GoS: Player Details

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Greens on Screen started its life in 1999 before many of the football sites that we are familiar with today, including Plymouth Argyle's own official site. Greens on Screen is dedicated to the sights, sounds and history of Plymouth Argyle Football club. It is owned and run by the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive, a charity dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and display of the heritage of our great football club.

The site owes its existence to Steve Dean. Without Steve's dedication and commitment for over 25 years, GoS would not exist and be the valued and loved resource for all football fans that it is today. The site is truly the envy of many clubs, and we owe a huge debt to Steve for his tireless work, and continued support behind the scenes.

Greens on Screen's first page was published in January 1999. Its early purpose was to bring Plymouth Argyle a little closer to those unable to see their team, and whilst it has changed a great deal over the years, its core themes - sights and sounds for Westcountry exiles - still stand. The site was very lucky to take on the content of Trevor Scallan's Semper Viridis in the summer of 2007, and in 2009 launched GoS-DB, a wealth of facts and figures from PAFC's history. A year later, we embarked on a complete history of Argyle, with much-valued contributions from chapter authors. Greens on Screen was taken over by its new custodians, The Argyle Archive, in 2024.

Greens on Screen is an amateur website and proud of it. It is run by a team of volunteers from the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive (Argyle Archive). Without the hard work and much-valued contributions of these volunteers, running the site would not be possible. Greens on Screen is self-taught and as a result, a little bit quirky.

Greens on Screen remains advertisement free, which means we are grateful for the generous support of our donors and the work of our volunteers to help keep it free of promotions. If you would like to support the work of Greens on Screen, please consider donating to the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.

GoS's sole aim is to be a service to fellow supporters, and we look forward to continuing to celebrate Argyle'ss history for many years to come.

Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.
April 2024

Can you help? This page is the result of the best endeavours of all concerned. If you spot a mistake or know of facts to add, or have a better photo, please get in touch using 'Contact Us' (top, right).

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JOHN WATLING

Full Name: John Daniel Watling (also known as Josser)

Born: 11 May 1925

Came from: Unattached Went to: Released

First game: 05 May 1945 Last game: 05 May 1945

Appearances: 1 (1/0) Goals: 0

Following the Second World War, Plymouth Argyle resumed conventional League football in the 1945-46 season, albeit in the unconventional form of the Football League South. However, the club's senior players took part in a cup competition, the Football League West Cup, in the final two months of the 1944-45 campaign. There is more in Greens on Screen's History, chapter 16, about Argyle's post-war re-establishment and first senior competition, here.

Argyle took part in nine games in this competition, but further facts are very hard to find, except for those revealed in short match reports in the Western Morning News. Watling was one of 12 known players whose only appearance for the club was in a Football League West Cup match.

Born in Bristol, Watling played for St Andrew's Boys Club and then the Avonmouth senior side before joining the Royal Navy at 18 to serve in the Second World War, in which he survived the sinking of his ship by Nazi warships off the Russian coast. In April 1945, still only 19, he began a trial at Home Park, and at the end of the week in which Germany surrendered and the war in Europe ended, he was selected to make his only appearance for the Pilgrims' first team.

Five months later he signed on amateur terms for Bristol Rovers before joining their professional ranks in January 1947. 'Josser', as he became known, made his league debut in a local derby, against Bristol City on Valentine’s Day 1948. Initially a speedy left winger, he converted to left-back during the latter part of his career and he skippered the side for four seasons until he hung up his playing boots in 1963, the end of 15 years, 323 league appearances and 19 goals for his only club.

Josser remained in Bristol and became a regular at Rovers' home games. In 2021 he was named as one of the initial inductees of the Bristol Rovers Hall of Fame. He died two years later at the grand old age of 98.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.

APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]

The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.

I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.

The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.

Greens on Screen is run as a service to fellow supporters, in all good faith, without commercial or private gain. We have no wish to abuse copyright regulations and apologise unreservedly if this occurs. If you own any of the material on this site, and object to its inclusion, please get in touch using the 'Contact Us' button at the top of the page.