the passing of renowned former Bristol Rovers player Josser Watling causes sadness
The sole club member participated in 323 league games for Bristol Rovers and was a survivor of a Nazi warship-sunk boat during World War II.
Bristol Rovers have honoured a deceased renowned former player. The last surviving member of the legendary Rovers team from the 1950s was John “Josser” Watling.
“Josser” was born on May 11th, 1925 in Bristol. He fought in the Royal Navy during World War II and was on a boat that was sunk by Nazi warships off the coast of Russia. Mr Watling joined Rovers in October 1945 and became a professional in January 1947. On Valentine’s Day 1948, he made his league debut for the team in a local derby against Bristol City.
On that occasion, Rovers fell 5-2 at Ashton Gate, but it was his first of 323 league appearances for the team, his only league club. He also had 19 league goals, the first of which came in a 3-0 victory at Eastville in September 1948 against City.
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Former Bristol Rovers press representative Keith Brookman penned an obituary for the player that reads, “Initially a deceptively quick left winger, he was switched to left-back during the later half of his career and he skippered the team for four years until his retirement, in 1962. In addition to being a gifted football player, “Josser” was a real character on a team that was primarily made up of local players. At the time, these players formed a close-knit group because it was before the elimination of the maximum wage, before substitutes were ever considered, and when players seldom switched clubs.
There are numerous pictures of “Josser,” who is a natural comedian and performer, sitting at the piano with his teammates gathered around him. He acknowledged calling striker Alfie Biggs “The Baron” because of his fashion sense and he was happy to have played for the team for 15 straight years.
“The 288th player to represent the team in the Football League, he worked as a storekeeper at Glenside Hospital for many years before running a fruit shop for four years after his retirement. Watling Way in Shirehampton was also named in his honour.
When I first met him, he was a regular at Rovers home games, always accompanied by Bill Roost, a dear friend and another former Rovers player. He always made time for a chat and was full of anecdotes from his time in the navy and as a player for the Rovers.
“Despite playing in only five games during the 1952–1953 promotion campaign, ‘Josser’ participated in the club’s FA Cup quarterfinal matches against Newcastle United in 1951 and Fulham in 1958. He also participated in the 1960 League Cup match between Rovers and Fulham. His close family and friends, to whom we extend our deepest condolences, will also be grieving his passing today together with the many fans who had the pleasure of getting to know him.
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