DUNCAN WATMORE used to do his Uni work on the Altrincham team coach when they travelled to away games.
The down-to-earth 21-year-old had to transfer his degree in economics and business management from Manchester University to Newcastle when he moved from the Non-League club to Sunderland in 2013.
He's certainly hitting the grades on the pitch too. After starring for England in the summer at the Toulon tournament, the forward recently scored his first Premier League goal against Norwich City and has been called up to Gareth Southgate's U21 squad.
It's a far cry from the Conference North where the son of former FA chief executive Ian Watmore burst onto the scene.
“He's an eye-catching player, the way he plays the game is very direct,” Alty boss Lee Sinnott said. “Our youth-team manager George Heslop picked him up after he left Manchester United. We had a look at him in first-team training. You could tell he had, in my view, something unique.
Level-headed
“He started off on the right because with young forwards I prefer to do it that way. But before Christmas we got an injury to James Lawrie, who had been doing really well with Damian Reeves, so I put Duncan into the middle and the rest is history.
“He knows what his goal is and I don't think he'll be distracted from it. That sounds simplistic, but it's not meant to. He's got a head on him in the way he plays the game.
“He's a great lad. He's carried on with his University studies and he's very level-headed. You couldn't ask for a better grounding in the way his dad has helped him along. It was very important to his family that when he moved to Sunderland he could still continue his studies.
“He's a great advert for any lad who comes out of the academy if you work hard. We're all really proud of him here at Altrincham.”
Watmore scored 15 goals in 35 starts for the club as he won Player of the Season in 2012-13. It was one of his goals that year which created a real buzz.
A mazy run, starting deep in his own half was calmly finished against Corby Town prompting a viral video on the internet.
Captain Shaun Densmore always knew Watmore was destined for bigger things, even telling The NLP back in 2011 to keep an eye out.
“He's one of the nicest and down to earth people I've come across,” Densmore said. “He also let me have the easiest two years ever playing right back behind him. You just had to give him the ball and it was job done!”
