Watford v Middlesbrough: Rob Edwards on his first return to Vicarage Road
ROB Edwards' short-lived tenure at Watford in 2022-23 lasted a mere 11 games - before he joined the long list of managerial casualties at the Hertfordshire club.
With the benefit of hindsight, the Middlesbrough boss believes that events ultimately did him a favour. After being sacked, he linked up with the Hornets' arch-rivals Luton Town and enjoyed a largely memorable chapter in his career.
He is now hoping to pen another on Teesside and while his time at Watford was very short, disappointments can sometimes make managers better.
Ahead of his first return to Vicarage Road, Edwards said: "I’ve not been back there since I left, so this will be a new experience for me.
"I wasn’t there that long and it was a while ago now, but it just has to be another game for me.
"It was frustrating that it was such a short spell, but it was probably the right thing for me and the club, and I took a lot from it."
Boro will be without summer signing Abdoulaye Kante for a couple of weeks following hernia surgery.
Left-back Alex Bangura will miss out at Watford due to illness, but centre-half George Edmundson is close to returning to the squad.