Features: Cleverley's Other Debuts

Many things have been different ever since August 22, 2009.

Ryan Andrews was getting ready for his five-year anniversary celebration. Oasis were about to break up in a week. Barack Obama had only been in office as President for less than twelve months. The song, I Gotta Feeling, was topping the charts by The Black Eyed Peas.

Tom Cleverley was scheduled to appear at his home debut for the Hornets.

After almost 15 years, he is getting the chance to do it again, this time as the temporary Head Coach of the first team.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding Cleverley's temporary signing, as he had made an impression with his playing abilities in the Manchester United and England youth squads.

The anticipation grew stronger when he had a successful start in his temporary time with the Watford soccer team, scoring a goal during extra time and securing their initial win of the Championship season against Nottingham Forest, with a final score of 4-2.

So, a lot of people would have gone to Vicarage Road that Saturday afternoon to witness Cleverley's debut and discover what he was like.

On that day, the midfielder had his first match at Vicarage Road and it was his second starting appearance in a week.

He properly introduced himself to the fans of the home team by scoring a goal in the second half which became his first ever goal as a Watford player at The Vic stadium.

Cleverley remembers the game against Forest from the first two matches as it had a personal connection since it involved his family.

To be completely truthful, the first match I played for this team is more memorable, he disclosed to watfordfc.com.

When I was growing up, my father supported Forest and we frequently visited the City Ground where they played.

Cleverley looks back on the entire week with nostalgia and says "I remember it well." He expresses that it was a wonderful experience to score on his first game, and even better to have a home debut where they drew 2-2 with Blackpool, where he scored another goal.

"I recall it was an extremely warm day!"

The person who borrowed the money made a good beginning and managed to keep it up for the entire campaign, eventually scoring 11 goals. This impressive performance helped them win the Player Of The Season award from Hornets.

Many things would be different from the end of that season until the next time he wore a Watford shirt. Cleverley would go on to play for both England and Team GB, and he would also win a Premier League championship with Manchester United during his absence.

He had played for a few different teams like Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa, and Everton, besides Manchester United, before he went back to Watford. He returned to Vicarage Road in January 2017, but for the first time, it was on loan.

He played his second home game on January 14 and it also resulted in a tie. The score was 0-0 in the Premier League match against Middlesbrough.

He entered the game as a substitute during a heartfelt day at Vicarage Road. The entire stadium honored the club's most legendary coach, Graham Taylor, who had passed away only 48 hours before.

Cleverley came very close to making a great comeback, but unfortunately his shot hit the post and the game ended in a tie without any goals scored.

He acknowledged that returning was a straightforward choice once the game concluded.

He expressed his enthusiasm for returning to this place and how it always brings him joy. Hence, he eagerly took the opportunity to return once again.

At the conclusion of that particular season, Cleverley made a definitive decision to sign a long-term contract with the Hornets. He remained with the team throughout the remainder of his professional career, but eventually had to retire due to an injury that occurred last year.

He chose to remain at the club and assumed the position of the Under-18s Lead Coach in the Academy. As a result, he made his first appearance in the dugout at Vicarage Road during the FA Youth Cup third-round game against Manchester City on December 19th of the preceding year.

Before his first coaching appearance at the stadium, the thirty-four-year-old expressed his excitement stating, "I am very much anticipating it. Returning to the stadium will be a great reunion for me."

Although his team lost 2-0, he took a moment to contemplate his coaching debut at Vicarage Road.

"I feel extremely pleased," he expressed. "The experience was quite unusual, entering the manager's office and taking a seat at the forefront of the dug-out. I immensely relished it. It was an exceptional opportunity for me to acquire new knowledge."

Today's match against Leeds United at 8pm kick-off is another milestone in Cleverley's journey with Watford. Throughout his time with the club, he has made four separate debuts at Vicarage Road.

He mentioned that he won't be able to fully relish it until the end of the game when the referee blows the whistle.