Watford FC's promotion back to the Premier League in the 2014/15 campaign was an incredible triumph for a club that had spent nine consecutive seasons in the Championship, and supporters will never forget the team that helped return them to the top flight.
The Hornets had been relegated to the second tier in 2007, and failed to make an instant return, losing to Hull City in the play-offs, the eventual winners.
They finished in the top six just one more time before their promotion season, dramatically seeing themselves past Leicester City in the semi-finals before Crystal Palace defeated them in the final at Wembley.
However, there was a great feeling of hope heading into 2014/15 after a successful summer window, and the arrival of Odion Ighalo from Udinese, originally on loan, proved to be a real game-changer for Watford as Giuseppe Sannino geared up for the new campaign.
Ighalo was excellent in the Championship
The Nigerian had a slow start to life in England, and failed to score in any of his first five league appearances for the Hornets, with the manager who brought him to the club resigning a month into the season despite winning four of the five matches that the team played.
Nevertheless, with Slavisa Jokanovic coming in to take charge at Vicarage Road, Ighalo started to have an impact, and he scored three goals in three games to take the Hertfordshire club into the top two.
Slavisa Jokanovic Sheffield United
His loan was ended early by Udinese on 24 October, with his contract also being terminated on the same day to allow the Championship side the opportunity to sign him permanently.
However, the then 25-year-old struggled to get among the goals once again after that early run of form, but 2015 saw him take huge strides forward in his Watford career.
Odion Ighalo celebrates a goal for Watford
He found the back of the net against Cardiff City at the end of December in a 4-2 win, starting a run of 14 goals in just 10 games, including four at home to Blackpool, as the Hornets maintained their position in the top six.
Jokanovic's side ended the season incredibly strongly, losing only once in 14 matches, with Ighalo adding another three strikes on top of the 17 that he had already scored to help his team to automatic promotion, narrowly missing out on the league title due to a 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the campaign.
Ighalo's form continued in the Premier League thereafter
The step-up to the Premier League was one that was always going to be a challenge for Watford and Ighalo, but it did not take long at all for the former Manchester United striker to get firing in the top division.
He scored his side's second goal of the season, in just their first match, as the Hornets were held to a 2-2 draw away to Everton at Goodison Park.
The Nigerian scored in six consecutive matches halfway through the season, as the Hornets made a surprising challenge for Europe. Ighalo and Watford's form both dropped off dramatically towards the end of the campaign, and they slipped towards mid-table, eventually finishing 13th.
Odion Ighalo 1920
The striker never quite got back to the high standard that he had set himself in his first two years at Vicarage Road, and despite signing a new five-year contract at the start of the 2015/16 season, he moved to China.
Odion Ighalo Watford FC Stats by Season (TransferMarkt)
Season
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
He joined Changchun Yatai for £20m in January 2017, later explaining that he made the switch due to financial incentives. Nevertheless, the impact he made during his time with the Hornets can not be understated, and supporters will never forget his 2014 move from Udinese.
Matej Vydra Related
[Derby County: Nigel Pearson cited Watford FC recruit's "healthy" record - he was on the money](https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/derby-county-nigel-pearson-matej-vydra-watford-record-he-was-on-the-money/ "Derby County: Nigel Pearson cited Watford FC recruit's "healthy" record - he was on the money")
The former Rams boss did not get much right during his time at Pride Park, but the signing of Matej Vydra was an excellent one.