As well as individual, iconic design, the unifying factor behind what we consider to be classic football shirts are the memories and emotions they stir in us.
A classic football shirt can take you all the way back to the agony and ecstasy of a moment in your life where your team either reached for glory or let you down badly.
Javi Gracia’s yellow and black army made the short trip from Vicarage Road to Wembley for the FA Cup Final, only to meet a Manchester City side in imperious form.
Pep Guardiola’s City were in an unstoppable, unforgiving mood as they secured the domestic treble with an unrelenting 6-0 Wembley win that made for uncomfortable viewing for neutral supporters, let alone fans of the Hertfordshire club.
The Hornets had beaten the odds to book their first FA Cup Final date since 1984, with Gérard Deulofeu and Troy Deeney inspiring a semi-final comeback victory over Wolves to instantly attain a place in club folklore.
Despite what happened in the FA Cup Final, Watford supporters had a 2018-19 season to remember under Javi Gracia and the individual nature of the yellow and black home shirts captured our attention as they finished the season in 11th place for their best ever Premier League finish.
The yellow and black stripes introduced by Adidas were a departure from the club’s more established shirts and quickly earned plaudits among the Premier League’s best kits of the 2018/19 releases.
Watford have not been afraid to experiment down the years having worn blue, as well as black and white stripes for periods in their history, before settling on the now famous yellow with various combinations of red and black as their established club colours.
Although Watford’s pride was cruelly hurt by Raheem Sterling and Co on Saturday, this Glory Hornet Boys’ shirt will take its place among classic kits from the club’s past and will be a look they will return to again in the future.
Don’t dwell on the brutal cup final result, this shirt is worthy of praise in its own right and is a deserved recipient of our latest Kit of the Week gong.
Sartorial Soccer 