Chequer Street in St Albans is a bustling hive of activity. Rammed with restaurants and bars, it’s a prime destination for Watford staff, players included, to head for some post-training relaxation with their London Colney HQ close by.
Shortly after his appointment as the club’s new manager in January 2018, Javi Gracia, who has been handed the reins at Leeds, was invited to join his new colleagues at one particular gastropub after training one afternoon.
It was largely a token gesture, no-one believed for a second Gracia would take them up on the offer.