Sunday 6 November 2016 14:23, UK
Watford are preparing to face Liverpool on Nissan Super Sunday, and a trip to Anfield stirs Hornets strikers past and present in Tommy Mooney and Troy Deeney.
Mooney scored his first Premier League goal at Anfield as newly-promoted Watford sealed a maiden top-flight win of the 1999/2000 campaign, while Deeney heads for Merseyside hunting his 100th goal for the club.
Deeney became the first player in Watford's history to hit the 20-goal mark in three successive seasons, but can trace his success to early days at Walsall under Mooney's watchful eye.
Ahead of Sunday's clash, Sky Sports got the mentor and his protege back together to talk old memories and fresh hopes...
Tommy Mooney: You've got a big game this weekend at Liverpool - a difficult game at any stage in the season. I remember going there in 1999 - we came out of the train station and the taxi drivers were laughing at us. 'Like lambs to the slaughter!' they said. But we won 1-0; first win in the Premier League, my first goal in the Premier League - and at the Kop end.
Troy Deeney: I'm trying to get my 100th Watford goal there!
So this is a big game for you personally, as well as the club.
It's massive. We beat them at our place last year then we had them in the final few games of last season. They were kind of concentrating on the Europa League final and we were more or less packing for our holidays. We went there with not as much aggression as we normally would have and I came away feeling a bit disappointed.
It's massive playing in front of the Kop. Liverpool's one of the few grounds - Newcastle, Villa, too - where I've got a proper buzz. It's a completely different Liverpool team - they're running everywhere, scoring goals - so it's going to be a massive test but we're coming into it on decent form ourselves and we know we can have a right good go because then it's the international break.
But you play at 100 per cent every week don't you?
I try my best! I'm not as blessed technically as some of the other guys but what I am good at is roughing people up and making it tough for people. It's about the team winning but if I can score at Liverpool, it'd be quite fitting that you scored your first Premier League goal there and I'm scoring my 100th. That Liverpool goal, was it your greatest goalscoring achievement?
It was really special. Because it was our first win, that's great for the team, but as a Liverpool supporter as a kid, to get a goal and have a day like we did...
You had the highs of that game but the season didn't pan out how you would have wanted personally, and Watford came straight back down. Do you look back and think, 'What if?'
You do at the time. I had a great week, scoring against Liverpool and Bradford, but then a few weeks later against Chelsea I injured my knee in a tackle with Marcel Desailly. I wasn't happy about it and I'm still not! I missed seven-and-a-half months. It was difficult not being able to influence the dressing room and by the time I was fit, we were relegated. It was a difficult season but I played in the Premier League, scored, achieved what we did to get there. There's a lot of pressure on the No 9, isn't there?
There is but it's good fun. I obviously speak to you quite often and others who used to be in the game say, 'Enjoy it while you can.' It's never been about financial reward, of course it helps, but you've always got the thought it could end tomorrow.
I remember getting a call from Richard Money at Walsall asking if I'd like to come and play for a season. I'm 36, it's near home, he said he had a young lad he thought I could help - very raw but works hard. What do you remember about that?
I remember you were at Wycombe the year before and he made me do a report on you - great movement, gets to the back post, doesn't look the quickest! I was young and a bit naive then. I'm still learning now but when you met me I was playing football on the estate with my mates.
You weren't really like a normal 19-year-old; I'd seen a lot doing the big 'I am' but you were like a sponge and you were respectful.
I'm a student, essentially. The game's moved on a bit - the kids are getting a lot more money - but the grounding I got made me focused and appreciate what I'd got. I might not have wanted to carry on if it wasn't for all those lifts, though!
It's your hard work that's got you through. It pains me to say it but you're probably more popular than I was as the Watford No 9! How do you assess the season so far?
We're doing alright. We've been told about the second-season syndrome. Hopefully we can finish higher than last season but it's a case of getting to 40 points as quickly as possible. The new manager is a bit old-school; he likes people getting kicked in training! He likes the intensity. I love him. He keeps it really professional and if the standards drop, like they did against Burnley, he picks it right up. It's a different style of training but I think the boys have adjusted now.
As a former centre-forward I'm not going to ask what your goal target is because that used to annoy me, but the way the team are playing, are you still confident there are goals there for you?
Yes. I think the one thing we've got this season is goals all over; last season it was just me and Iggy (Odion Ighalo). Etienne Capoue, Roberto Pereyra are scoring, Daryl Janmaat doesn't get as much credit as he deserves and has a few goals in him. This year I've got my eye on the goal record.
I don't think I'm going to be in the position to have loads of trophies in my career but I'd like to be able to say I was the third, second-highest goalscorer for Watford. I might have a tough time catching Luther Blissett's 186, though!
I haven't scored at Anfield. Like Old Trafford or the old Wembley, it's got that prestige. My nan is a Liverpool fan, so I hope I can do it there and write my name into history but also do it on a massive stage against a team that's flying.
Ignore the tax drivers! Enjoy the atmosphere and the anthem. It's spine-tingling but when the whistle goes it's down to work. What's the secrets to winning at Anfield? I'm not sure there is one.
From our point of view, you can't fear them. They've got some brilliant footballers so you have to have a bit of respect but on the day you're just 11 footballers versus 11 footballers. I know if I'm a handful it's going to take more than one of them to stop me.
Watch Tommy Mooney's chat with Troy Deeney in the build-up to Liverpool v Watford - 2.15pm kick-off - live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 1.30pm on Super Sunday. Follow on the move and watch in-game clips and highlights via the Football Score Centre app.
