Robert Watt: Penicuik Athletic goalkeeper explains his battle to become club No1

Robert Watt has now established himself as No1 at Penicuik Athletic

The 22-year-old has cemented his place between the sticks for Stevie McLeish’s side, and off the park he is looking forward to moving in with former team-mate Greg Page, now at Musselburgh Athletic, next month.

Ahead of a second meeting in a week with Blackburn United at Penicuik tomorrow, after beating the West Lothian side 2-1 away from home last Saturday, Currie native Watt is appreciative of his current situation.

“This season has been the season that I’ve really got going and cemented myself as No.1,” said Watt, who joined the club from Tynecastle in May 2019.

“Swainy [Kevin Swain] was there when I first went in and then Tattie [Mark Tait] was in last season, so it’s only really this season that I’ve got the jersey. It’s been great, I’m really enjoying it. John Menzies is a great goalie coach and I’ve got big Robbo [Liam Robertson] pushing me every week.

“We’ve just played Blackburn so it’s not ideal to be playing them again. They put up a good fight against us on Saturday, they know what we are about and we know what they are about.

“It makes it harder that we are playing them back to back, it very rarely happens in a season that you come up against a team in consecutive weeks.

“Hopefully we can go and pick up the three points again. With no other [league] games being played it gives us a great chance to go top, we just need to go about it right; every game is a must win now.”

Victory would take the Cuikie a point ahead of current leaders Linlithgow Rose with a game in hand over the Prestonfield side.

Watt added: “To go and win the league would be brilliant but there is a lot of tough games to go.

“We’ve done well for three quarters of the season, so there is no reason why we can’t kick on. This is where it matters, at this stage of the season. I’m confident in the boys that we can go and do it.”