Ed Sterry

Position – Right Back
DOB – 14/1/1990
Debut v Brentford Hey Jude – June 2007
Nicknames – Sterry Junior

Ed first joined the ranks in 2007, just missing out on the chance to beat his elder brother Rob’s then record of being the youngest ever player. Now residing in the USA, Ed is less ginger and less talented than his big brother, but is much funnier and his highlights include being man of the match at the 2012 Vic Road game and being awarded the most improved player gong for the 2011/12 season.

Chris Davis

Position – Full Back
DOB – TBC
Debut v Preston B – Nov 2009
Nicknames – CD

Former team manager Chris is one half of the first father-son duo to appear for WIFC since Mike and Keith Scofield in the early years of the club. Coaxed out of retirement for a few cameo appearances since Jimmy joined, Chris rolled back the years to star for the Vets team at Worldnet in 2010. Since then, a call-to-arms sub appearance in a close win at Coventry and a brace at home to Dulwich have been highlights. Chris’ tactical knowledge and motivation came to the fore during his successful spell as manager between 2011-14. He led the club to two London Cup Finals in 2012 & 2013, with WIFC securing the silverware second time round. His final season saw another London Cup Final and a club record for least amount of goals conceded in a season, and he was deservedly inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2014.

CD with cup

Chris Q and A

Describe yourself in a sentence
I’m a dad first and everything else comes second

What was the first WFC game you went to and what can you remember about it?
York at home in 1972, remember not a lot other than my dad sat me on a high(ish) wall in the rookery so I could see and he could stand with mates and smoke his ciggies.

Finest ever WFC memory
The Bolton play off 1999 was great but the run from Div 4 to runners up in Div 1 and FA cup final under GT was 8 years of footie which we will never see again. I could select a dozen games and still leave some highlights out.

Worst away trip and why
December 2001 away to Sheffield Wed in League Cup Quarter Final under Vialli. One of the few times I have left early due to complete lack of effort from the team, lost 0-4 then drove home getting back at silly o’clock. Hope we never get another Italian manager, ah!!

WIFC playing highlight
Coming on and changing the game against Dulwich with 2 long range goals. Up to then Dulwich had looked the better team and in my humble opinion I made the difference between winning and losing. I don’t like to talk about it though.

Favourite WIFC moment
Every game I get to see Jimmy playing.

All-time favourite Watford player
Keith Pritchett (look him up kids)

All-time favourite Watford XI (not the best players – your favourites)
Tony Coton, Nigel Gibbs, John McClelland, Steve Terry, Keith Pritchett, Tommy Mooney, Martin Patching, Jan Lohman, Keith Mercer, Ross Jenkins (the real one), Heidar Helguson,

Red shorts or black?
Black

Which actor would play you in ‘WIFC – The Movie’
Ricky Tomlinson

8. Stuart Nicholls

Position – Centre Back/Left Back
DOB – 29/4/1988
Debut – WIFC Yellows v Reds – Sep 2010
Nicknames – Pricko, Prickles

Stuart joined the club during a recruitment drive at the start of the 2010/11 season, making a goal-scoring debut in the Yellows v Reds game. Stuart started off in midfield, and scored a contender for best WIFC goal with his strike from the half-way line at Barnsley in his first season. Stuart has since shown his versatility by impressing in defence in the second half of the 2011/12 season, then up front at the tail-end of 2012/13 where he hit 7 in 3 games, including two hat-tricks and the winner in the London Cup final. Despite all of this and over 10 years on from his debut, his chronic lack of banter remains a major concern.

Stu’s Q and A

Describe yourself in a sentence:
A direct quote from my parents – “A disappointment to mankind”

What was the first WFC game you went to and what can you remember about it? Watford 2-0 Grimsby – October 1991, 2 and a half at the time, can’t remember anything about the game but I’m assured I was one of the 6,000 to be there.

Finest ever WFC memory:
Crystal Palace 0 – 3 Watford 2006, Play-off semi final. Pieing off playing my Sunday league cup final to travel down to South London with the mother, to watch my favourite away day display. Honorable mentions, again to the mother for letting me stay up to watch the penalty shoot out away at Birmingham in ’98 and of course both play-off finals. Great days out.

Worst away trip and why:
Fulham 5 – Watford 0, boxing day 2000. Forced to go by the parents instead of being allowed to stay in and play my brand new edition of LMA Manager on the original playstation, dragged along in the freezing cold, snow biting at my pre-pubescent face, having to stand up for what felt like days, to watch us go and get completely Saville’d.

WIFC playing highlight –
I refer you to the clip – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxDBGLBfMs4

Favourite WIFC moment:
Well I can’t really say the goal I scored from the half way line again, can I? …The goal I scored from the half way line.

All-time favourite Watford player:
Didn’t make the team below because I was going for a balanced side but it has to be Trevor Benjamin. Providing me with the hope that I too, can one day be a professional footballer.

All-time favourite Watford XI (not the best players – your favourites)
Foster – Robinson – Page – Demerit – Doyley – Young – Cleverley – Palmer – Kennedy – Helguson – Mooney

Red shorts or black?
Black

Which actor would play you in ‘WIFC – The Movie’:
Awkwardness all over – Michael Cera

Panos Fellas

Position – Centre Midfield
DOB – 2/2/1962
Debut Unknown – 1998
Nicknames – Pan

WIFC’s senior citizen, Panos became the first player to appear for WIFC after his 50th birthday during the 2011/12 season. However, the aged one’s fitness put many of his younger team-mates to shame, and he carried on playing long past most of them as a result. Player of the year in 2002, Panos still does that amusing thing of tilting his head when he runs and can be found refereeing in the local area since his playing days finally came to an end.

22. Jeremy Hinds

Position – Goalkeeper
DOB – TBC
Debut – WIFC Yellows v Reds – Sep 2010
Nicknames – Jez, Hinos, Big posh sod

Jeremy joined the club at the start of the 2010/11 season, making his debut in the Yellows v Reds game that season. Since then, the big posho has grown in stature and confidence around the squad and was voted best newcomer for 2010/11, the 3rd keeper to win that particular award. Jeremy’s undoubted on pitch highlights are two match winning displays at Barnet, the second of which won him the inaugural WIFC Willie Thorne man of the match award, while he’s also scored at the other end in a few appearances as a makeshift striker.

Jez’s Q and A

Describe yourself in a sentence
I am pretty much Boris Johnson in everyway…..

What was the first WFC game you went to and what can you remember about it?
Watford 4 Bolton 3 in 1993 – 3 nil down after 60 minutes, apparently I spent the next 10 minutes asking to go home. Gary Porter then smashed a quick fire hatrick and I’ve been hooked since!

Finest ever WFC memory
The 1999 playoff final. The 2006 final was great but I expected us to win that. The 99’ final was my only game at the old Wembley, the fact it was only 20 mins on the train (and we all know I love trains) and being there with about 15 members of my family made it a pretty special day.

Worst away trip and why
Hull, 2008. Lost 3-0, down to 10 men, got food poisoning from a dodgy kebab and then got a puncture on the way home. Oh, and it was in Hull.

WIFC playing highlight
Our 3-2 win away at Barnet which led to me winning to inaugural (and the last) signed Willie Thorne man of the match award.

Favourite WIFC moment
It’s just a mixture of all the various away trips (with and without WIFC football in the morning). Great days out, including Millwall, Charlton, Bolton, Nottingham and Leeds. Nottingham probably being my favourite since I was still paralytic at kick off and only a ball square in the face sobered me up enough to make any contribution!

All-time favourite Watford player
Nigel Gibbs – Read the game better than anyone else I’ve seen at Watford and his nosebleed celebration has always been a favourite of mine!

All-time favourite Watford XI (not the best players – your favourites)
(4-3-3) Miller, Gibbs, Page, Demerit, Kennedy, Young, Spring, Eustace, Mooney, Helguson, Smith

Red shorts or black?
Black

Which actor would play you in ‘WIFC – The Movie’
Hugh Grant – Floppy hair, public school background and a bit of a bumbling fool! (and he’d definitely be a keeper if he played football, quite tall, slightly crazy and has a good voice on him!)

38. Alex Prentice

Position – Striker
DOB – 1/11/1988
Apps – 30
Goals – 11
Debut v Stevenage – May 2010
Worldnets – 0
Nicknames – None, yet

Alex made his first WIFC appearance at the Stevenage Tournament in 2010, notching his first goal in the 3-2 win over AFC Wimbledon that helped the team go onto win the tournament. Since then, Alex finally joined the full squad for the start of the 2011/12 season and soon broke a club record by scoring in 6 consecutive games. Having quickly established himself among WIFC’s striking options, hopes are high that Alex can threaten more records in the years to come.

Alex’s Q and A

Describe yourself in a sentence
Tall, weigh about 4 stone wet through and have the physical presence of a peanut, but I do enjoy playing football…

What was the first WFC game you went to and what can you remember about it?
Nov 7th 1998, we played Oxford at home and they forgot their kit so had to wear our away one, that’s all I really remember about the game but a quick research shows we apparently won 2-0.

Finest ever WFC memory
I don’t remember an awful lot about the 99 playoff final, and the 06 final was great but the best moment probably has to be Leicester at home in the playoffs this season just gone, at the time it was the best feeling ever in those well documented 20 seconds.

Worst away trip and why
Hull away in the playoffs, spent ages cramped in a mates car for us to just fall apart, and then the horrendous journey home, definitely one to forget.

WIFC playing highlight
When we played Oxford at the met a couple of seasons ago in one of my first ever games, I played upfront with Jimmy and scored a couple of decent goals and just generally had a lot of fun playing that match.

Favourite WIFC moment
Getting Brad absolutely slaughtered at Barnsley away and him blubbering outside the turnstiles profusely apologising for being a drunken mess. Then him being hungover on the way home and bouncing his head off the top of a seat.

All-time favourite Watford player
Allan Nielsen

All-time favourite Watford XI (not the best players – your favourites)
Chamberlain; Doyley, DeMerit, Mariappa, Robinson; Abdi, Nielsen, Hyde; Young, Graham, Vydra (4-3-3)

Red shorts or black?
Red

Which actor would play you in ‘WIFC – The Movie’
Morgan Freeman

25. Stuart Holdham

Position – Centre Midfield
DOB – 23/6/1973
Debut v Brentford Hey Jude – May 2005
Nicknames – Big Stu, Dale, Tina O’Brien’s lofty companion

Another of the small group of players still going into their 40s, Stuart made his WIFC bow back in 2005, and made intermittent cameo appearances for a few years, waiting until 2010 to become a full member of the squad following his excellent performances for the Vets team at that year’s Worldnet. Since then, more than one opponent has remarked on Stu’s uncanny resemblance to Dale Winton, but his height and versatility have become key ingredients in the team, as have his relentless comedy turns as he fine tunes his Strictly Come Dancing warm-up act on his WIFC team-mates.

28. Paul Labbett

pl

Position – Left back
DOB – TBC
Debut v Arsenal – May 1997
Nicknames – Ice

Paul played in WIFC’s first ever match and was a member of the intrepid squad that took to the muddy fields of Middlesbrough during EuroNET ’97, WIFC’s first venture to the tournament that became WorldNET. Left-footed Paul starred for the side for the first five years of it’s existence and remains one of the best defenders to appear in the colours of the Internet ‘Orns and received due recognition at the Testimonial dinner in 2007 when he was inducted into the WIFC Hall of Fame. He has returned to the regular squad since his son, Tom, joined the club in 2020.

Jon Parry

Position – Striker
DOB – TBC
Debut v Arsenal – May 1997
Nicknames – Chicken Legs, Sir

One of the original squad that played in Euronet back in 1997, along with goalkeeping brother Chris, Jon was WIFC’s leading scorer throughout the early years of the club. Having scored at an average of a goal a game, the thin-legged striker was the scourge of teams across the IFA and he remained the club’s record scorer for years after he last appeared. Work and family commitments took Jon away from the club in the early 2000’s, but his immense contribution was recognised at the Testimonial dinner in 2007 when Jon was inducted to the WIFC hall of fame and he’s since turned out at the Worldnet Vets tournament.

Ian Lay

Position – Striker
DOB – TBC
Debut v Arsenal – May 1997
Nicknames – Taz

Ian managed WIFC through the early years, and juggled the roles of three people in admirable fashion, acting as fixtures organiser, manager and treasuer at the same time. Ian also managed to find time to be a key player for the team, be that on the wing or in his preferred striker’s berth. Ian is also remembered for his on pitch explosions, which led him to the nickname Taz. Also a prolific smoker of dubious substances, he led many a player astray on the memorable Amsterdam trip in 2000. Ian stepped down when he moved away to Somerset in 2002.