BORN OTD: TOMMY WATSON

On this day in 2006, in Horden, Tommy Watson was born.

Spotted by Sunderland at an early age, he joined our academy at the age of nine and progressed through the ranks to become one to watch in our junior sides. A tricky winger is always the sort of player who can look marvellous at fourteen but never quite make it, but Tommy stayed the course and continued to develop and was rewarded with an England U17 call-up, making his debut in January 2023. In his five appearances at that level, he scored once - in a 6-0 whupping of Germany.

Ten months later he stepped up to the England U18s, and made his debut against Belgium in October, but not until he’d made his Sunderland debut. After impressing in the reserves/U21s very much in the style of Jack Clarke, Tony Mowbray named him as a sub for the third time for a league game, the one against Huddersfield in April 2023, still aged 17. This time he actually got on the field. His first appearance lasted a mere two minutes plus injury time after he replaced Paddy Roberts in a 1-1 draw. He’d also been an unused sub in our three FA Cup games, but the form of Clarke, Roberts, and Diallo meant that game-time was always going to be restricted for Watson, and there were no more appearances that season, not even in the play-off games against Luton (who’d probably have kicked him over the Roker End anyway).

A back problem had also restricted his availability, but the powers that be had seen enough to offer a new contract for three years, which was duly signed in September 2023. That back continued to give problems, meaning an identical record in season 23-24. A lone sub appearance out of three bench-warming afternoons, this time it was three minutes plus added time when replacing Jack Clarke in our final-day home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday. Look where the two clubs are now.

2024-25 was both his breakthrough season and his final Sunderland season. With the back problems seemingly out of the way, and Jack Clarke off to Ipswich for a pay rise and little else (not all his fault, by the way) there were plenty of opportunities for young Tommy to shine. After warming the bench for the opening weeks, he came off it in the 2-1 loss at Watford in late September, then did the same in the next two games as we beat Derby and drew with Leeds. His first start came in the 0-0 draw at Preston, and his next in another 0-0, this time at home to WBA. He started the loss at Bramall Lane, then came his first big contribution. At home to Stoke in December, he scored both our goals but was crocked putting the second away – not a foul, just a big old defender and a skinny kid coming together, and there’s only one winner (physically) in that sort of contest. He limped through the final four minutes but that was him out with both his knee and ankle in trouble.

He returned to the side in early March, coming off the bench in the home win over Cardiff to replace Mundle, and kept his place for the next game before dropping back to the bench as we trundled towards the playoffs. However, there were rumours that he wanted away and a guarantee of higher level football, and it came as a wee bit of a surprise that on April 1st (appropriately) it was announced that he’d promised himself to Brighton, and we’d get £10m in return come the summer. Not bad for someone who’d cost nowt and made a limited number of appearances, but it didn’t do his reputation on some parts of Wearside much good. Lack of loyalty was one of the politer insults hoyed in his general direction, while others thought it good business by the club and the player – Brighton have a reputation for developing young talent.

Anyway, after eleven starts and ten substitute appearances, he was again on the bench for that game at Wembley in May 2025. If you can’t remember what happened, shame on you. For the hard of thinking, here’s a brief summary…

O’Nien off injured on 8 minutes, replaced by Mepham.

Sheffield score through Campbell on 25.

A second Sheffield goal chalked off for being offside and blocking the keeper’s view on 36.

Watson replaces Dan Neil on 73.

Mayenda levels things on 76.

Sheffield sub Brereton Diaz is tackled by Hume on 90, soils himself, and is subbed.

Five minutes into added time, Kieffer Moore makes a mess of a layoff, Watson picks it up and gallops goal-wards before carefully curling his right-foot shot along the turf and just inside the keeper’s left hand post.

Promotion.

That was it for Tommy at Sunderland. We got our £10m, he went to Brighton on a four year deal, and made his debut in a 6-0 League Cup defeat of Oxford. A handful of games and no goals later, he joined Patto on loan at Millwall on February 1st, and has so far made seven appearances, mostly from the bench, but they’re grinding their way up the Championship table and there’s every possibility of a second successive promotion for Tommy. Maybe even a Wembley repeat! Should he have stayed with us? He’d probably be way down the pecking order after our summer signings – funny old game, football.

Tommy Watson, 24 appearances, more than half from the bench, and three goals, one of which is right up there in the list of most important Sunderland goals of all time. Certainly the most financially valuable, and it makes Tommy quite probably the player who’s had the biggest influence on the club’s history with the fewest number of games.