Left-footed centre half Kelland Watts arrived at the Lamex in August 2019; brought in from Newcastle on loan for the rest of the 2019-20 season. Joining the Premier League side in 2008, the player started his career as a midfield; moving back into defence during his time at St James Park. It was just as well, to be fair. He came to us at a time when injuries had put us in a pickle. So, getting some game time didn’t seem like it’d be an issue. In the end, he was seeing action in both defence and midfield.

A part of the Newcastle United U23 side for the 2018-9 season, Watts turned out 41 times. Add to that his six goals and you have a right prospect on your hands. Maybe it’s no shock as he does list Zlatan as a hero of his. Some of that magic wouldn’t have gone amiss here when he arrived. Boro’ were struggling to get their campaign up and running. So, stopping goals at one end and scoring them at the other would be a real way to make your mark.

Kelland Watts: After Boro’

Watts’ time at St James’ Park came to an end in summer 2024; the defender securing a move to our League One rivals, Cambridge United, after his deal expired. It was fair enough that Watts would take his next step in the third tier. After all, he’d been on loan to a few different League One and Two clubs after his time with us. First, it was Mansfield Town. Then, Watts earned a season-long loan deal at Plymouth Argyle in 2020-1. He also enjoyed time on loan at Wigan Athletic (x2) and Peterborough United.