Emma Watson on being creative, representing Scotland and making up for lost time
Midfielder Emma Watson sat down this week to talk about her recent Player of the Match performance, Ipswich Town on Sunday, and the drive to make up for lost time in her career.
The Scotland international started against the Black Cats last Sunday, and laid on an assist for international teammate Kirsty Howat for Palace's equaliser.
Despite Palace failing to get all three points in the 1-1 draw, Watson’s performance against Sunderland was recognised by the supporters, who voted her as the TEN Player of the Match – a nomination that meant a great deal after a challenging period in her career.
She said: “I was absolutely delighted and honoured to have been nominated for Player of the Match by the fans. It means a lot to get their recognition and for them to recognise that I’m putting in good performances.
“The result might have not gone our way, but I’m still putting in a good performance for the team and just trying my best. I’m a creative and attacking player and I want to be making chances, getting assists and scoring.”
The Manchester United loanee joined the Red Devils in 2023, and suffered an ACL injury just one month after her move. Having endured a difficult spell following a serious injury, Watson is relishing being back on the pitch and learning from the Palace coaching staff.
She said: “I’ve really enjoyed playing so far with Palace and getting some good minutes and appearing on the pitch most weeks. It’s been crucial for me to play this season.
“I’ve had a rough two years with joining United and then rupturing my ACL straightaway, and last season was really about me trying to find my feet again.
“This season I'm really looking forward to getting some good minutes back under my belt, and enjoy being back playing football on the pitch.
"Hopefully we go on and earn promotion with Palace – that’s the goal.”
She credits her new environment for helping her grow.
“I’m loving playing under Jo Potter and learning from the likes of Remi Allen, AJ [Annabel Johnson] and all the coaching staff and my teammates at Palace.
"I’m just trying to be a sponge and embrace the whole opportunity and just learn as much as I can, especially at my age,” she said.
Watson’s good form for Palace has been rewarded with a call-up to the Scotland Under-23 squad for their upcoming international camp.
Speaking about what it meant, she said: “I was absolutely honoured to get the call up to the U23's. It’s always a massive privilege and an honour to play for Scotland, to represent my nation at the top level."
The camp will feature two challenging fixtures, which Watson believes will be essential for her development.
She said: “We’ve got two tough games, playing Sweden at home and then travelling away to play Italy, so it will be two tough games, real tests. But that’s what we want.
"We want to be competing against the top nations and I think it's a really good opportunity for me to hopefully get some good minutes and playing time at international level back under my belt.
"I want to use it as a platform to go and enjoy my football and express myself, have fun and just love every minute playing for my nation.”
Palace are unbeaten in the league since the opening day but without a win since 21st September against Nottingham Forest.
Watson is clear that the team’s immediate focus is to show a winning reaction in the Women’s League Cup, especially with the high stakes of group qualification.
She said: “Yeah, I think obviously we want to be getting a win in the cup, and especially after drawing at the weekend, we’re looking to really rectify that result and show a positive reaction and get a win at home.
“That’s definitely our aim this week, we're wanting the win against Ipswich, we're wanting the three points.
“Ipswich will be a tough side. It’ll be a tough team. It’ll be a battle. It’ll be a fight. But it’s a cup game and everyone’s feeling pretty up to it, and yeah, we’re really looking forward to it.”
Tickets are available for the crucial clash against Ipswich Town, with the game kicking off at 14:00 on Sunday, 19th October at the VBS Community Stadium in Sutton.
There is plenty on offer on gameday, click here to find out more about why you should secure your seat.
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