 Watters withAshford United in January 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Max James Watters[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1999-03-23)23 March 1999 (age 26) | ||
| Place of birth | Camden,London, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dundee United (on loan fromBarnsley) | ||
| Number | 36 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Thurrock | 0 | (0) |
| 2017 | →Barking (loan) | 11 | (3) |
| 2017–2018 | Ashford United | 25 | (8) |
| 2018–2020 | Doncaster Rovers | 5 | (0) |
| 2018 | →Grantham Town (loan) | 17 | (4) |
| 2019 | →Gainsborough Trinity (loan) | ||
| 2019 | →Mickleover Sports (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2020 | →Maidstone United (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Crawley Town | 15 | (13) |
| 2021–2023 | Cardiff City | 22 | (1) |
| 2021 | →Milton Keynes Dons (loan) | 11 | (5) |
| 2023 | →Barnsley (loan) | 19 | (4) |
| 2023– | Barnsley | 54 | (8) |
| 2025– | →Dundee United (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2017 | England Schoolboys | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12:14, 23 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Max James Watters (born 23 March 1999) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forScottish Premiership clubDundee United, on loan fromEFL League One clubBarnsley.
Watters started his career playing non-league football withThurrock,Barking andAshford United before signing withLeague One sideDoncaster Rovers in summer 2018. Following loan spells atGrantham Town,Gainsborough Trinity,Mickleover Sports andMaidstone United, he was released by Doncaster Rovers at the end of the2019–20 season. He signed for League Two clubCrawley Town in October 2020, moving to Championship clubCardiff City in January 2021.
Born inCamden,[3][4] Watters attendedHall Mead School andShenfield High School.[5]
Watters began his career in non-league football withThurrock,Barking andAshford United.[5][6] He never made a first-team appearance for Thurrock.[7] With Barking, he scored 3 goals in 11 league games, and 3 goals in 4 cup games.[8] With Ashford, he scored 8 goals in 25 league games; he also made a further 2 cup appearances, without scoring.[9]
In May 2018 it was announced that Watters would turn professional withDoncaster Rovers for the 2018–19 season, joining the club on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[10] He moved on loan toGrantham Town in August 2018.[11] He scored 4 goals in 21 games in all competitions for Grantham Town.[12] He then joinedNorthern Premier League clubGainsborough Trinity on 18 January 2019 on a month-long loan.[13] He scored on his debut for the club the following day with the only goal of a 1–0 win overMickleover Sports.[14]
In September 2019 he moved on loan toMickleover Sports.[15][16][17] He made his senior debut for Doncaster on 29 October 2019 in theEFL Trophy, before making his league debut on 7 December 2019 as a substitute in a 1–1 draw withMilton Keynes Dons.[18][19] On 21 February 2020, he moved toMaidstone United on a month-long loan.[20] He made his league debut for the club the following day, starting in a 2–1 defeat at home toHampton & Richmond Borough.[21][22] He failed to score in four league appearances whilst at Maidstone United.[23] He was released by Doncaster at the end of the 2019–20 season, having made 5 league appearances whilst at the club.[23][24]
After being released by Doncaster Rovers, Watters had trial spells with Maidstone United,Bromley andDagenham & Redbridge before joiningLeague Two clubCrawley Town on trial after playing against them in a friendly for Maidstone United in September 2020.[25][26] On 10 October 2020, he signed for Crawley Town on a one-year contract with the option of a further year.[27] He scored on his Crawley debut on 13 October 2020 in anEFL Trophy tie againstArsenal U21s.[28] He then scored twice on his league debut in a 4–0 victory overMorecambe four days later.[29] After scoring 5 goals in 5 League Two games for Crawley in October 2020,[30] he was nominated for theEFL League Two Player of the Month award for October,[31] though it was awarded toCambridge United strikerPaul Mullin.[32] Crawley's signing of Watters was praised by former footballerStephen Warnock (appearing on theEFL on Quest TV show) as a "terrific piece of recruitment".[33] Having scored 6 league goals in December 2020, including a brace as a substitute againstMansfield Town and a hat-trick againstBarrow, he was awarded the League Two Player of the Month award for December.[34][35][26]
He signed forCardiff City on 16 January 2021 on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[36] Crawley Town managerJohn Yems later suggested the fee was £1 million.[37]
On 8 July 2021, Watters joined League One sideMilton Keynes Dons on loan for the duration of the2021–22 season.[38][39] After missing the start of the season through injury, he scored his first goal for the club on 18 September 2021 in a 4–1 away win overGillingham.[40] On 30 December 2021, Cardiff City activated a clause to return Watters from his loan early, having scored 7 goals in 14 appearances in all competitions for MK Dons.[41]
Following his return, on 22 January 2022 Watters scored his first goal for Cardiff in his first game back for the club in a 3–2 defeat away toBristol City.[42]
On 5 January 2023, Watters returned to League One to joinBarnsley on loan until the end of the2022–23 season.[43][44] He scored his first goal for Barnsley on 11 February 2023 in a 2-0 win againstCambridge United, but was later sent off in the same match.[45]
He signed permanently forBarnsley in July 2023.[46]
On 18 July 2025, Watters joinedScottish Premiership clubDundee United on a season-long loan.[47]
Watters has representedEngland Schoolboys.[48]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Thurrock | 2016–17[7] | Isthmian League Division One North | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Barking (loan) | 2016–17[8] | Essex Senior Football League | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 3 | 15 | 6 | |
| Ashford United | 2017–18[9] | Isthmian League South East Division | 25 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 27 | 8 | |
| Doncaster Rovers | 2018–19[49] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019–20[18] | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Grantham Town (loan) | 2018–19[12] | Northern Premier League Premier Division | 17 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 21 | 4 | |
| Mickleover Sports (loan) | 2019–20[17] | Northern Premier League Premier Division | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| Maidstone United (loan) | 2019–20[23] | National League South | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Crawley Town | 2020–21[30] | League Two | 15 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 16 |
| Cardiff City | 2020–21[30] | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2021–22[50] | Championship | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2022–23[51] | Championship | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| Milton Keynes Dons (loan) | 2021–22[50] | League One | 11 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 7 |
| Barnsley (loan) | 2022–23[51] | League One | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 21 | 4 |
| Barnsley | 2023–24[52] | League One | 24 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 29 | 4 |
| 2024–25[53] | League One | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 | |
| 2025–26[54] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 63 | 10 | ||
| Dundee United (loan) | 2025–26[54] | Scottish Premiership | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Career total | 191 | 46 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 8 | 226 | 61 | ||
