Former Nottingham Forest defender Matty Cash has revealed his journey of making it into the first team at the City Ground.
Cash played 141 times for the Reds after signing from FAB Academy in 2014. The full-back scored 13 goals and provided a further 15 assists before earning a £14 million move to Premier League side Aston Villa in 2020.
He's since gone on to switch his international allegiances to Poland, where he's set to be part of Czeslaw Michniewicz's World Cup squad in November.
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Looking back at his time in the East Midlands on Ben Foster's 'Fozcast' podcast, the 25-year-old has revealed his pathway into the Reds first team and has credited three vital figures at the club for his progression.
Speaking about his first day training with the under-18s, he said: “Before we’ve done anything, we drove past the Forest ground. We pulled in and I just said to the guy, ‘can I have a look at the ground?’ He let me in and I just stood there at the Forest pitch just saying ‘this is unreal’. I said to my mate, ‘Imagine playing here one day, it’d be a dream come true’.
"I went to Colchester away, played this game, won 4-1, scored one and set-up three. I had a blinder. I got on the coach and Gary Brazil, the academy manager, said ‘well played Matty’. I said ‘cheers mate’ and he went, ‘just to let you know mate, I’m not your mate, I’m the academy manager.’ At the time, I didn’t know.
"I had Kevin McDonald, Jimmy Gilligan and Gary Brazil, they were the best thing for me. They set the rules out straight. I was in a world of my own. I’d got on this coach and I’d scored and set up a few goals, I was buzzing. This was only for the under-18s, just for where I’ve come from.
"Got back to the training ground, trained the next day with the under-21s then I had a meeting with Gary in the evening. He pulled me in and they’d offered me a scholar and a one year pro. He said to me ‘you’re going to go straight in with the under-21s and train with them’. From working in a toy shop to training with the under-21s and joining with the first team every now and then.
"I went on loan to Dagenham, played about 13 games and scored three goals. I was a number eight. I’ve only been a right-back for two-three seasons. I came back, Dougie (Freedman) had been sacked and I had enjoyed my time at Dagenham, it was brilliant.
"Summer came, a new manager came in pre-season and I was with the first team. Time to impress here. Philippe Montanier just got given the job and he pulled me in straight away and told me he wanted me in with him. We went away to Spain and I was playing in pre-season. Then he goes, ‘Matty, I’m going to start you in the first game.’ I was 18, against Burton Albion in the first game."
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