‘… threatening to become another Stanley Matthews …’
John Watt 1943-2022
Johnny Watt was born in Crookedholm, Hurlford, Ayrshire, on 17 June 1943 and he was educated at Kilmarnock Academy, where the school played rugby! When he turned to football, he was an inside forward who played for Saxone Juveniles, a Kilmarnock junior club. His impressive displays were noted by one of Blackpool’s Scottish scouts, of whom, there were a number in those days. The club liked what they saw and duly signed him as an amateur prior to the 1958/59 season. The comment was that he was ‘a direct, no nonsense type of player who packed a terrific shot’.
And after a couple of games in the junior sides the club had great hopes for him and in September 1959 he was recognised as ‘a strong, sturdy inside forward of much promise’.
He began his career at Bloomfield Road as a member of the Blackpool FA Youth Cup side in the 1959/60 season when eventually Blackpool were knocked out by Manchester United.
After one season, and shortly after his 17th birthday, the club signed him as a professional on 16 August 1960. This was after his showing great promise in the FA Youth Cup team the previous season. His weekly wage was to be £7 per week with an extra £13 if and when he played in the first team and an extra £2 when he played in the reserve side.
He was still young enough to play in the FA Youth Cup in the 1960/61 season and he began by scoring three goals in the preliminary round tie against Chester on 21 September 1960 when Blackpool won comfortably 7-0; John Ogilvie, who did not make it at Blackpool but who went on to play 386 League games for Workington, scored the other four.
He then scored one of the goals as the Youth team defeated Hyde United 10-0 in the first round of the FA Youth Cup on 14 October 1960; the other goals came from Ogilvie, three, Graham Oates, three, Leslie Lea, Kit Napier, and Alan Johnston. Blackpool eventually lost to Everton, in which game he scored Blackpool’s consolation goal in a 3-1 defeat in the semi-final on 9 November 1960. I was lucky enough to see the home games of those Youth Cup ties over the two seasons, and I particularly remember the magnificent play of the forwards in that 10-0 victory, so was privileged to have seen Johnny Watt play when he was an up and coming star.
His fine performances for the Youth team earned him his Central League debut at inside right in a 5 0 win against Newcastle United reserves on 5 November 1960. But it was then back to the junior sides and he played just the one Central League game in the 1960/61 season.
Still only 18, he continued to be highly regarded and consequently his basic wage for the1961/62 season was increased to £9 with an extra £5 if and when he played in the first team and an extra £2 when he played in the reserve side.
The 1961/62 season saw him play six Central League games, showing his versatility by appearing at inside right, centre forward and inside left. He began at inside right in his first two games, a 1-0 defeat by Liverpool reserves on 16 September 1961 followed three days later by a 1-0 victory over Preston North End reserves in which he scored the only goal, his first senior goal for the club. He moved to inside left for his third successive game when Aston Villa reserves won 3-1.
After games in the ‘A’ team he returned at centre forward against Derby County reserves on 17 March 1962 when Blackpool lost 2-1 and he played at his inside right position in the following game, a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United reserves on 28 March.
He had an increase to £12 per week for the 1962/63 season with an extra £10 if and when he played in the first team and an extra £3 when playing in the reserve side. And he started the 1962/63 season at outside right in the Central League side, against Liverpool reserves on 18 August 1962. Blackpool won 3-1 with goals from Oates, Lea and Napier.
He went on to play in six of the opening seven games at outside right, scoring one goal in a 3-1 defeat of Bury reserves on 27 August 1962, before earning a call to the League side. And he made his League debut at outside right, replacing Alan Ball, against West Ham United on 14 September 1962 when the game was drawn 2-2. ‘Mandy’ Hill replaced him for the following game but he was in the Lancashire Senior Cup side that defeated Rochdale 3-0 on 26 September 1962.
After missing two League games he reappeared in the League side in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United on 6 October 1962 and he had one chance but unfortunately ‘he shot wide’. And on 8 October he played in the League Cup second round replay against Manchester City and he scored the second goal that put Blackpool level at 2-2 in a game that ended in a 3-3 draw after extra time. He also played in the second replay that Blackpool lost 4-2 on 15 October 1962.
He continued in the League side for two further games, a 2-0 victory over Leyton Orient on 13 October 1962 and a 0-0 draw with Fulham on 20 October 1962 before Mandy Hill again replaced him on the right wing.
However, others were noting his progress and the magazine Soccer Star carried a piece about him on 20 October 1962 and under the headline Blackpool Have New Matthews it read, ‘Johnny Watt is becoming the toast of Blackpool. And no wonder. For at 18 years of age [sic], this tearaway Scot is threatening to become another Stanley Matthews. He is bamboozling the best of First Division defences as the Seasiders attack begins to click. And already scouts from the wealthier clubs are sitting up and taking notice.’
He did return to the side for the League game against West Bromwich Albion on 3 November 1962 when the Birmingham Daily Post reported, ‘Blackpool have dropped their England Under-23 outside-right, Hill
for their home match against West Bromwich Albion. Watt, a 19-year-old Scotsman, takes his place.’ Unfortunately Blackpool lost 2-0 and it proved to be his final League game for the club with Leslie Lea then being introduced at outside right.
He was back in the Central League side at inside left for the game against Preston North End reserves on 8 December 1962 when Blackpool won 4-3. He re-appeared at centre forward for the Central League side against Derby County reserves on 30 March 1963 and although ‘he almost grazed a post with a fast, low shot from Green’s pass’, Blackpool lost 2-1.
Back in the ‘A’ team, the local press reported, ‘Watt on the right wing was the most effective Blackpool forward’ and he ‘scored a perfect 75th-minute goal with a cracking drive from outside the penalty area’ as Blackpool ‘A’ defeated Preston North End ‘A’ 3-1 on 11 May 1963.
He played in five League games, two League Cup ties, scoring one goal, and nine Central League games, scoring one goal, in the 1962/63 season.
It was a great disappointment when Blackpool gave him a free transfer on 30 June 1963 and he joined Stockport County in 1 July 1963. He went on to play 55 League games and score four goals for Stockport County. He was transferred to Southport on 1 March 1965 and he made a very favourable impression in the final 10 games of the season when he scored two goals and contributed greatly to the overall team performance.
He wrote himself into the history of Southport FC in the third game of the 1965/66 season when he was injured and thus became the first Southport player to be replaced by a substitute but sadly it cost him his place in the team for his replacement held the spot from then on. Once recovered he played in the reserve side in the Lancashire Combination , making 30 appearances and scoring seven goals. He had played 17 League games, made one appearance as a substitute, and scored two goals for Southport when he was released at the end of the 1965/66 season.
His Football League career over he returned to Scotland where he met and married his late wife Margaret. He continued as a footballer with Cumnock Juniors and Darvel Juniors as outside football he worked as an overhead crane driver.
After his football career was over he turned his attention to coaching schoolboys and he then worked at Glacier Metal, Kilmarnock, as a machine operator.
Although his career at Bloomfield Road was short he takes his place in the annals of the club as someone who played in Blackpool’s fight to remain in the top flight of the game in the early 1960s and it is with great regret that, after a fall on 28 February in which he broke his hip, he died on 2 March 2022 aged 78.
Sincere condolences from each of his clubs and their supporters go to his sons Colin and Steven and his daughter Lynsey.
Johnny Watt was born in Crookedholm, Hurlford, Ayrshire, on 17 June 1943 and he was educated at Kilmarnock Academy, where the school played rugby! When he turned to football, he was an inside forward who played for Saxone Juveniles, a Kilmarnock junior club. His impressive displays were noted by one of Blackpool’s Scottish scouts, of whom, there were a number in those days. The club liked what they saw and duly signed him as an amateur prior to the 1958/59 season. The comment was that he was ‘a direct, no nonsense type of player who packed a terrific shot’.
And after a couple of games in the junior sides the club had great hopes for him and in September 1959 he was recognised as ‘a strong, sturdy inside forward of much promise’.
He began his career at Bloomfield Road as a member of the Blackpool FA Youth Cup side in the 1959/60 season when eventually Blackpool were knocked out by Manchester United.
After one season, and shortly after his 17th birthday, the club signed him as a professional on 16 August 1960. This was after his showing great promise in the FA Youth Cup team the previous season. His weekly wage was to be £7 per week with an extra £13 if and when he played in the first team and an extra £2 when he played in the reserve side.
He was still young enough to play in the FA Youth Cup in the 1960/61 season and he began by scoring three goals in the preliminary round tie against Chester on 21 September 1960 when Blackpool won comfortably 7-0; John Ogilvie, who did not make it at Blackpool but who went on to play 386 League games for Workington, scored the other four.
He then scored one of the goals as the Youth team defeated Hyde United 10-0 in the first round of the FA Youth Cup on 14 October 1960; the other goals came from Ogilvie, three, Graham Oates, three, Leslie Lea, Kit Napier, and Alan Johnston. Blackpool eventually lost to Everton, in which game he scored Blackpool’s consolation goal in a 3-1 defeat in the semi-final on 9 November 1960. I was lucky enough to see the home games of those Youth Cup ties over the two seasons, and I particularly remember the magnificent play of the forwards in that 10-0 victory, so was privileged to have seen Johnny Watt play when he was an up and coming star.
His fine performances for the Youth team earned him his Central League debut at inside right in a 5 0 win against Newcastle United reserves on 5 November 1960. But it was then back to the junior sides and he played just the one Central League game in the 1960/61 season.
Still only 18, he continued to be highly regarded and consequently his basic wage for the1961/62 season was increased to £9 with an extra £5 if and when he played in the first team and an extra £2 when he played in the reserve side.
The 1961/62 season saw him play six Central League games, showing his versatility by appearing at inside right, centre forward and inside left. He began at inside right in his first two games, a 1-0 defeat by Liverpool reserves on 16 September 1961 followed three days later by a 1-0 victory over Preston North End reserves in which he scored the only goal, his first senior goal for the club. He moved to inside left for his third successive game when Aston Villa reserves won 3-1.
After games in the ‘A’ team he returned at centre forward against Derby County reserves on 17 March 1962 when Blackpool lost 2-1 and he played at his inside right position in the following game, a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United reserves on 28 March.
He had an increase to £12 per week for the 1962/63 season with an extra £10 if and when he played in the first team and an extra £3 when playing in the reserve side. And he started the 1962/63 season at outside right in the Central League side, against Liverpool reserves on 18 August 1962. Blackpool won 3-1 with goals from Oates, Lea and Napier.
He went on to play in six of the opening seven games at outside right, scoring one goal in a 3-1 defeat of Bury reserves on 27 August 1962, before earning a call to the League side. And he made his League debut at outside right, replacing Alan Ball, against West Ham United on 14 September 1962 when the game was drawn 2-2. ‘Mandy’ Hill replaced him for the following game but he was in the Lancashire Senior Cup side that defeated Rochdale 3-0 on 26 September 1962.
After missing two League games he reappeared in the League side in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United on 6 October 1962 and he had one chance but unfortunately ‘he shot wide’. And on 8 October he played in the League Cup second round replay against Manchester City and he scored the second goal that put Blackpool level at 2-2 in a game that ended in a 3-3 draw after extra time. He also played in the second replay that Blackpool lost 4-2 on 15 October 1962.
He continued in the League side for two further games, a 2-0 victory over Leyton Orient on 13 October 1962 and a 0-0 draw with Fulham on 20 October 1962 before Mandy Hill again replaced him on the right wing.
However, others were noting his progress and the magazine Soccer Star carried a piece about him on 20 October 1962 and under the headline Blackpool Have New Matthews it read, ‘Johnny Watt is becoming the toast of Blackpool. And no wonder. For at 18 years of age [sic], this tearaway Scot is threatening to become another Stanley Matthews. He is bamboozling the best of First Division defences as the Seasiders attack begins to click. And already scouts from the wealthier clubs are sitting up and taking notice.’
He did return to the side for the League game against West Bromwich Albion on 3 November 1962 when the Birmingham Daily Post reported, ‘Blackpool have dropped their England Under-23 outside-right, Hill
for their home match against West Bromwich Albion. Watt, a 19-year-old Scotsman, takes his place.’ Unfortunately Blackpool lost 2-0 and it proved to be his final League game for the club with Leslie Lea then being introduced at outside right.
He was back in the Central League side at inside left for the game against Preston North End reserves on 8 December 1962 when Blackpool won 4-3. He re-appeared at centre forward for the Central League side against Derby County reserves on 30 March 1963 and although ‘he almost grazed a post with a fast, low shot from Green’s pass’, Blackpool lost 2-1.
Back in the ‘A’ team, the local press reported, ‘Watt on the right wing was the most effective Blackpool forward’ and he ‘scored a perfect 75th-minute goal with a cracking drive from outside the penalty area’ as Blackpool ‘A’ defeated Preston North End ‘A’ 3-1 on 11 May 1963.
He played in five League games, two League Cup ties, scoring one goal, and nine Central League games, scoring one goal, in the 1962/63 season.
It was a great disappointment when Blackpool gave him a free transfer on 30 June 1963 and he joined Stockport County in 1 July 1963. He went on to play 55 League games and score four goals for Stockport County. He was transferred to Southport on 1 March 1965 and he made a very favourable impression in the final 10 games of the season when he scored two goals and contributed greatly to the overall team performance.
He wrote himself into the history of Southport FC in the third game of the 1965/66 season when he was injured and thus became the first Southport player to be replaced by a substitute but sadly it cost him his place in the team for his replacement held the spot from then on. Once recovered he played in the reserve side in the Lancashire Combination , making 30 appearances and scoring seven goals. He had played 17 League games, made one appearance as a substitute, and scored two goals for Southport when he was released at the end of the 1965/66 season.
His Football League career over he returned to Scotland where he met and married his late wife Margaret. He continued as a footballer with Cumnock Juniors and Darvel Juniors as outside football he worked as an overhead crane driver.
After his football career was over he turned his attention to coaching schoolboys and he then worked at Glacier Metal, Kilmarnock, as a machine operator.
Although his career at Bloomfield Road was short he takes his place in the annals of the club as someone who played in Blackpool’s fight to remain in the top flight of the game in the early 1960s and it is with great regret that, after a fall on 28 February in which he broke his hip, he died on 2 March 2022 aged 78.
Sincere condolences from each of his clubs and their supporters go to his sons Colin and Steven and his daughter Lynsey.
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