A WESTON SUPERSTAR
How Watkins saved non-league minnows as an 18-year-old and showcased his scoring talent
ASTON VILLA talisman Ollie Watkins has made a career out of shocking people.
And no one was more astonished than the boss of non-league Weston-super-mare when Watkins arrived on a month-long loan only to perform a one-man salvation act.
Weston were struggling in the National League South in December 2014 – so manager Ryan Northmore gave his old pal and Exeter City chief Paul Tisdale a call.
Northmore said: “I rang Tis, who I played under at Team Bath and said, ‘Mate, I need some goals’.
“He was kind enough to loan me Ollie and Matt Jay – just to give them some senior experience before going back into the fold at Exeter.
“None of the conversations regarding Ollie were, ‘This guy is special – keep him for a little bit, but he’s a future Premier League and England star’.”
It soon became clear Watkins, who recently netted his third England goal in their 1-0 friendly win over Australia, had the quality required to make the grade in League Two with Exeter.
The hard-working frontman made an immediate impression – so much so that Weston extended the 18-yearold’s initial one-month loan deal until the end of the season.
He netted 10 goals in 25 outings under Northmore to fire Weston to safety and Watkins’ success on the Somerset coastline has proven to be a fundamental step in his rise to the top.
“He scored some really important goals,” added Northmore.
“We played away at Ebbsfleet United – it would be like Luton Town playing Manchester City at the moment – they were full-time with players on fantastic money for that level of football.
“We went up there, Ollie scored and we won 1-0. He chased all night long. He didn’t stop.”
But there was one match in particular that would prove to be a turning point in the career of Watkins – a 3-1 win on the road at Wealdstone in February 2015.
Northmore added: “Dean Smith came to one of our games – Dean was at Walsall then – Ollie scored and he obviously made a note.
“Then, when he went in at Brentford, he pressed the button.”
Smith snapped up Watkins for a fee of £1.8million and, three summers later, made a £28m club-record deal to bring his former frontman to Aston Villa in September 2020. Watkins has not looked back. The 27-year-old is now the focal point in Unai Emery’s attack after firing Villa into Europe last season with 14 Premier League goals.
And, after recently penning a new contract at Villa Park, he is set to claim his place in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.