Defender Mattie Pollock is ready to fight to earn his place in next season’s first-team squad after returning from a hugely successful loan spell with League One side Cheltenham Town.
The 20-year-old featured 39 times for the Robins and won the Young Player of the Season award in their first campaign in League One after a five-year absence. The Watford centre-half helped secure their future in the division with a 15th-place finish.
Speaking on Thursday’s edition of Inside The Hive (May 5), which you can watch above, Pollock said he is grateful for the opportunity to have played for Cheltenham Town and believes he has developed exponentially since joining the Gloucestershire-based outfit.
“I have never experienced anything like it before,” said Pollock. “It was my first loan move and I loved every minute of it. Cheltenham are a great club – I went out to play games and that’s what I did. I even chipped in with a few goals. I really enjoyed the higher league and a different type of football.
“The lads were special and it’s one of the best groups I’ve been in. They all had the same ideas – the manager, the staff, the players – everyone was on the same page. They were really welcoming.
“You knew when you were out on the pitch on a Saturday, every one of them was going to work and run as hard as they could for each other. I think that is massive in a dressing room. They were excellent lads and it was really good. I enjoyed every second on the pitch with them.
“I think I have changed since I signed for Watford. I have changed in my defending and that’s just from playing games. I had a great season and loved every second of it. I’m happy to be back and I’m hoping to kick on now and see what I can do.”
The defensive general explained how the temporary move to the Robins came to fruition, following his permanent transfer to Watford at the start of the season.
“It felt massive [to join Watford] and I couldn’t really believe it,” Pollock began. “Coming from Grimsby Town and signing for a Premier League club was everything you dream of as a kid. It was a really proud day for me and my family, so I loved every minute of it and almost couldn’t believe it was true.
“It was all a bit of a whirlwind. When I signed for Watford, I had one aim in mind and that was to play for them. When the loan came around, I’m a realistic person and I knew I needed to go and almost prove myself.
“I’m glad I did it because I took a bit of a risk. It was my first loan and I didn’t know what would come from it. I wanted to play for Watford so going out on loan and hopefully developing and learning more has put me in the right position to go on and play for Watford in the future.”
Pollock’s thoughts are now fixated on staking a claim in the Hornets’ team. He said: “As a footballer, you have to be open to all possibilities. The aim is to play for Watford and I’ve said that from day one. Part of me going out on loan was because I looked at the bigger picture.
“Hopefully in pre-season I can come in, hit the ground running and put a real challenge in to get involved with the squad and play as many games as I can. In the same breath, I’m still young and if it takes me going back out on loan to learn more and play for Watford, then it’s something I will happily do to get closer and closer. I have a burning desire to play for Watford.”
