David Watson (footballer, born 2005)

Last updated

David Watson
Personal information
Full name David Shankland Watson [1]
Date of birth (2005-02-12) 12 February 2005 (age 19) [1]
Place of birth Prestwick, Scotland
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Kilmarnock
Number 12
Youth career
Caledonian [2]
2015–2022 Kilmarnock
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022– Kilmarnock 58 (7)
International career‡
2023– Scotland U19 10 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:20, 29 April 2024 (UTC)

David Shankland Watson (born 12 February 2005) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock.

Contents

Club career

Raised in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, where he attended Queen Margaret Academy, [3] Watson trained with Kilmarnock from the age of seven and officially joined the club's youth system aged ten. [2] He signed a two-year professional contract on 3 September 2021 [4] and made his senior debut the following day as a late substitute in a Scottish Challenge Cup victory over Falkirk, but was not otherwise involved with the first team squad that season as Killie were promoted as winners of the Scottish Championship.

During the following season, he made early appearances in the Scottish League Cup but it was not until March 2023, shortly after turning 18, that he began to feature regularly in the Scottish Premiership, [5] making his league debut under manager Derek McInnes at Ibrox Stadium against Rangers [6] and starting eight of the last ten fixtures; his breakthrough coincided with an upturn in results (with the exception of a home defeat to St Johnstone in which Watson received a first half red card) [7] and the club escaped relegation, finishing in 10th place. [8] He agreed a new two-year contract in May 2023. [9] [6]

At the start of the 2023–24 season, Watson continued to feature in the starting lineup and was praised for his performances as Kilmarnock defeated both Rangers (in the Premiership) and Celtic (in the League Cup) by 1–0 scorelines at Rugby Park within the space of a fortnight. [10] In November 2023, he signed a further extension to his deal until 2026 after more impressive performances for the first team. [11] Kilmarnock finished fourth in the Premiership to qualify for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League and Watson's contributions were recognised with Young Player of the Year awards from both the Writers' Association [12] and the Footballers' Association. [13] [14]

International career

Watson received his first call-up to the Scotland under-19 national team in August 2023. [15] He made his debut for the under-21s in June 2024, with fellow highly-regarded midfielder Lennon Miller doing likewise. [16]

Personal life

Watson's mother Claire Houston was also a footballer, as well as a Scottish senior international. [2] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilmarnock F.C.</span> Association football club in Kilmarnock, Scotland

Kilmarnock Football Club, commonly known as Killie, is a Scottish professional football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire. The team is currently managed by Derek McInnes, who was appointed in January 2022. The club has achieved several honours since its formation in 1869, most recently the 2011–12 Scottish League Cup after a 1–0 win over Celtic at Hampden Park and the Scottish Championship title in 2022. The club nickname, Killie, is the Scottish term for the town of Kilmarnock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Boyd</span> Scottish footballer

Kris Boyd is a Scottish former professional footballer who is currently working as a sports pundit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek McInnes</span> Scottish football manager (born 1971)

Derek John McInnes is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock. He featured prominently for Greenock Morton, Rangers, West Bromwich Albion and Dundee United during his playing career. He won two caps for the Scotland national team while with West Brom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Lafferty</span> Northern Irish footballer

Kyle Joseph George Lafferty is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for West of Scotland Football League First Division side Johnstone Burgh.

Gordon Marshall is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. Marshall played as a goalkeeper for several clubs, most notably Falkirk, Celtic, Kilmarnock and Motherwell, and in one international match for Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cammy Bell</span> Scottish footballer and manager (born 1986)

Cameron Bell is a Scottish football coach and former player. Bell played as a goalkeeper for several Scottish clubs and once for the Scotland national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Forrest (footballer, born 1991)</span> Scottish footballer

James Forrest is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Scotland national team.

Robbie Muirhead is a Scottish professional footballer, who plays as a forward for Scottish Championship club Livingston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Starfelt</span> Swedish footballer (born 1995)

Carl Anders Theodor Starfelt is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Celta Vigo and the Sweden national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Shankland</span> Scottish footballer (born 1995)

Lawrence Shankland is a footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian and the Scotland national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Ralston</span> Scottish footballer (born 1998)

Anthony Ralston is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Scotland national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Taylor (Scottish footballer)</span> Scottish footballer (born 1997)

Greg John Taylor is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Scotland national team. He was in the Rangers youth system but was released and then signed for Kilmarnock, where he made his senior debut. After three seasons in the Kilmarnock first team, Taylor was sold to Celtic in September 2019. After playing regularly for the Scotland under-21 team, Taylor made his full international debut for Scotland in June 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odsonne Édouard</span> French footballer (born 1998)

Odsonne Édouard is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Leicester City, on loan from Crystal Palace.

Calvin Miller is a Scottish footballer who can play as a left-back or winger for Scottish Championship club Falkirk. Miller has previously played for Celtic, Dundee, Ayr United, Harrogate Town, Notts County, Chesterfield and Greenock Morton.

The 2017–18 season was Kilmarnock's fifth season in the Premiership, and their 25th consecutive season in the top flight of Scotlish football.

David Turnbull is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Cardiff City and the Scotland national team. He began his career at Motherwell before moving to Celtic in 2020 where he won the three Scottish domestic competitions twice each; he also won both the major Young Player of the Year awards. He joined Cardiff in February 2024.

The 2022–23 season was the 144th season of competitive association football and 10th season in the Scottish Professional Football League played by Kilmarnock Football Club, a professional football club based in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. Their first-place finish in the Scottish Championship in 2021–22 meant it was their first season back in the Scottish Premiership after spending one year in the second tier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross McCausland</span> Northern Irish footballer (born 2003)

Ross McCausland is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays for Scottish Premiership club Rangers and the Northern Ireland national team.

Lennon Lee Miller is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Motherwell.

The 2023–24 season is the 145th season of competitive association football and the 11th season in the Scottish Professional Football League played by Kilmarnock Football Club, a professional football club based in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. The club is competing in the top tier of Scottish football for the second consecutive season.

References

  1. 1 2 "D. Watson: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Kilmarnock teenager David Watson wants to follow in footsteps of boss Derek McInnes, Colin Paterson, Daily Record, 13 December 2022
  3. ↑ QMA newsletter Issue 7 | Sporting Update, Queen Margaret Academy, 2 December 2016; via issuu
  4. ↑ David Watson | News & Quotes, KillieFC.com. Retrieved 26 August 2023
  5. ↑ David Watson exemplifies why Kilmarnock training ground is so vital, Ewan Paton, The Herald, 6 April 2023
  6. 1 2 3 Kilmarnock prospect David Watson targeting Scotland debut to make family proud, Gavin McCafferty, The Irish News, 12 May 2023
  7. ↑ Kilmarnock 0 St Johnstone 1: Instant reaction to the burning issues, David Irvine, The National, 20 May 2023
  8. ↑ Kilmarnock star David Watson spending summer in gym as he bids to bulk up for first team success, Lochlin Highet, Daily Record, 15 June 2023
  9. ↑ David Watson commits his future to the club, Kilmarnock FC, 11 May 2023
  10. ↑ Kilmarnock 1-0 Celtic: Who impressed?, BBC Sport, 20 August 2023
  11. ↑ Watson pens new deal, Kilmarnock FC, 29 November 2023
  12. ↑ "David Watson wins Young Player of the Year". scottishfwa.com. SFWA. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Alan Pattullo (4 May 2024). "PFA Scotland wonderkids can be 2034 World Cup stars as young player award marks 10 years since Andy Robertson". The Scotsman. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  14. ↑ "Lawrence Shankland, David Watson & Rangers trio win PFA awards". BBC Sport. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  15. ↑ Watson and Wales receive Scotland call-ups, Kilmarnock FC, 22 August 2023
  16. ↑ Lennon Miller and David Watson earn first Scotland under-21 call ups, Clyde 1 News, 23 May 2024
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.