PAUL WATSON has left Athletic, the club have announced.

This afternoon, the East End Park outfit have said that the centre back's "employment with the club has ended by mutual consent".

At 5pm, Dunfermline posted on their social media channels, and website, that the 30-year-old had left the club.

In a single, one-sentence announcement, they said: "DAFC can confirm that Paul Watson’s employment with the club has ended by mutual consent."

No reason has been given for Watson's departure.

Signed by former boss Stevie Crawford last summer, following his departure from Dundee United after they had won the Championship title, Watson quickly became a regular at the heart of the Pars' defence.

He played in all but five of the club's matches in all competitions, including the Premiership play-off quarter-final defeat to Raith Rovers.

This term, Watson played in all four of Dunfermline's Premier Sports Cup group matches, and in the last 16 exit at Rangers, and in their opening six Championship fixtures, starting all of them.

After the 3-0 loss to Arbroath, Watson was quoted as saying that the opposition "outfought us", and said that "we were just all over the place really. I think that was clear to see."

He was absent for the 1-1 draw at Raith Rovers in last month's rescheduled Fife derby, after which Grant was asked about his absence, to which he said: "He's just not available for tonight's game.

"I thought there was going to be a lot more of them but, fortunately, most of them could make it. That's the situation on that."

When further asked if it was the sort of absence that would rule him out for the trip to Queen of the South the following weekend, he added: "As I say, I'm not wanting to say too much on that at this minute in time."

Watson, who came through the ranks at Hutchison Vale and Ipswich Town, signed his first professional contract with Livingston, helping them to back-to-back Third and Second Division titles.

In 2013, he moved on to Raith Rovers, where he stayed for two seasons before joining Falkirk, where he played his part in securing back-to-back runners-up finishes in the Championship in 2015/16 and 2016/17. 

He joined Dundee United in the summer of 2018 and, after making 52 appearances, joined Dunfermline last summer.