Watson’s Heed are now the Entertainers in their own right

I MUST declare my hand – Steve Watson is a good mate and Gateshead holds a special place in my heart having owned the football club for 11 years.

Yet everyone must see the job Watto has done at the International Stadium so far this season has been sensational.

Gateshead were the bookies’ favourites for relegation after the owners put the ‘for sale’ notices up in the summer and slashed the wage bill to the bare bones.

Inevitably, some of their more prominent full-time stars took to the lifeboats but Watson stayed around and, armed with the smallest of budgets, cast his eye over young North East footballers rather than importing a host of former Football League stars from further afield.

Now we have reached the halfway stage of a Vanarama National League season and Gateshead occupy seventh place – a play-off position no less.

Not bad for a 44-year-old undergoing the toughest of baptisms as a manager.

I have known Steve since his earliest days and in seven years with Newcastle United he was a stand-out performer... the youngest ever debutant at 16 years and 223 days, he used to do an audacious somersault when taking a throw-in and wore every first team shirt from No.2 to 11 over 262 games.

A true Entertainer in the days when

Kevin Keegan bought such heroes culminating in a world record £15m fee to bring Alan Shearer home.

Forget about a massively tough FA Trophy match at moneybags Salford this afternoon. Gateshead will be prioritising the league here, as Rafa Benitez does across the Tyne, and after 23 of a 46-game programme Watto stands high and proud going into a hectic festive period.