COLCHESTER United promotion winner Kevin Watson on his time with former team-mate and new Macclesfield Town boss Sol Campbell

I’LL have two reasons to keep an eye on my old club Colchester United’s game with Macclesfield Town, this weekend.

It’s a big game for both clubs but for different reasons.

I always keep a close eye on what the U’s are doing but they’ll be facing a Macclesfield side now managed by someone I knew really well when we were emerging as young players at Spurs.

Sol Campbell has taken his first managerial role but I’m hoping Colchester can get the win, this weekend.

It’s brilliant to see them flying high.

I’m really pleased for John McGreal and the rest of the staff there.

He has a good group of players and a good set-up there.

They have lots of games coming now over the Christmas period and there are four matches between around the 22nd and New Year’s Day with 12 points to play for.

I’m sure John and the players will be looking at those games as a chance to have something in hand, going into the New Year.

At this time of year, it’s the test of any squad and the injury situations that might arise, with so many games in quick succession.

Winning breeds confidence and if you can win a couple on the trot, it gives you the momentum you need to come out of the other side.

It was a great result for them at Forest Green – it’s not an easy place to go.

They are the kind of places you need to go to and get results.

Colchester are there to be shot at given their league position and it’s about not taking your eye off the ball.

I know that from being part of promotion-winning teams in the past.

Because Sol’s in charge now, Colchester v Macclesfield will be a different kettle of fish to that of a few weeks ago.

It doesn’t matter who the manager is – when he goes in, it’s an automatic lift for the players and that’s just human nature.

I knew Sol very well back then.

We were in the same youth team at Spurs and we used to travel into training together, along with Jeff Minton.

We used to pick Sol up in Stratford, before he had a car.

He was a little younger than us I think but we were in the same youth team spread over two years and he was very much part of our set-up and group back then.

To be honest, back then I didn’t think he would have the career he had.

But he was very strong and athletic for his age and bigger than a lot of other players who were the same age.

He worked very hard on his game and that helped him to get where he did.

At the time, he wasn’t someone I looked at and immediately thought ‘he’ll be a manager one day’.

But he was a normal, nice guy and like me, he managed to score on his Spurs first-team debut!

Sol actually started as a forward but got converted into a centre-back and the rest is history.

He’s now taken over at Macclesfield and he’s a similar situation to the one Teddy Sheringham was in, when he took over at Stevenage and I worked with him as his assistant.

Teddy was used to a certain level and wanted them to play in a certain way but it didn’t quite pan out and that’s no disrespect at all to the players we had at Stevenage.

But I’d advise Sol not to go in there with too many expectations of the lads.

I think it’s well documented that he’s try to get into higher-level management in the past and it’s not quite happened for him, so this is a good opportunity.

It’s a tough job for him with Macclesfield bottom of the table but if he keeps them in the league this season, he’s done OK.

Sol’s been quite active on social media over recent years but I would advise him to stay off that now he’s a manager, because he needs to concentrate purely on the football.

It can’t be about Sol Campbell – it has to be about the Macclesfield players and them being at the forefront of everything.

I’m sure his presence as manager will put 200 or more extra on the gate – people will want to come and see what he has to offer.

I’m currently assistant manager at Vanarama National League South side Hungerford Town, working with player-manager Ian Herring.

I travel two hours to get there and two hours back but I’m enjoying it.

We have a very limited budget to work with there, with a squad of 18/19 players.

We need to finish above the line this season and if we do, it’ll be a success.

We play Chippenham on Saturday and we’ll be looking to get three points.

The good thing is that the club is self-sustainable now - the chairman and the people there are brilliant and there are good players there.

They’re good lads who are willing to learn and if I can pass on my knowledge in terms of the technical side of it, then that’s great.

I know our boys can do it but it’s about performing week in, week out regardless of who we’re playing.

We’ve just started a 12th man fund and we’re hoping to raise some money to bring in an extra player.

I’ve done a bit of fire fighting in my coaching career but I believe in my ability and I want to coach as high as I possibly can.