Career
Watling was a one-club man, whose only senior team was Bristol Rovers. Prior to joining The Pirates, he played for Plain House Youth Club, the Royal Navy, and Street Andrew"s Boys Club in Avonmouth, and he also had an unsuccessful trial at Plymouth Argyle at the end of the Second World War. He joined Bristol Rovers in October 1945, initially as an amateur, before signing his first professional contract in January 1947.
After having made 323 League appearances and scoring 19 goals, Watling retired from playing in 1963 but remained with the club for a further two years as a coach and scout before finally leaving in 1965 after spending twenty years with them.
Following his retirement from football, he worked as a storekeeper at Glenside Hospital in Bristol.
