It may still be three months until Eddie Howe’s side participate in Europe’s star-studded tournament but Magpies supporters are eagerly awaiting the prospect of more famous European nights at St. James’ Park and across the continent ahead of their first involvement in European football since the Europa League a decade ago.
Watson, who remains United’s youngest ever debutant after making his first-team debut at the tender age of 16, featured for his boyhood club between 1990 and 1998 and started in all eight of Newcastle’s Champions League fixtures during the 1997/98 season, defeating Croatia Zagreb in the second qualifying round before being drawn against Spanish giants Barcelona as well as PSV Eindhoven and Dynamo Kyiv, who had won their respective top-flight titles in the Netherlands and Ukraine.
The North Shields-born defender, who made over 250 competitive appearances for his boyhood club, told nufc.co.uk: “We were lucky enough to build up from the UEFA Cup (in 1994/95). We had European experiences against the likes of Royal Antwerp, Metz and Bilbao but, obviously, the Champions League is the ultimate in club football.
“You’re so excited, as we all are now, for the draw as that’s the first part of the journey once you get the season out of the way. We’re hoping for a good draw, some great adventures and cities to visit but also trying to manoeuvre around the group and trying to get out of it.
"Ultimately, the way the team is going now and the way they have kept improving, I can’t imagine anyone wants to leave and with the extra football from the European Cup comes the squad so I’d assume Eddie would want to add two or three without losing anybody or without anyone he doesn’t want to lose.”
Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, who have all reached the Champions League final since the turn of the decade, are just a number of heavyweight opponents Newcastle could face next season.
Watson, however, revealed his experiences in the European Cup were mixed from recording an unforgettable 3-2 victory against Barcelona - going toe-to-toe with future Ballon D’Or duo Rivaldo and Luis Figo - as well as completing trips to Spain, Holland and Ukraine before finishing third in Group C after accruing seven points.
“My experiences in Europe were good and bad,” he admitted whilst speaking at St. James’ Park. "The night, here, against Barcelona is up there with the greatest football nights of my life alongside the 5-0 win against Manchester United. We also had a trip to Kyiv on a bitter, cold night in front of a big, hostile crowd but getting a good result across there (a 2-2 draw) and then beating them (2-0) at home.
"Kyiv was a complete eye-opener. It’s horrendous what is going on over there now but I remember it was the coldest place I’ve ever been to. I remember seeing how many layers of training kit Tino Asprilla had on that night. He was like the Michelin man!
“The only downside was the team who we knew the least about was the one who knocked us out in PSV. They beat us twice but, apart from that, we competed well. We also went to the Nou Camp and that's one thing we’d have wanted to change because you want to play in a full stadium with something to play for.
"It was almost a dead rubber at the time which you never want to see. I have a son now, Danny, who loves his football and you want to talk about these experiences but that one at the Nou Camp was nowhere near where you’d want it to be.”
Watson was part of a Newcastle United side, labelled the Entertainers, which finished as Premier League runners-up on two occasions during the 1990s and it could be argued the current crop of players could emulate or even surpass one of the club’s most exciting eras to date.
A proud Geordie, Watson has been enjoying his trips to St. James’ Park as a supporter and, like many Newcastle fans, has been amazed by the rapid rise of the club from relegation contenders to Champions League participants within the space of 18 months.
“I’m buzzing myself and I’ve been there and played Champions League football,” the 49-year-old added. "When I come to watch the first-team games, I feel like a fan again. That’s something I’ve never really had because I joined Newcastle when I was 16 and, from then on, was involved as a player and being on the coaches for home and away games so I never really got to witness it as a fan.
“To have been here for this campaign, league and cup, has been brilliant and it has given me a chance to see how different everybody was and how much the mood had not just lifted but skyrocketed.
"I’d not really been to St. James’ Park so much in the last ten years so I feel a lot more included now and people don’t just have renewed optimism but it has excelled anybody’s expectations. The buzz is most definitely back and it’s great being able to walk it, meeting mates for a drink before the matches and walk past the Gallowgate and the statues.
“It’s unique. Even though through the times I was involved in successful teams, I never really got to see that side of it. From a long way into the season, we looked like we weren’t just looking to finish in the top ten. The way Eddie (Howe) sets his teams up and the way the players have bought into his philosophy as well as the area, it started to turn into expectancy and we finished off brilliantly.
"Even when we had blips, the reaction was great and I’m thrilled for everybody at the club. The new owners have done everything brilliantly and not put a foot wrong, as have the team and staff."
Watson also attended the club’s monthly Memory Café at St. James’ Park this week, which is designed to support people with Dementia and Alzheimer’s as well as those who are lonely or isolated and enjoyed sharing his playing experiences to an observant crowd.
“Every time I have been invited, I’ve not been not been able to get up to the stadium so this has been the first time and it’s great,” he said. "We had put a bunch of slides up about my career and explaining what they are, right from the very start all the way through my career at Newcastle.
“Everyone kept asking questions and it’s another side of football that you enjoy getting involved in. We do a lot of Q&As or interviews but this is a different asset to it all and it’s local people you’re speaking to. It's nice to be able to, hopefully, help and make somebody’s day."
