Phil Watson (footballer)

Phil Watson

Personal information
Full name	Philip Ross Watson
Date of birth	(1907-02-23)23 February 1907
Place of birth	Shotts, Scotland
Date of death	1990 (aged 82–83)
Playing position	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
-1932	Hamilton Academical
1932–1937	Blackpool	171	(11)
1937–1938	Barnsley	4	(0)
1938–1939	Queen of the South
National team
1933	Scotland	1	(0)
1930	Scottish League XI	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Philip Ross Watson (23 February 1907 – 1990) was a Scottish professional footballer. He made one appearance for the Scotland national team. He played as a defender.

Hamilton Academical

Watson began his career in his native Scotland in the early 1930s with Hamilton Academical. He represented the Scottish League in October 1930.^[1]

Blackpool

In 1932, he moved south to join Blackpool. He made his debut for the Lancashire club on 13 February 1932, in a 2–0 victory over Everton at Bloomfield Road. He came into a defence which had leaked seven goals at Manchester City a week earlier.

He made a further fourteen league appearances in the 1931–32 season, scoring one goal – in a 2–2 draw at home to Liverpool on 5 March. The previous month, he marked Everton's Dixie Dean out of the game, and the Toffees player congratulated him at the final whistle as Jimmy Hampson's brace gave Blackpool a 2–0 win.^[2]

The following season, 1932–33, he was an ever-present in the club's 45 league and cup games. He scored seven league goals, including a hat-trick against Aston Villa at Bloomfield Road on 18 March 1933. He was deputising in the forward line for the injured Jimmy Hampson. Despite his contributions, Blackpool finished bottom of Division One and were relegated.

Another ever-present season followed in 1933–34. He scored one league goal and one FA Cup goal. He also gained his sole cap for Scotland in 1933, in a 2–2 draw with Austria on 29 November.

His run of 129 consecutive games for Blackpool ended midway through the 1934–35 campaign, in which he made 34 appearances and scored two goals. After the signing of centre-half Louis Cardwell, Watson moved to the right-back position. He appeared in the forward line again for two games, alongside Bobby Finan firstly, then Peter Doherty.

Watson continued at right-back for the 1935–36 season, making 35 league appearances. He missed the entire 1936–37 season through injury, but returned to the team in 1937–38, his final one as a Blackpool player, back in the centre-half position.

Watson's 178th and final appearance for Blackpool occurred on 13 November 1937, in a 3–0 home defeat at the hands of Birmingham City.

Barnsley

Barnsley became his third club, but he only made four league appearances for the Tykes before returning to Scotland to finish his career with Queen of the South.

Queen of the South

Signed by Willie Ferguson in 1938, Watson played in the final game of Queens' 1937–38 season, the 3–2 victory against Rangers at Ibrox Park. This was Queens' first league victory against Rangers (Queens had knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup the season before). It was from Watson's pass to Jackie Oakes that led to Queens' first goal in the league game.^[3]

International career

Watson's sole cap for Scotland came against Austria in 1933.

After football

Watson died in 1990 at the age of 83.

References

Specific

General

• Phil Watson at scottishfa.co.uk
• Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 1-873626-07-X.