EXCLUSIVE: Watford captain Megan Chandler on football, family and festive break | OneFootball

Megan Chandler (Watford FC/FAWNL)

It was a disappointing end to 2025 for Watford, losing 3-2 to FA Women’s National League Southern Premier leaders AFC Bournemouth at the very last gasp in the final match before the winter break.

Had they managed to take all three points, they would have gone into the new year on top of the league.

But captain Megan Chandler is confident that they will be able to bounce right back.

“I think the goal remains the same for us. Promotion is what we want and we’ve been there before and we know that the path is never smooth sailing. The weekend wasn’t ideal, but we also know that it’s a long season and there’s still a lot of games to play and anything can happen in this league. It’s a great league. All games are very unpredictable.  

“So for us, we go back into training in a couple of days, and start again. I think the break will do us good, [it’s a] chance to reset mentally, physically and then we’ll come back hungry and what will be will be. 

“So we’ll give everything and I don’t think one loss for us is going to be a defining moment in our season.” 

“Helen Ward paved the way for a lot of mums”

Chandler started the year by making her 100th appearance for the club, and she says the last 12 months have gone by in a flash. That milestone was a nice moment of recognition for her and also, she says, her family, including her two children.  

“We’re in a position at Watford where we’re not quite full-time yet, so that jump’s still got to come, so we’re all juggling families, full-time jobs, and then playing for Watford on top. There has been a lot of progress, but as the game continues to grow, there’ll need to be a lot more – hopefully players can give up their full-time jobs to become professional footballers, then having a family isn’t just something on top of an already very busy schedule.” 

She points to the footballing achievements of the women’s team’s general manager – former Wales international Helen Ward. 

“She paved the way for a lot of mums to come. Seeing how she did it when there was not really any resources for her back in the day is fantastic.” 

Megan Chandler: The girls will be ready

Watford begin the New Year with what’s set to be a thrilling meeting with second-placed Plymouth Argyle. The two teams are separated by a single point in the table, both with eight wins to their credit from 12 league games so far.

And Chandler and her squad will be back in training on 27th December in preparation for a crucial game.

“We have all games in the back of our minds, but this year we’ve really honed in on one game at a time because sometimes when you’re in a promotion race it’s so easy to look too far forward, so we’ve really been just taking it one game at a time. 

“Bournemouth has been and gone and what happened, happened. Now it’s a case of we’ll have a few days off with our families and enjoy the reset, and then come the 27th, when we come back in, we’ll look to Plymouth. 

“We know that game is potentially a very big game. The girls will be ready, ready and wanting it, when they come back in.”