Video summary
Hayden Matthews has officially joined Bradford City on a loan deal until the end of the season, expressing his immense delight at joining such a historic and massive club. During the interview, he highlighted that his decision was heavily influenced by a positive conversation with the manager regarding the team's playing style. Matthews is particularly drawn to the club's high-energy approach and their preference for pressing the ball aggressively, which aligns perfectly with his own philosophy on how football should be played. He emphasized that finding a manager with similar ideologies from the very beginning is crucial to avoiding clashes and ensuring a smooth integration into the squad.
The connection with the coaching staff, including the manager who plays defense himself and an assistant manager who operates as a center-back, is seen by Matthews as vital for his career progression. He views this move as an exciting opportunity to gain significant experience in English football after a period away from the league. Furthermore, arriving at the same time as fellow player Kieran has been beneficial, as they share similar backgrounds and even have mutual friends, which helps ease the transition. The positive energy within the changing room and the willingness of teammates to fight for one another on the field are factors that Matthews believes will directly contribute to better results and a strong team performance.
Matthews is incredibly eager to step onto the pitch at the Valley Parade stadium in front of its 20,000 passionate fans, noting that Bradford's reputation as a giant club with rich history is well-known among everyone he knows. He hopes that the electric atmosphere will be palpable and that the team can achieve good results while capitalizing on this support. Even if registration issues prevent him from playing in an upcoming match, he remains excited to sit in the stands and soak up the unique footballing environment. His first day at the club was enjoyable, allowing him to meet his new teammates and officially welcome the manager, setting a positive tone for future training sessions and matches.
When asked about his specific role as a defender, Matthews described himself as a proactive player who enjoys pressing the ball and moving it forward both in possession and out of possession. He believes he possesses the qualities necessary to defend the space behind him effectively while also advancing the team's play. Overall, he is ready to showcase these skills and help return the club to its rightful standing among the top teams. His enthusiasm is palpable as he looks forward to getting more games under his belt and contributing to the squad's success in the remainder of the season.
Read the full video transcript
Hayden, welcome to Bradford City on loan
until the end of the season. How pleased
are you to be here?
>> Yeah, I'm delighted to be here, mate. I
know it's a massive club and I'm excited
to get out there and start playing in
front of the fans.
>> What was it about this club that made
you want to sign?
>> I had a good conversation with the
gaffer
and he convinced me of the way they want
to play and was talking about playing
style and I think it really suits the
way I want to play and and press high
and
very high energy and that's just the way
I like to play football.
>> How important is that connection with
the manager even from the get-go?
>> Oh, it's very important. I think
having similar ideologies in football
and similar ways of wanting to play
football and and progress and things
like that like they're very important
because if a manager is asking you to
play one way and it's not the way you
quite see fit it
can obviously cause a bit of a clash but
I think yeah, having that relationship
is very important.
>> With the manager playing defense
himself, the assistant manager was a
center off. How big of a factor is that
kind of team when you look at your
career with the development?
>> Well, it's very important like I'm
obviously here to to progress my career
and hopefully develop and get a lot of
games under my belt in English football
which I haven't really done since I'm
signing over here. So I'm keen to get
going and being able to work with both
of them is an exciting prospect for me.
>> As I say, how hungry are you now to get
on that pitch and run out onto the
sports?
>> Mate, so hungry. It's been a long
pre-season waiting for a moment like
this. So I'm ready to go.
>> I guess it's obviously taken a bit more
time to get it done which makes you even
hungrier to get out there and show the
fans what you're about.
>> Definitely, mate. Definitely. Can't
wait.
>> How much are you looking forward to
playing in front of the 20,000 sports
here at the Embankment Valley Parade?
>> Yeah, every time I've mentioned Bradford
to anyone and it's been mentioned around
football around people I know it's
Bradford is a massive club. The fans are
unbelievable. So I'm excited to get out
there. Hopefully the atmosphere is
absolutely pumping and then we can get
get some good results.
>> And I guess that kind of knowledge of
the football club from people around
you, people you know, just shows how big
a football club this is.
>> Oh, definitely. I think like from head
to toe obviously it's a massive club
with a lot of rich history
and yeah, everyone knows it and I think
we're going to try and get the club back
to where it belongs.
>> Obviously signing at a similar time as
Kieran as well. How much will that help
you settle in at a new club?
>> It's always good to have people that are
similar journey to you or of similar age
and
we actually have a mutual friend as
well, which is handy and coming in
together like we're in the hotel
together. So
it just makes things easier and it's an
easy connection from the beginning.
>> A lot's made about the change room here
in the environment that has been
created. How much do you think that kind
of positive energy will help you?
>> Oh, it's massively important. I think
having a group of boys that will go into
battle for each other and they're
willing to do every everything for each
other on the field
really shows in results and in the way
we perform as a team and I'm excited to
to showcase that.
>> You've been around and got a taste of
football club today. How much have you
enjoyed your first day?
>> Oh, it was really nice man. I enjoyed my
first training session, met all the
boys,
officially met the gaffer and the and
Chris Le Khedi
and yeah, I'm looking forward to to get
more more training sessions and more
games under my belt.
>> How's the game tomorrow night? How much
you've thought of either being involved
or being in the stands watching and
soaking in the football atmosphere?
>> Yeah, I'm excited either way mate.
Obviously want to be want to be playing
but with the registrations and stuff,
I'm not sure if that's even possible. So
I'm excited to to be here and if I'm not
involved unfortunately, I'll be sat in
the stands and I'll be soaking up all
the atmosphere and everything about it.
>> You find out what sort of defender do
you see yourself as for the supporters
that might not have seen you play?
>> I like to press the ball. I like to to
move the ball forward in possession and
then out of possession.
I think I have qualities to be able to
just spend defend the space in behind
and defend forward
and yeah, ready to get going.