Ace Watters is fired up to the max
HE’S had a slow start to his Cardiff City career, but striker Max Watters is now eager to play his part in helping the Bluebirds escape from a ‘scary’ position in the Championship.
The 22-year-old forward moved to Cardiff from League Two Crawley for £1m a year ago, but only featured three times last term. In the summer, he joined MK Dons on a season-long loan, but the Welsh club brought him back early after he netted seven goals in 14 games for the League One side.
Having scored off the bench in his first game of the season for Cardiff last weekend, in a 3-2 loss at Bristol City, Watters is now eager to make more of an impact.
“I got put out on loan and I think it helped me massively,” he said. “I’ve just learned that whatever the opportunity I’ve been given, I’ve got to take it with both hands.
“It’s really good to get the recall from Milton Keynes, it’s a massive compliment to me. I’m happy to be back and can hopefully contribute to the team.”
Having notched his first goal in Cardiff colours, Watters wants to show boss Steve Morison that he deserves more playing time.
“Being brought on as a sub, I’ve got to change the game as much as I can,” he said. “It’s a shame we couldn’t get a result but to get a goal, my first goal for Cardiff, is good for me.
“I’ve just got to do what I can, put the performances in and work hard in training.”
If Watters can get back on the goal trail regularly, as he did with Crawley in the first half of last season and at MK Dons this term, then it could be a big boost for the Bluebirds, who host Steve Cooper’s upwardly mobile Nottingham Forest this afternoon.
On the other hand, Cardiff headed into the weekend 20th in the table, just three points above the drop zone, after a winless run of six games.
“Forest are in a good place in the table,” added Watters, who will play in front of a home crowd for the first time since joining Cardiff if he gets game time today. “It’s going to be a massive game for us. The table is looking scary at the moment but we just have to concentrate on our performances.
“With the players we’ve got and the way we want to play, we’re confident we can win. If we can gel together and get that first result back on the board, I think we’ll be fine.”