A DECADE ago this week, Marley Watkins signed for Barnsley and started one of the most enjoyable spells of his career.
The forward, now 34 and playing in the SPL with Kilmarnock, made 87 appearances for the Reds with 18 goals between 2015 and 2017.
Wales international Watkins joined from Inverness Caledonian Thistle and gained promotion in his first season.
He told the Chronicle: “They are definitely some of my best memories.
“The fans were great and we had a great team as well.
“We got the promotion then, once you get to the Championship, it’s like: ‘my dreams are coming true.’
“It was really exciting.
“It’s such a special club.”
Watkins was a regular starter in the promotion season but struggled with injuries in the final two months, missing the Johnstone Paint Trophy final but coming on for the final five minutes of the play-off final win.
He said: “It was unlucky but I am grateful about how (Paul) Heckingbottom brought me back and put me on at Wembley.
“I have played at Wembley now because of him.
“He didn’t have to do that but he remembered I was a big part of the season.”
In his second season, Barnsley were seventh in the Championship January but Conor Hourihane, James Bree and Sam Winnall were all sold in that transfer window.
Watkins said: “It was a shame when everyone left in January and we were near the play-offs. I am not saying we would definitely have gone up but I thought it was worth giving it a shot.
“We lost really important players.
“You can’t blame lads wanting to go – it’s life-changing for their families.
“We should obviously have never been on those short deals.
“It’s frustrating as a player when some of your best players leave.
“It’s kind of a ‘what if?’
“It still would have been very hard to get in the play-offs but we didn’t even give ourselves a chance.”
Watkins himself could have left that window after handing in a transfer request.
He said: “I regret that.
“It was because we didn’t go for it, not because I wanted to leave.
“It was annoying we were getting rid of our best players.
“But it was stupid on my part, really.”
Watkins fondly remembers his goal at Blackburn Rovers in 2017 which hit the crossbar three times, as well as the home win over Leeds United earlier that year.
“The Leeds game was like a warzone.
“It was proper football – the fans fighting in the crowd, it was carnage.”
Watkins left at the end of his contract in 2017 and had spells with Championship clubs Norwich City, Bristol City and Cardiff City before returning to Scotland with Aberdeen and now Kilmarnock.
