The Bluebirds visited Vicarage Road in October 2009 having been winless there for 39 years.
Dave Jones’ side had started the season brightly, but were coming off the back of two losses when they began a new week containing fixtures against Derby County and Watford.
City started the week in superb style with an unforgettable Tuesday night under the lights at the CCS. The Bluebirds started well with an early goal from Peter Whittingham, and Michael Chopra doubled that lead before the half-time interval. The Rams pulled one back before Chopra responded in one of his finest games in South Wales. The striker netted another two to complete his hat-trick by the 63rd minute, and added his fourth of the night 15 minutes later. Chris Burke sealed the evening with City’s final goal in a 6-1 win.
Jones' men then had to travel to Hertfordshire to face the Hornets at a ground where they hadn’t won for 39 years - Brian Clark scored the only goal in a 1-0 City victory back in October 1970. However, despite that record, the Bluebirds were confident after their emphatic result four days earlier, while Watford had been defeated by a late comeback from Coventry City.
Going into the fixture, the spotlight was on Chopra after his clinical performance against the Rams. The striker was a former Hornet himself; he played on loan at Watford at the back end of the 2002/03 season, and despite featuring only five times, found his way onto the scoresheet five times, with Watford boss Ray Lewington expressing his interest in keeping the forward for another loan spell, which did not materialise.
Unsurprisingly, Chopra started for City, as well as Whittingham, who was making his 150th career start. The Bluebirds began strongly with some neat passing play, but the biggest chance of the opening quarter fell to a future Bluebird, Don Cowie, whose free kick clattered the crossbar before Tom Cleverley forced David Marshall into a smart save.
It was Whitts who had the chance to give City the lead after 24 minutes. Neat play had slipped in Jay Bothroyd, who was brought down by Craig Cathcart, and the referee pointed to the spot. As expected, our number 7 made no mistake, slotting the ball home to put the Bluebirds ahead.
The next chance did fall to the man in fine scoring form, but, to the bemusement of all inside Vicarage Road, Chopra sliced it wide from only six yards out. The opportunities continued to fall to the men from the Welsh capital, and Mark Hudson’s header then hit the post as City looked destined to double their lead.
The Bluebirds’ lead was eventually doubled by the most unlikely of sources. Welsh full back Adam Mathews had a free kick just inside the Watford half. On just his ninth professional appearance, his delivery from around 50 yards deceived the Watford goalkeeper and, with slight help from the wind, left Dave Jones delighted at the interval, with a 2-0 lead.
Chopra continued his search for a goal in the second half and demanded a penalty after his effort was cleared off the line by Cathcart, with suspicions that he had handled it to do so.
The Bluebirds’ superiority was confirmed when Gavin Rae sent in a cross, which was finished off with an unusual headed goal by Whittingham. Only a minute later, Bothroyd latched onto a through ball and calmly ended his 10-game goal drought, rounding off what was a superb goalscoring display from the Bluebirds to take home three points with a 4-0 result.
Despite such superiority from the visitors, Marshall was called upon once more to maintain his clean sheet when Nathan Ellington had a shot from close range. Chopra had one more chance to get his fifth goal of the week, but his effort only just missed the target.
The Bluebirds’ match against the Hornets in 2009 ended their long winless run at Vicarage Road in fine style. City then went into an international break after scoring 10 goals in a week, which made them the division’s top scorers and boosted them into fourth place.