Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson happy to play mentor to upcoming young ace

Daily Record

20-05-2025

The 20-year-old was full of praise for Cole Burke - and says he's happy to offer any support and advice as he looks to break into the first team
Killie ace David Watson might only be 20 years old but he's a wise old head in the dressing room.
And as he closes in on 100 games for the club, the Prestwick Pirlo is more than happy to pass on advice to the next generation of Kilmarnock stars.
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Cole Burke, just 16, made his home debut for the club after coming off the bench against Hearts and showed plenty of promise and no fear as the winger looked a threat on the ball.
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Watson knows the importance of having folk to lean on when you're breaking into the first team, and that's why he says he'll be there for Cole.
He said: 'He's four years younger than me. I'm just trying to give him a bit of advice from me. I've nearly played 100 games now. I think I can give him that advice on how to maybe break into the first team and get some games under his belt.
'When I came in I had Rory McKenzie, Innes Cameron, these players that take you under their wing, but also make it difficult for you at the same time and challenge you.
'It makes you a stronger person and a stronger player. I think that's the stage Burke is at and he's on the brink.
'He's nearly there. He's working really hard and he's doing really well. Hopefully in the next six months or so we'll see him more often than we do now.'
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He added: 'He's brilliant. He's just one of these maverick players who will take the ball and you never really know what he's going to do. Sometimes that can be a good thing, sometimes it can be a bad thing. But if you let him do what he does, he's a brilliant player to watch.
'He works hard and he's got a great family around him. Obviously Chris Burke, his mum, his brother, they're all great people. He's got a good career ahead of him, hopefully.'
The campaign started on a bright note for Watson, bagging a Europa League goal at home to Cercle Brugge. But it's been a largely up and down season, both personally and for the club.
Reflecting on the campaign, he said: 'I wouldn't say it's a disappointing season, I'd say it's more of a difficult one for me in terms of not being in the team as much and having to learn from that and just gaining experience from these types of situations.
'It's part of football isn't it, you're not going to play every game and you need to expect that so it's just something to take on the chin and learn from it and keep that going into the rest of my career.'