Andy Watson
Personal information
Full name Andrew Anthony Watson
Date of birth (1967-04-01) 1 April 1967
Place of birth Leeds, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Yorkshire Amateur
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1988 Harrogate Town
1988–1990 Halifax Town 83 (15)
1990–1991 Swansea City 14 (1)
1991–1993 Carlisle United 56 (22)
1993–1996 Blackpool 115 (43)
1996–1999 Walsall 84 (15)
Garforth Town
Doncaster Rovers
Total 352 (96)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Andrew Anthony Watson (born 1 April 1967) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a striker in a career spanning twelve years, and made over 300 league appearances.

After coming through the youth system at Yorkshire Amateur,[1] Watson began his career in his native Yorkshire with Harrogate Town in 1987. After just a year he was signed by Halifax Town, then under the guidance of Billy Ayre.

After two years at the Shay, Watson joined Swansea City in 1990 for £40,000. With only a handful of games for the Swans to his name, he moved north the following year to Carlisle United. It was with the Cumbrians that he established his best goals average, scoring 22 times in 56 league appearances.

In 1993, Watson was signed for £55,000 by Blackpool, where he was reunited with Billy Ayre. He was purchased with funds raised via the club's "Buy A Player" match, a scheme by which money from gate receipts was given to the manager for spending in the transfer market. (The match in question was Blackpool v. Rotherham United on 16 January 1993, which drew a crowd of 6,144.)[2]

Watson scored his first goals for Blackpool in a 3–3 draw with Preston North End in the West Lancashire derby.[2] His haul of 20 League goals in the 1993–94 season remained a record for 27 years, until Jerry Yates equalled it in the 2020–21 campaign.[3]

In six years at Bloomfield Road, Watson formed a successful partnership with Tony Ellis and scored 43 goals in League 115 appearances.[2]

Gary Megson, who succeeded Sam Allardyce as Blackpool manager in 1996, decided Watson was surplus to requirements and sold him to Walsall for £60,000.[2] He brought his career to a close at Doncaster Rovers.

References

  1. ↑ History Yorkshire Amateur A.F.C.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gillatt, Peter (30 November 2009). Blackpool FC On This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-905411-50-4.
  3. ↑ "The Preview Show: Play-Off Final Edition" – Blackpool F.C.'s official YouTube, 28 May 2021
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