Joe Watson

NSL Career: Sydney City, APIA 272 (29) / 1977 - 1988

Socceroos Career: 17 (2) A Internationals / 24 (0) B Internationals

Joe "Jinky" Watson was a brilliant dribbler who had a low centre of gravity and used his strength and agility to terrorise defenders whenever he set foot on the pitch. Watson ranks among the best wingers to have graced the NSL. An old fashioned type of footballer, the diminutive midfielder always demanded the ball, whether drifting in to the middle to link up with team mates with an excellent short passing game or receiving the ball out wide and taking on defenders before sending in an accurate cross to his forwards. 

Hailing from the East Coast of Fife in Scotland, Watson went to England as a 16 year old to further his career with Nottingham Forrest after spending his junior career in the Fife school system. Failing to make the first team, Watson moved back to Scotland to join Dundee United where he made his professional debut as an 18 year old in the Scottish Division One.

Unable to cement a spot in the first team after a career-threatening spinal injury, Watson moved to Division Two side Forfar Athletic for the 1972-73 season where he became a regular starter. Watson moved to Australia in 1973 to join the top NSW First Division side Sydney Hakoah and remained with the club in to the national league era. 

In a star-studded line-up, Watson was a key member in the Hakoah side that won the inaugural Phillips Soccer League Championship in 1977. Hakoah finished runners-up to West Adelaide in the 1978 season but went on to win the inaugural Play-Off Series, where Watson scored in the grand final against Marconi. Hakoah became known as Sydney City in the 1979 season and finished third in the league before going on to win back-to-back Play-Off Series. Watson scored a personal best six goals during the season before making his full international debut for Australia. 

City's Scottish captain Eddie Thomson became player-coach in his final season as a player (1980) and led the side to it's second NSL Championship, as well as finishing runners-up in the Play-Off Series. Watson continued to thrive on the wing as Sydney City won the NSL Championship in 1981 and 1982, completing the first three-peat in NSL history (still a national league record). 

Finding career best form in 1983 at the age of 31, Watson became a regular starter for the Socceroos (his first A international appearances since 1979) and won the NSL Player of the Year award as Sydney City finished runners-up to St. George in the league. Watson played finals football with City between 1984 and 1986, including the 1985 NSL Grand Final, and won the 1986 NSL Cup before the club pulled out of the league at the start of the 1987 season. The 36 year old midfielder returned to the NSL for a final season in 1988 with APIA where he won another NSL Cup.

The veteran midfielder returned to the NSW Division One for a season with Rockdale Ilinden before having stints as a player-coach in Division Two where he hung up his boots at the age of 40. Watson was selected at right midfield in FFA's Socceroos Team of the 1980s and was a Football Australia Hall of Fame inductee in 2000.