James Watson (4 October 1877 – 12 June 1942) was a Scottish footballer who played at left back. He won the Football League championship with Sunderland in 1901–02 and made six appearances for Scotland.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Watson | ||
| Date of birth | 4 October 1877 | ||
| Place of birth | Motherwell, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 12 June 1942 (aged 64) | ||
| Place of death | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Position(s) | Left back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1895–1897 | Burnbank Athletic | ||
| 1897–1900 | Clyde | 35 | (1) |
| 1900–1907 | Sunderland | 211 | (0) |
| 1907–1910 | Middlesbrough | 103 | (0) |
| 1910–1911 | Shildon | ||
| International career | |||
| 1903–1909 | Scotland | 6 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career edit
Early career edit
Watson was born in Motherwell and played for Burnbank Athletic before joining Clyde.[1]
Sunderland edit
He joined Sunderland in 1899, after a trial at Sheffield United. His debut came in a 0–0 draw against Glossop North End on 24 February 1900.[2] He went on to make three league appearances that season. The following season he only missed two games as Sunderland finished runners-up, with Watson and Andy McCombie teaming up in front of goal-keeper Ned Doig. The three Scottish internationals appeared in a notable total of 109 league and cup games between February 1900 and February 1904 when McCombie was transferred to Newcastle United.[3]
He came to be considered as one of the finest full backs in the country. He possessed the intriguing nickname of "Daddy Long Legs" due to his arms and legs moving excessively when he ran.[4] In 1901–02 Watson only missed one game, as Sunderland claimed the Championship by a three-point margin over Everton.
Watson's first Scotland match came on 9 March 1903 in a 1–0 victory over Wales. In the next match, against England on 4 April, Watson was teamed in defence with his Sunderland colleagues, Doig and McCombie, resulting in a Scottish victory by 2 goals to 1.[5] He went on to play against England in each of the next two years, both matches won 1–0 by England.
Watson remained at Sunderland until 1907, when he moved to Middlesbrough. In his Sunderland career he played a total of 225 matches, never scoring.
Middlesbrough edit
He remained at Middlesbrough until 1910 making over 100 appearances. In March 1909 he was recalled to the Scotland team making appearances against Ireland and England.
He later emigrated to Canada.[6]
Honours edit
- Football League champions: 1901–02
References edit
- ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Sunderland 0 Glossop North End 0, 24 February 1900 (Match summary)
- ^ "Article on Ned Doig". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
- ^ Sunderland profile
- ^ England 1 Scotland 2, 4 April 1903 (Match summary) Archived 3 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Vancouver Home of 21 Famed Soccer Players, The Leader-Post, 22 February 1934
External links edit
- Scotland profile at London Hearts Supporters Club
- Full details of Sunderland career at The Stat Cat