Carlisle United are delighted to confirm that keeper coach Dan Watson will remain as part of the club’s first team backroom staff having initially joined the Blues in November 2017, where he worked with Jack Bonham, Morgan Bacon and Louis Gray through the second half of the 17/18 campaign.
He started his playing career at Derby County before making a return to his native Midlands to join Wolverhampton Wanderers. A move to Luton followed where his career took a stumble following a cruciate ligament injury.
His rehabilitation took longer than anticipated, so he accepted a move to join Kidderminster Harriers where he completed his coaching badges. He joined Port Vale as their under-23 Development Squad lead keeper coach in 2014 and his three-year stay with the Valiants included a spell as their first team goalkeeper coach under former-manager Michael Brown.
Speaking about the confirmation that the popular coach will remain on the staff list today, assistant manager Tommy Wright said: “Dan is a great character and good to have around the place. We’ve seen that already over the last few days.
“You usually get that with keeper coaches because you’ve got to be daft as a brush to even think about being a goalkeeper in the first place!
“I know Dan a little bit from having played against the teams he’s worked with over the years and he’s one of those people who has a good manner and attitude about him. Everyone you speak to talks very highly of him and the players he worked with who were here last season all clearly get on with him and like him.”
“We’re all really pleased that he’s staying on board with us,” he continued. “Over the last three or four days we’ve come together as a coaching staff and it’s clicked. It tends to be that way in football. You move from club to club and you have to be ready to do your job.
“With pre-season you have to hit the ground running whether you’re a player or a coach. We still need to build the squad up a bit more, and we’re working hard on doing that, and Dan is an important part of it all for us.”
We’ll have an interview with keeper coach Dan Watson on the official website on Monday morning.