332: Ben Watson, Wigan Athletic, Topps Match Attax Trading Card Game, Barclays Premier League 2010/11 Collector Binder

Back in April BT Sport aired a documentary on my beloved Crystal Palace under the title ‘The Team of the Eighties’. Narrated by Bill Nighy, it explored the fall and rise of Palace under Malcolm Allison and Terry Venables in the 1970s which led some pundits to dub a youthful, attacking Eagles’ side ‘the Team of the Eighties’ upon their promotion to the old First Division in 1979. In November Palace were top of the table and living up to expectations. Then Liverpool ruined it all. Of course they did. Palace finished thirteenth and then, having dispensed with Venables and brought back relegation expert Allison, finished rock bottom of the league in the 1980/81 season.

Palace have managed to repeat several pieces of this history in my lifetime. Yo-yoing between the top two tiers? Check. Bringing back managers who weren’t very good the first time? Check. Putting faith in youth team talent? Check. The latter, and the genuinely positive, cornerstone of Crystal Palace Football Club brings us to today’s subject: Ben Watson.

Watson first broke into the Palace first team in 2003 at the age of 17 and impressed enough on debut against Watford to keep his place in the side for the last four games of the season. His first goal for the club helped secure a draw away at Millwall and he was a key player in the Eagles’ side that earned promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs having been in the relegation zone in December. The young midfielder made 21 appearances in the 2004/05 season which saw Palace make an instant return to the Championship following West Bromwich Albion’s incredible last day win over Portsmouth and bloody Charlton Athletic holding us to a draw. They were smug about it. Then they took Iain Dowie from us. I forget what happened next but I think Charlton went on to the European glory that they so sorely yearned for.

Anyway, Watson stuck with Palace following relegation and played every game in the Eagles’ run to the play-off semi-finals where they were humbled by bloody Watford of all teams. Sorry, this is all bringing back painful memories. By this time Watson had earned the affection of the Selhurst faithful and every jog to the corner flag at the Holmesdale Road end was met with applause and chants of ‘Prince Harry’. Hardly imaginative but probably not the worst thing shouted at a young, ginger footballer over the years. During the 2005/06 season Watson scored again away at Millwall and impressed as the Eagles beat reigning European champions Liverpool in the League Cup. He was in and out of the side during the 2006/07 season but was once again an ever present as Palace mounted another play-off challenge in 2007/08, this time missing out to Bristol City despite Watson’s goals in both legs to push the tie to extra time. I’ll forgive him the penalty miss that could have avoided said extra time and instead blame Lee bloody Trundle for our exit.

Five goals in eighteen games at the start of the 2008/09 season meant that the Premier League vultures that had been circling Selhurst Park finally swooped in January 2009 and Ben Watson was on his way to Wigan Athletic after 189 appearances for Palace. He quickly established himself in the Latics’ first-team with a winning goal away at Sunderland but was inexplicably sent out on loan to Queen’s Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion during the 2009/10 season. Upon his return to the DW Stadium he earned his place back in the side and scored in Wigan’s famous 3-2 win over Arsenal. Now in a deep-lying playmaker position he was a mainstay in the Wigan side for the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons before breaking his leg in a challenge with Raheem Sterling in November 2012.

Following his injury the wheels came off Wigan’s Premier League season and the Latics were relegated to the Championship after eight years in the top flight. However, they did enjoy an impressive run in the FA Cup reaching the final against the big spending reigning Premier League champions Manchester City. Due to his injury Watson had not featured in any of the previous rounds but found himself on the bench for the big one at Wembley. Watson had proven his fondness for the big occasions back at Palace and, when summoned from the bench in the eightieth minute with the score at 0-0, the midfielder did not disappoint. With the game heading for extra-time Watson rose highest to head home from a corner and win the world’s oldest cup competition for the unfancied Wigan Athletic. As an added bonus Joe Hart was upset.

Watson stuck with Wigan for a further two seasons before departing for Watford in the 2014/15 season and helping them earn promotion to the Premier League. Continuing another trend, he played all but three games as the Hornets’ secured their top flight status and scored again against Manchester City, this time directly from a corner. Again, Joe Hart was probably upset. With the ever-changing managers at Vicarage Road it’s little surprise that Watson struggled for game time in the following years and terminated his contract in January 2018. Nottingham Forest wasted little time in picking up the free agent where he was a first team regular until the suspension of the 2019/20 season.

Still only 34, Ben Watson’s career is far from over but as it comes towards its natural conclusion there are a lot of highlights to look back on. Nearly 200 appearances for Palace before the age of 23, goals in derbies and play-off finals and, forever etched into English footballing history, the winning goal in an FA Cup final. Fair play to you Prince Harry, let’s hope there’s an heir apparent lurking in the Palace youth team.