Mattie Pollock

Mattie Pollock

Personal information
Full name	Mattie William Pollock [1]
Date of birth	(2001-09-28) 28 September 2001 (age 22)
Place of birth	Redhill, Surrey, England [2]
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) [2]
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Watford
Number	15
Youth career
0000–2011	Middlesbrough
2012–2016	Leeds United
2016–2018	Polton Allstars
2018–2019	Grimsby Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2021	Grimsby Town	46	(3)
2021–	Watford	21	(0)
2021–2022	→ Cheltenham Town (loan)	34	(1)
2023	→ Aberdeen (loan)	15	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 May 2024 (UTC)

Mattie William Pollock (born 28 September 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Watford. Mainly a centre-back, he can also be deployed as a right-back.

Pollock was the product of the youth academies of Middlesbrough and Leeds United before joining Grimsby Town's academy in 2018. He later signed full professional terms with Grimsby and went on to make 46 league appearances for the club before signing for Watford in 2021. He has since spent time on loan with Cheltenham Town.

Early life

Born in Redhill, Pollock was brought up in Middlesbrough, where he attended the Nunthorpe Academy.

Career

Pollock was a trainee with Leeds United up until under-15 level, where he was considered a midfielder. ^[3]

Grimsby Town

Pollock joined Grimsby Town on a scholarship in 2018 after being scouted playing as a defender for his father's team, Polton Allstars. ^[4] He was called up to the first-team bench by manager Michael Jolley for the first time in October 2018. ^[5] Pollock made his professional debut on 29 December, coming on as a 52nd-minute substitute for Martyn Woolford in a 2–1 win at Exeter City following a red card for centre-back Alex Whitmore. ^[6] He turned professional in February 2019 and upon signing a 2+1⁄2-year deal said that "my ultimate ambition is to be the best central defender in the world and play at the highest level I can". ^[3] Pollock was given his first start for the "Mariners" on 13 August 2019, in a 1–0 victory over Doncaster Rovers at Blundell Park. ^[7] He scored his first goal for Grimsby in a 1–1 draw with Carlisle United on 24 October 2020. ^[8]

Watford

On 27 May 2021, Pollock joined Watford on a five-year deal ^[9] for an initial fee of £250,000. ^[10]

On 30 August 2021, Pollock joined Cheltenham Town on loan for the 2021–22 season. ^[11] Pollock scored his first goal for Cheltenham in the FA Cup first round against Gillingham on 6 November 2021. ^[12] He also scored in the replay win on 16 November, earning Cheltenham a spot in the second round and praise from manager Michael Duff. ^[13]

Pollock made his Watford debut on 23 August 2022 in a 2–0 home defeat to MK Dons in the second round of the EFL Cup, and his full Championship debut on 19 October 2022 in a 3–0 away defeat to Millwall. He was loaned to Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen in January 2023. ^[14]

Personal life

He is the son of former Middlesbrough and Manchester City midfielder Jamie Pollock, and younger brother to professional footballer Ben Pollock. ^[3]

Career statistics

As of match played 4 May 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Grimsby Town	2018–19 [15]	League Two	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	2019–20 [16]	League Two	19	0	2	0	3	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	27	0
	2020–21 [17]	League Two	25	3	1	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	1	27	4
	Total		46	3	3	0	4	0	5	1	58	4
Watford	2022–23 [18]	Championship	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
	2023–24	Championship	18	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	19	0
	Total		21	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	24	0
Cheltenham Town (loan)	2021–22	League One	34	1	3	2	1	0	1	0	39	3
Aberdeen (loan)	2022-23	Scottish Premiership	15	2	3	2	1	0	1	0	20	5
Career total			116	6	8	2	6	0	6	1	137	9

1. Appearance(s) in the Football League Trophy

Honours

Cheltenham Town

• Supporters Young Player of the Season: 2021–22

References

1. "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
2. "FootballSquads - Grimsby Town - 2018/2019". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
3. Westcott, Matt (2 March 2019). "Pollock aims to be the best after signing Grimsby deal". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
4. Smith, Adam (14 February 2019). "Mattie Pollock signs professional contract with Grimsby Town". www.gtfcacademy.com. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
5. "Freeview | Mattie Pollock: "It Was A Dream Come True!"". www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
6. "Exeter City vs Grimsby Town on 29 Dec 18 - Match Centre - Grimsby Town". www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
7. "Grimsby Town 1-0 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
8. "Grimsby 1-1 Carlisle Orient". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
9. "Official: Watford Sign Pollock". watfordfc.com. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
10. "Transfer Of Pollock To Watford Agreed". grimsby-townfc.co.uk. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
11. "One in, one out and at least one more to come". 30 August 2021.
12. "Out-on-loan Watford man Mattie Pollock scores for Cheltenham". watfordobserver.co.uk. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
13. "Watford defender Mattie Pollock praised for Cheltenham goal". watfordobserver.co.uk. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
14. "Aberdeen: Barry Robson put in interim charge as Mattie Pollock arrives on loan from Watford". BBC Sport. 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
15. "Games played by Mattie Pollock in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
16. "Games played by Mattie Pollock in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
17. "Games played by Mattie Pollock in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
18. "Games played by Mattie Pollock in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2022.