The draw for the first round was made on 17 June 2014 at 10am. Watford were drawn away to Stevenage.
Squad statistics
No. = Squad number Pos = Playing position P = Number of games played G = Number of goals scored = Yellow cards GK = Goalkeeper DF = Defender MF = Midfielder FW = Forward = Red cards Yth = Whether player went through Watford's youth system Joined club = Year that player became a Watford first team player Age = Current age Loan player Statistics correct as of 2 May 2015.
In 2014–15, Watford's under-21 side competed in the Under-21 Premier League Cup, progressing through four rounds before losing 3–2 away at Southampton in the quarter-finals. They also played in the Herts Senior Cup, progressing through one round before losing to Hemel Hempstead in the quarter-finals. The under-18s finished 5th in the South-East Conference of the Football League Youth Alliance, subsequently qualifying for Merit League One. In the FA Youth Cup they entered in the third round, losing 3–1 away at Swansea. Watford's academy in 2014–15 consisted of 17 scholars:
In the second year: Arie Ammann, Matthew Hall, Harry Kyprianou, Dennon Lewis, Mahlondo Martin, Il Myeong Choi, Kunle Otudeko, Carl Stewart and Alfie Young.
Panos Armenakas was announced as joining the first-year in April 2014, but in June he signed for Italian club Udinese, who are also owned by the Pozzo family. On 1 September the club announced second-year midfielder Tom Rosenthal had left to join Belgian side S.V. Zulte Waregem in order for him to be closer to an ill family member. On 15 September striker Ogo Obi signed a two-year scholarship deal with the club, with a one-year professional deal from its expiration in 2016. Obi had been with the club since the under-11 age-group, but had spent time on trial with Manchester United over the pre-season. Goalkeeper Shaun Rowley, a scholar with Shrewsbury Town, joined the academy on a youth loan for the early part of the reason, returning to his parent club in October. Stewart transferred to Udinese in January. In February Folivi signed a deal that would see him become professional at the end of his scholarship in 2016, with the club holding the option of adding a further year. On 1 May, Watford announced that Lewis, Martin and Young would be offered professional contracts of an unspecified length, while Hall would have his scholarship extended after he suffered from an injury in 2014–15. Ammann, Choi, Otudeko and Kyprianou, who was an unused substitute for the first-team's FA Cup game away at Bristol City on 4 January 2014, were released.
