Wheater's calamitous backpass enabled Chester-le- Street-born Graham to break the deadlock after just 17 seconds of Saturday's encounter with his former club, Middlesbrough, and the striker rubbed salt into the wound when he scored a second midway through the first half.
Wheater's mistake set the tone for a miserable Boro performance, and while Graham has some sympathy for his erstwhile colleague, he was more than happy to take advantage.
I know Wheats well, so I'll be sending him a text to say, Thanks very much'.
That happens as a defender.
You make mistakes and, unfortunately, you get punished.
I noticed that he hadn't had a look, so I moved into that area and took a chance.
When he played the ball, I couldn't believe my luck. But Wheats is a good player and I'm sure he'll bounce back and have a good season.
Having graduated from Boro's Academy in 2003, Graham was afforded just one league start during his four years on the senior books.
His face did not fit as he endured loan spells at Darlington, Derby, Leeds, Blackpool and Carlisle, and was allowed to join the Cumbrians on a free transfer in 2007.
He rebuilt his career at Brunton Park, and has scored 20 goals in 44 Championship starts since joining Watford last summer.
His muscular, industrious style makes him one of the most effective strikers at this level, and while some of Boro's recent sales have made obvious financial sense, Graham must go down as an Academy product that got away.
I think I've improved a lot as a player since leaving the North-East, but that's what playing games does for your confidence, he said. When I was up at Boro, I didn't play a lot of games. It's hard to show what you're really capable of in that situation.
The time was right for me to move on from Boro. We went our separate ways, but I have a lot of fond memories from my time there and I'll never forget that it was them who gave me a chance to get started in the professional game. I still hold them close to my heart in that respect.
But I'm a Watford player now and I'm really enjoying my football here. I had a lot of Teesside people telling me they were coming to the game, so I'll look forward to seeing what they have to say about me. I'll try not to rub their noses in it too much, although I'm obviously pleased with how the team played.
Source: Northern Echo
Source: Northern Echo