The Bangalore-based club faced Singapore's Tampines Rovers over two legs in the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup on September 14 and 21.

One of Watson's most important assignments, in a screening role in front of the back four, was keeping Tampines' former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant quiet.

"I'm a Liverpool supporter so I know all about Pennant's qualities," Watson said of the man who played for the Reds in 81 matches, including the 2007 UEFA Champions League final.

"We had seen footage from previous games and Pennant was at the centre of most of the chances and goals, so we knew as team we had to try and nullify that."

In the first leg, Watson and Co kept Pennant quiet on Indian soil as Bengaluru won 1-0. And, then on Wednesday night on the synthetic pitch of Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore, the I-League title-holders held firm again in a tense 0-0 draw that gave them a 1-0 victory on aggregate.

They now have a prestigious semi-final against holders Johor Darul Ta'zim, of Malaysia, with the first leg at Larkin Stadium in Johor Bahru on September 28.

"When you look back, you realise that you've played against someone who's played at the highest level, in the best league in the world, and arguably, at one of the best clubs in the history of football," Watson said of his duel with Pennant, who played in a central, free role.

"During the game, however, you don't have time to realise, and can't afford to either, as you can get punished in a matter of seconds."

The victory was a personal triumph for Bengaluru's new Spanish head coach, Albert Roca, who only took over the job in July, and guided a rusty team that is out of season. Despite that, he was able to come up with tactics to smother Tampines' talented attackers, which include ex-Perth Glory striker Billy Mehmet and Canadian winger Jordan Webb, in addition to Pennant.

Roca, 53, was a long-time assistant to Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona, Galatasaray and the Saudi Arabia national team. And, it was at the Nou Camp where he crossed paths with Watson's old Adelaide United boss, Josep Gombau.

Gombau was Barcelona youth coach between 2003 and 2009, and recently took charge of the Australian under-23 side, and assists Ange Postecoglou during Socceroos duty.

"What I hear from Albert [at Bengaluru] is almost identical to what Josep told me [at Adelaide]," Watson said. "It's what they have learnt through coaching at Barcelona, so their philosophy on playing style, and the patterns of play, are almost the same. They know each other quite well."

After his contract with Newcastle finished at the end of May, Watson was back home in Melbourne, training with NPL club, Green Gully, to keep fit, when he heard about the opportunity to head to India.

"Bengaluru's former Aussie player Shaun Rooney contacted me, asking if I would be keen on playing in India, and, of course, I said yes," Watson said. "He, and Green Gully coach Arthur Papas, who had recently worked there, had plenty of positive things to say.

"I've been in Bangalore about six weeks now, and have settled in well. John Johnson [Bengaluru's English centre-back], who has been here for three seasons, made my settling in a lot easier, but the whole team and club were very welcoming."

Watson, who's signed until mid-2017, is a rangy midfielder who keeps it simple, yet has a noticeable presence box-to-box.

Coming through the Australian Institute of Sport, he headed to Europe as an 18-year-old – he was a youth and reserve player at FC Porto and had a handful of first-team games at Dutch club VVV-Venlo – before returning home in 2007.

He's most proud of his five seasons with Adelaide United, where he was part of the 2014 FFA Cup-winning side, before spending the 2015-16 season with a Newcastle Jets side in transition.

"It has been very enjoyable to be with Bengaluru, and I'm enjoying playing again," Watson said. "Bengaluru are the biggest club in India, who have been very successful in the last three years, so to keep that going is the main goal, and take it one step further in this AFC Cup campaign."

Now, after pitting wits with Pennant in Singapore, Watson faces an even greater challenge over the border in Malaysia. Next Wednesday, he will need to keep JDT's Argentine import strikers Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Juan Martin Lucero quiet, not to mention their talismanic skipper, Safiq Rahim, considered one of the best midfielders in south-east Asia.

Former Herald journalist Jason Dasey is a Singapore-based senior editor of global football website: www.espnfc.com