John Watson (28 November 1883 – 6 May 1946) was a Scottish professional footballer who made over 160 appearances as a full back in the Southern League for

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

. He also played in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

and Leeds City.

Playing career

A full back, Watson began his career in his native Scotland at Scottish League Division Two club Clyde. He earned a £200 move to English First Division club

in October 1902. Watson managed only three league appearances before joining Southern League First Division club New Brompton. Watson joined fellow Southern League First Division club

in 1903 and made 168 appearances in a five-year spell with the club. Along with Brentford teammates Jock Hamilton, Tom McAllister and

Adam Bowman Adam Bowman (4 August 1880 – 4 February 1937) was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Leeds City and Everton as an inside left or centre forward. Personal life After retiring from f ...

, Watson returned to the

to join Second Division club Leeds City in May 1908. He immediately became a fixture in the first team, being named

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, forming a full back-partnership with Jack White and making 32 appearances during the 1908–09 season. Watson began the 1909–10 season as an ever-present, but lost his place in the team and departed the club in 1910. Watson made 49 appearances for Leeds City and ended his career with a second spell at Clyde.

Representative career

While in his first spell with Clyde, Watson appeared for a Glasgow Select XI against Sheffield.

Personal life

After his retirement from football, Watson returned to

and was the landlord of the New Inn (one of four pubs situated at the corners of

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

) from July 1910 until his death in May 1946. Watson's son (also nicknamed "Jock") became a footballer and played for Ealing, Windsor and

Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...

in the 1930s and captained the latter club.

Career statistics

References

1883 births 1946 deaths People from Newarthill Footballers from North Lanarkshire Scottish men's footballers Men's association football fullbacks Brentford F.C. players English Football League players Scottish Football League players Clyde F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Leeds City F.C. players Southern Football League players {{Scotland-footy-defender-1880s-stub