Keith Edward Watson (born 14 November 1989) is a Scottish
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
, who plays as a defender for Ross County.
A product of Dundee United's youth development system, Watson made his first team debut in January 2007. His early career was disrupted by injury problems, and he spent periods on loan to
Forfar Athletic
Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two. They play their home games a ...
and East Fife before establishing himself in the Dundee United team in 2010; he was a member of the squad that won the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Hibernian.
Watson signed for St Mirren in August 2015 and joined
St Johnstone
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...
in 2016. He joined
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...
on loan in August 2017, and after leaving St Johnstone in the 2018 close season he signed for Ross County.
Early life
Watson was born and brought up in
Livingston
Livingston may refer to:
Businesses
* Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010)
* Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline
* Livingston International, a North American custom ...
, where he attended
Deans Community High School
Deans Community High School is a secondary school, secondary level school, in Deans, Livingston, West Lothian, Livingston, Scotland. The school opened in 1978, and is Coeducational, co-educational, with 1279 pupils.
Feeder schools
Until Octobe ...
. He played for Livingston Star Boys Club, a youth team run by his father, before joining the Dundee United youth system at under-14 level.
Career
Dundee United
Watson was included in the club's first team squad whilst still a youth signing, being an unused substitute for United's last two matches of the 2005–06 season. After signing his first professional contract in December 2006, Watson's debut for the Dundee United first team came in the Scottish Cup third round match against St Mirren in January 2007, when he played 85 minutes in a 3–2 victory. Following this victory, he was described by his then manager Craig Levein as "without fear of contradiction, the best young player I have ever worked with".
Watson, who made his first league appearance as a late substitute in March 2007, was due to start in the match against
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
shortly afterwards but suffered a dislocated knee during the
warm-up
'Warming up' is a part of stretching and preparation for physical exertion or a performance by exercising or practicing gently beforehand, usually undertaken before a performance or practice. Athletes, singers, actors and others warm up before s ...
. Having featured in a handful of reserve matches throughout September 2008, manager Craig Levein stated he would be sent out on
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
to continue his build-up to full fitness and was loaned to Forfar for a month in January 2009.
Suffering another knee dislocation in a practice match after playing his first match for Forfar, Watson's loan was extended after it was revealed he would return to playing within weeks,
In 2009, Watson agreed a contract extension with United until May 2012, going out on loan again in December to East Fife.
After returning from loan in March 2010, Watson was brought on as a 47th-minute substitute for
Mihael Kovačević
Mihael Kovačević (born 6 March 1988) is a Swiss former professional footballer.
Club career
Of Croatian descent, Kovačević was born in Basel, Switzerland, and began his career with spells across Europe, playing for BSC Old Boys in Switzerl ...
in a 1–0 Scottish Cup victory over Rangers. This opportunity lead to 11 appearances in the remainder of the season, culminating in a substitute appearance in the
2010 Scottish Cup Final
The 2010 Scottish Cup Final was the 125th final of the Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition, the Scottish Cup. The match took place on 15 May 2010, at Hampden Park, Glasgow and was contested by first time finalists Ross Coun ...
victory against Ross County on 15 May 2010.
The 2010–11 season saw a breakthrough to regular first team football for Watson, making 34 appearances in total. His first goal was marked against Motherwell in a 4–0 win at Tannadice Park on 7 May 2011, where he also won man of the match. He scored his second Dundee United goal on 17 March 2012 against
Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
.
On 28 January 2015, Watson signed for Hibernian on loan until the end of the season to provide defensive cover for the Edinburgh side. Dundee United announced in April 2015 that Watson would be released when his contract expires at the end of the season.
St Mirren
Watson signed for St Mirren on a short-term deal in August 2015. His contract was extended in December 2015 to the end of the 2015–16 season.
St Johnstone
On 2 May 2016, it was announced that Watson had signed a pre-contract agreement with
St Johnstone
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...
. The contract was for two years, keeping Watson at the club until the summer of 2018. After initially struggling with injuries after joining the club, Watson was subsequently unable to break into the team once
Ricky Foster
Richard Martyn Foster (born 31 July 1985) is a Scottish footballer. He previously played for Aberdeen, Rangers, Bristol City, St Johnstone, Ross County, Partick Thistle, and Detroit City.
Foster primarily plays as a right back, although he is ...
became established in the right back position. Having been restricted to six first team appearances in his first season, Watson joined English
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
club
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...
on loan in August 2017, until January 2018. After two injury-troubled seasons, St Johnstone announced that they would release Watson at the end of the 2017–18 season.
Ross County
Watson signed for Ross County during the 2018 close season. He won the
Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland
Scotland (, ...
in his first season with Ross County. Watson was made club captain for the 2021-22 season. On 11 March 2022 Watson signed a new one-year contract keeping him at the club until 2023.
Career statistics
Honours
Club
Dundee United
*
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2009–10
Ross County
*
Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland
Scotland (, ...