Steven Watt (footballer)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Steven Watt

| image = Steven Watt 1.png

| image_size = 150px

| caption = Watt playing for Grimsby Town in 2010

| fullname = Steven Mair Watt{{Cite book

| editor-first = Barry J.

| editor-last = Hugman

| title = The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2007–08

| year = 2007

| publisher = Mainstream Publishing

| isbn = 978-1-84596-246-3

| page = 426 }}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|5|1|df=y}}

| birth_place = Aberdeen, Scotland

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=3}}

| position = Defender

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 = 1998–2002

| youthclubs1 = Aberdeen

| youthyears2 = 2002–2005

| youthclubs2 = Chelsea

| years1 = 2005–2006

| clubs1 = Chelsea

| caps1 = 1

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 2005

| clubs2 = → Barnsley (loan)

| caps2 = 3

| goals2 = 1

| years3 = 2006–2008

| clubs3 = Swansea City

| caps3 = 3

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2007–2008

| clubs4 = → Inverness Caledonian Thistle (loan)

| caps4 = 0

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2008–2010

| clubs5 = Ross County

| caps5 = 43

| goals5 = 1

| years6 = 2010–2011

| clubs6 = Grimsby Town

| caps6 = 25

| goals6 = 2

| years7 = 2011–2013

| clubs7 = Dover Athletic

| caps7 = 15

| goals7 = 1

| years8 = 2013

| clubs8 = → Maidstone United (loan)

| caps8 = 6

| goals8 = 1

| years9 = 2013–2015

| clubs9 = Maidstone United

| caps9 = 89

| goals9 = 1

| years10 = 2015

| clubs10 = Hemel Hempstead

| caps10 = 3

| goals10 = 0

| years11 = 2015–2016

| clubs11 = Leatherhead

| caps11 = 19

| goals11 = 0

| years12 = 2016–2017

| clubs12 = Hastings United

| caps12 = 13

| goals12 = 5

| totalcaps = 220

| totalgoals = 12

| manageryears1 = 2017–2018

| managerclubs1 = Margate

| manageryears2 = 2018

| managerclubs2 = Maidstone United (Caretaker)

| manageryears3 = 2019–2021

| managerclubs3 = Hythe Town

| manageryears4 = 2022–2024

| managerclubs4 = Hythe Town

| nationalyears1 = 2005

| nationalteam1 = Scotland U21

| nationalcaps1 = 5

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Steven Mair Watt (born 1 May 1985) is a Scottish football manager and former player.

As a player, he was a centre back who notably played Premier League football for Chelsea, and has also played professionally for Barnsley, Swansea City, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Ross County and Grimsby Town. He went on to play non-league football for Dover Athletic, Maidstone United, Hemel Hempstead, Leatherhead and Hastings United. Watt was capped five times by Scotland U21 in 2005.

Retiring in 2017, he moved into coaching and has managed Margate, Maidstone United and has had several spells as manager of Hythe Town.

Career

=Chelsea=

Born in Aberdeen, and raised in Gardenstown, a fishing village in the North East Aberdeenshire coast, Watt began his career with Chelsea, making his debut against Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup in January 2005.{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/4139387.stm | publisher=BBC Sport | title=Chelsea 3-1 Scunthorpe | date=8 January 2005}} He played the full 90 minutes and earned praise from José Mourinho for his performance. On 15 May 2005 Watt made his Premier League debut coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Jiri Jarosik in the away fixture with Newcastle United. The game ended 1–1, with Watt playing alongside the likes of Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho, Claude Makélélé, Joe Cole and Eiður Guðjohnsen.

In November 2005 Watt spent a month on loan to Barnsley, for whom he made three starts, scoring an injury time equaliser against Rotherham United.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/4431072.stm|title=Barnsley 1–1 Rotherham |publisher=BBC Sport |date=19 November 2005 |accessdate=14 September 2010}}

=Swansea City=

Shortly after returning to Chelsea he was allowed to leave the Premier League club and joined Swansea on 10 January 2006. Watt joined Inverness Caledonian Thistle on a season long loan to regain his match fitness. He made his debut in the Scottish League Cup against Arbroath. Despite a fairly solid performance, he never played again for the first team and left the club to return to Swansea City. Watt suffered persistent shoulder injuries during his time with Swansea,{{cite web |url=http://sport.scotsman.com/hibernianfc/Ross-County-defender-says-they.6141588.jp |title=Ross County defender says they have nothing to lose in cup clash with Hibs |work=Edinburgh Evening News |date=11 March 2010 |accessdate=11 March 2010 |last=Paterson |first=Colleen}} which meant that his contract was not extended when it expired at the end of the 2007–08 season.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/swansea_city/7391734.stm|title=Butler is latest Swan to sign up|accessdate=27 May 2008 | publisher=BBC News | date=9 May 2008}}

=Ross County=

Following a successful trial, he signed a two-year deal with Ross County in August 2008. Watt made his debut for Ross County on 16 November 2008 in the Challenge Cup Final against Airdrie United. He scored his first goal for the club against Dunfermline on 13 February 2010.{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/8511809.stm

|title=Ross County 2–2 Dunfermline

|publisher=BBC

|date=13 February 2010 |accessdate=14 September 2010}}

=Grimsby Town=

On 17 July 2010 Watt played for Grimsby Town in the club's 2–1 friendly victory over Sheffield Wednesday, and went on to make several impressive appearances for Town in their pre-season campaign. On 2 August 2010, Watt signed a two-year deal with Grimsby.{{cite web |url=http://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10417~2108354,00.html |title=Big Defender Completes Town Move |access-date=2010-08-27 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906110300/http://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10417~2108354,00.html |archive-date=6 September 2010 }} He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 win over Darlington on 24 August 2010,{{cite news

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/8921865.stm

|title=Darlington 0–1 Grimsby Town

|publisher=BBC

|date=24 August 2010 |accessdate=14 September 2010}} and went on to partner Darran Kempson as the club's preferred centre backs during the first part of the season under Neil Woods. However Woods was eventually sacked midway through the season and was replaced by Rob Scott and Paul Hurst who dropped Watt from the first team as he went on to only feature in the pair's first match in charge. Following the conclusion of the 2010–2011 season, he was released.{{cite web|url=http://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10417~2352074,00.html |title= Seven Released |access-date=17 January 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110508001149/http://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10417~2352074,00.html |archive-date=8 May 2011 }}

=Dover Athletic=

During pre-season Watt had moved south with his family and had joined Dover Athletic on trial, before formally rejecting a contract from Conference National side Gateshead in the interest of not wanting to uproot his family to the north again.{{Cite web |url=http://toogoodtogodown.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/interview-former-grimsby-town-swansea-and-chelsea-defender-steven-watt/ |title=Interview: Former Grimsby Town, Swansea and Chelsea defender Steven Watt « Too Good to Go Down |access-date=22 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328021449/http://toogoodtogodown.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/interview-former-grimsby-town-swansea-and-chelsea-defender-steven-watt/ |archive-date=28 March 2012 |url-status=dead }} On 18 July Watt joined Mansfield Town on trial.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Bore-Watt-trials/story-12963829-detail/story.html |title=Bore and Watt trials | This is Grimsby |access-date=18 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603130044/http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Bore-Watt-trials/story-12963829-detail/story.html |archive-date=3 June 2012 |url-status=dead }} He signed for the club on 2 August 2011.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14374698.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Former Mariner Watt joins Dover | date=2 August 2011}}

=Maidstone United=

On 15 February 2013 Watt signed an initial month's loan for Maidstone United, the player dropping down two levels to play for his adopted hometown,{{cite news | url=http://www.maidstoneunited.co.uk/2013/02/watt-comes-in-on-loan/ | work=Maidstone United | title=Watt comes in on loan | date=15 February 2013 | access-date=15 February 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629222131/http://www.maidstoneunited.co.uk/2013/02/watt-comes-in-on-loan/ | archive-date=29 June 2015 }} making six appearances before signing permanently on 18 March 2013.{{cite news| url=http://www.dover-athletic.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=2278 | work=Matthew Clements |publisher= Dover Athletic | title=Watt signs for Stones | date=18 March 2013 | accessdate=18 March 2013}} Watt captained Maidstone to the Isthmian league title in the 2014–15 season. On 16 November 2015, Watt was released by the club.

{{Cite web|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/sport/watt-released-by-stones-46470/|title=Watt released by Stones|date=16 November 2015}}

=Hemel Hempstead Town=

Several weeks after being released Watt joined Hemel Hempstead Town{{cite news| url=http://footballexclusives.com/hemel-hempstead-town-sign-former-maidstone-united-captain-steven-watt/#.VttWkZyLTIU | work=Monica Villar |publisher= Football Exclusives | title=HEMEL HEMPSTEAD TOWN SIGN FORMER MAIDSTONE UNITED CAPTAIN STEVEN WATT | date=1 December 2015 | accessdate=1 December 2015}} making his debut on 1 December 2015 in the second round of the Herts Senior Cup, in a 0–3 defeat to Bishop's Stortford. His league debut was four days later against Ebbsfleet United, ending in a 1–2 home defeat. Watt's third and final game for the club came a week later when he captained Hemel in a 7-4 FA Trophy defeat at Eastbourne Borough.

=Leatherhead=

On 14 December 2015 Watt joined Leatherhead as player/assistant manager{{cite news| url=http://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/sport/hemeltownfc/former-chelsea-defender-watt-quits-the-tudors-to-join-leatherhead-1-7115868 | department=Hemel Today |work=Hemel Gazette| title=Former Chelsea defender Watt quits the Tudors to join Leatherhead | date=14 December 2015 | accessdate=14 December 2015}}

Coaching career

Watt was appointed manager of Hythe Town for a second time, on 17 May 2022.{{cite web | url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/hythe/sport/watt-back-at-hythe-267279/ | title=Watt back at Hythe | date=17 May 2022 }} Although he resigned following a play-off final defeat, he later rescinded his relegation and returned to the club the following day.{{cite web|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/hythe/sport/watt-returns-to-hythe-287301/|title=Steve Watt returns as Hythe Town manager a day after resigning|publisher=Kent Online|last1=Tucker|first1=Craig|date=23 May 2023|accessdate=23 May 2023}}

In April 2024, the club confirmed that Watt would be stepping down from his position as manager at the end of the season.{{cite tweet|number=1774862738965094586|title=The club can confirm that, following our 3-0 defeat at Sheppey United, manager Steve Watt will be stepping down from his position at the end of the season. Statement to follow #hythe #hythetownfc #nonleaguefootball #isthmiansoutheast #HytheTown #Isthmian #Cannons #IsthmianLeague|user=hythetownfc|author-link=Hythe Town F.C.|date=1 April 2024|accessdate=3 April 2024}} Following a defeat in their next fixture however, he left the club with immediate effect.{{cite web|url=https://www.isthmian.co.uk/watt-departs-the-cannons-81281|title=Watt departs the Cannons|website=www.isthmian.co.uk|date=8 April 2024|accessdate=8 April 2024}}