I remember him shouting at me to hold the ball up and get on the end of crosses, things like that. "Sean and other senior players were very good when it came to helping out the younger lads. He’s doing an excellent job as manager. When I see him being interviewed on the television now it’s as if he is losing his voice. Maybe it’s because of all the shouting he did at me and others back then.” Chopra dismisses talk of Watford being Town’s bogey side, even if Paul Jewell’s team will be seeking their first win in 14 league and cup clashes going back to 2004. He added: "I don’t believe in all the talk of a hoodoo. Anything can happen in any game — it just depends on who plays well on the day. We are going there full of confidence and the outcome will be determined by what happens on the pitch, nothing else.” Photos: Action ImagesWhat to read next:
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If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
The Blues were held to their first 0-0 draw of the season by a determined Wrexham side making their first ever visit to Portman Road. Town dominated throughout but rarely forced visitors keeper Arthur Okonkwo to make anything other than relatively routine saves with Christian Walton wholly untroubled at the other end.
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Town have made five changes from the side which won 4-1 away at Swansea before the international break for this afternoon’s home game against Wrexham, the first league game between the clubs and the Red Dragons’ inaugural visit to Portman Road.
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