Six years before Watford and Bristol City battled it out for the Division Two title on the final day of the season, the Hornets and the Robins faced off in the same league in a game of different significance.

Luther Blissett would step out onto a football pitch as a Watford player for the final time, capping off an unbelievable career in yellow spanning three spells and 503 competitive appearances.

The record goalscorer and appearance maker had come a long way since making his debut 16 years earlier against Barnsley, a prolific 18-year-old forward from the youth ranks, spearheading a Watford side which climbed through the divisions, all the way to a second-placed finish in the top tier.

For a game with low stakes, an entertaining encounter ensued. On-loan Robins forward Andy Cole opened the scoring only for Jason Drysdale to equalise soon after.

Cole doubled his tally in the second half to restore the visitors’ lead before a defensive error allowed Darren Bazeley to bring the sides level for the third time that afternoon.

Trevor Putney’s low, placed shot had just enough power to ripple the net and put Watford ahead for the first time in the game after a spell of dominance from the Golden Boys, with an enjoyable game turning crazy after the hour-mark. No fewer than three Bristol City players, Ray Atteveld, Wayne Allison and Mark Aizlewood, saw red for a mixture of mistimed fouls and poor language directed at officials.

If the game needed any more action, Blissett’s introduction from the bench would provide exactly that. The almost inevitable took place with three minutes left of normal time when Blissett, as he had done 185 times before that, found the target, a thumping header at the back post.

Not the only Watford legend and loyal servant to get in on the act, Nigel Gibbs then added gloss to the scoreline with a stoppage-time rocket from range on the same day he picked up his Player of the Season award, netting one of only five goals scored for the Golden Boys in over 400 appearances.

Blissett marked an end to his unforgettable Hornets career in style, adding to an already emphatic legacy at the club on his final game.