Kevin Watson

Kevin Watson

Personal information
Full name	Kevin Edward Watson
Date of birth	3 January 1974 (1974-01-03)
Place of birth	Hackney, London, England
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1992–1996	Tottenham Hotspur	5	(0)
1994	→ Brentford (loan)	3	(0)
1994	→ Bristol City (loan)	2	(0)
1995	→ Barnet (loan)	13	(0)
1996–1999	Swindon Town	66	(1)
1999–2002	Rotherham United	109	(7)
2001	→ Reading (loan)	6	(0)
2002–2004	Reading	60	(2)
2004–2008	Colchester United	135	(3)
2008	Luton Town	6	(0)
Total		405	(13)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:42, 8 February 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Kevin Edward Watson (born 3 January 1974 in Hackney, London, England) is a former professional footballer, turned coach and sports broadcaster. He can now regularly be seen as a touchline pundit for Sky Sports show Soccer Saturday.

Football career

Watson started his career as a trainee with his local side Tottenham Hotspur. As a youngster his first-team opportunities were limited and he went out on loan to several sides to build his experience, namely Brentford, Bristol City and Barnet.

In 1996 he was signed by Swindon Town manager Steve McMahon. Newly promoted to second tier of the English Football League - Watson helped them avoid relegation.

Watson moved on to Rotherham United in July 1999, astute Millers' manager Ronnie Moore signing him on a free transfer. In his first season Watson helped Rotherham to promotion from League Two, narrowly missing out on the title.

Another promotion (and another title near miss) followed in the next season and Rotherham were promoted again into the Football League Championship. A key part of their rapid acceleration, Watson helped guide the team to survival by the narrowest of goal-difference margins.

After over 100 games at Rotherham his knack for promotions was spotted by then Reading manager Alan Pardew who at first, took Watson on loan before signing him permanently in March 2002 for £150,000 - where he promptly repeated the trick, guiding the Royals to promotion from League One, in his now customary second place.

His first full season at Reading saw the Royals into a play-off place, where narrow defeat to Wolves cost them a place in the Premiership. Perhaps tellingly Watson was on the bench for those key play-off games.

When former team-mate Phil Parkinson was installed as manager at Colchester United one of his first acts was to bring Watson to Layer Road.

Marshalling the midfield Watson played a key role as in his (and Parkinson's) first full season the U's stormed to promotion from League One, finishing in second place.

Now with over 100 games for the U's under his belt he has been a key part of "The Best Col U ever" as the underdog U's finished their first season in the Football League Championship in 10th place.

He was released by Colchester at the end of the 2007-08 season, and then signed on a free transfer for Luton Town. However, Watson failed to make an impact at Luton as a result of a knee injury that kept him out of action for much of his contract duration, and he was released at the end of 2008.

Coaching career

After his release from a playing contract at Luton, Watson was given the position of first-team coach by Luton manager Mick Harford on 14 January 2009. After Harford's departure on 1 October 2009, Watson continued in his coaching capacity under new boss Richard Money until May 2010, when he left the club.

Following the departure of Aidy Boothroyd from Colchester United to take the manager's job at Coventry City on 20 May 2010, Watson expressed an interest in taking up the vacant managerial position at his former club.

External links

• Kevin Watson profile at cu-fc.co.uk
• Kevin Watson profile at readingfc.co.uk
• Kevin Watson career stats at Soccerbase