Walter Watkins
Encyclopedia
Walter Martin Watkins (c. 1880 – 14 May 1942) was a Welsh
footballer
who played in the Football League for Stoke
, Aston Villa and Sunderland. He was born in Caersws
, Wales
.
during a sixteen year career in football. Watkins was signed by Stoke from his home town club Oswestry Town in August 1900 for their First Division side. within two years Watkins had received a call up the Welsh nation side to play against England in 1902, this being the first of his ten caps for Wales. His fine goalscoring record at Stoke attracted several big clubs to be interested in his services and Aston Villa paid a 'hefty' price for him. This was the first of a succession of moves that ended with his arrival at Sunderland.
Watkins made his debut for Sunderland on 22 October 1904 in a 3–0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday
at Roker Park
where he scored two goals. Over his career at the club, he made 15 league appearances scoring nine goals.
Watkins then joined Crystal Palace
then Northampton Town then in 1907 he rejoined Stoke who at the time were on the brink of bankruptcy
. At the end of the 1907-08 season Stoke left the Football League meaning there was an exodus of players and Watkins joined Crewe Alexandra. Later followed by moves to Stafford Rangers and Tunstall Park. Watkins did return to Stoke but failed to win a contract and decided to retire from football.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played in the Football League for Stoke
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
, Aston Villa and Sunderland. He was born in Caersws
Caersws
Caersws is a village and community sitting on the River Severn, at miles west of Newtown, Powys, and halfway between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury.- History & Amenities :...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Club career
Mart Watkins had three distinct spells at the Victoria GroundVictoria Ground
Victoria Ground may refer to:*Victoria Ground, the former name of Hartlepool United’s ground Victoria Park.*Victoria Ground, Stoke City’s ground from 1878 to 1997.*Victoria Ground, current home of Bromsgrove Rovers...
during a sixteen year career in football. Watkins was signed by Stoke from his home town club Oswestry Town in August 1900 for their First Division side. within two years Watkins had received a call up the Welsh nation side to play against England in 1902, this being the first of his ten caps for Wales. His fine goalscoring record at Stoke attracted several big clubs to be interested in his services and Aston Villa paid a 'hefty' price for him. This was the first of a succession of moves that ended with his arrival at Sunderland.
Watkins made his debut for Sunderland on 22 October 1904 in a 3–0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
at Roker Park
Roker Park
Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the stadium's history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small...
where he scored two goals. Over his career at the club, he made 15 league appearances scoring nine goals.
Watkins then joined Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
then Northampton Town then in 1907 he rejoined Stoke who at the time were on the brink of bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
. At the end of the 1907-08 season Stoke left the Football League meaning there was an exodus of players and Watkins joined Crewe Alexandra. Later followed by moves to Stafford Rangers and Tunstall Park. Watkins did return to Stoke but failed to win a contract and decided to retire from football.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
1900–01 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 10 |
| 1901–02 | 32 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 36 | 16 | |
| 1902–03 | 29 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 13 | |
| 1903–04 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 8 | |
| Total | 108 | 44 | 11 | 3 | 119 | 47 | |
| Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
1903–04 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League... |
1904–05 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 9 |
| Crystal Palace Crystal Palace F.C. Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in... |
1905–06 | | | |||||
| Northampton Town Northampton Town F.C. Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season... |
1906–07 | 38 | 10 | 38 | 10 | ||
| Stoke Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
1907–08 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 5 |
| Career Total | 183 | 98 | 15 | 4 | 198 | 102 | |