PERS. INFORMATION
Name: Matt Yates
Date of birth: 14/06/2002
Place of birth: Paisley
Nationality: Scottish
Language: English
Club: Linfield FC
Favourite position: Striker
Favourite foot: Right foot
CLUB HISTORY
| Club | Years |
|---|---|
| Celtic FC | Youth |
| Rangers FC | Youth – 2020 |
| Hibernian FC | 2020 |
| Stranraer FC | 2020 – 2022 |
| Stenhousemuir FC | 2022 – 2025 |
| Linfield FC | 2025 – |
INTERVIEW
Introduce yourself…
My name is Matt Yates I’m 23 years old. I’m currently a professional footballer for Linfield FC in Northern Ireland.
What do you remember most about the moment you first joined the academy at Rangers?
The first moment I remember was probably driving through the gates at the training centre and how big the place was, I was only about 6 years old and obviously being a Rangers fan just made it even more special that I was going to play in Rangers academy.
Did you feel pressure being part of such a big club at a young age? How did you deal with that?
There was pressure playing for Rangers at a young age because it’s such a big club with high expectations. But I always tried to see it as a positive rather than a negative. I focused on working hard in training, listening to the coaches that I had throughout the years and just playing my natural game. Having good teammates around me helped a lot as well.
How did the move to Hibernian first come about? And what were your first impressions when you walked into the club for the first time?
It was round about January time I was in my last 6 months of my contract at Rangers and I already knew by that point that I wasn’t going to get a new one. My agent and Rangers obviously spoke to each other and Hibs were interested in brining me to the club I didn’t really think twice about it to be honest I just wanted to go. We managed to get it done which I was really happy about cause I knew Hibs were a big club and I seen that when I walked into the training ground it was very professional, everyone was very welcoming which made it a lot easier to settle as it can be hard going from a club where I’ve been for 11 years and knew everyone.
If you could go back to your first weeks at Hibs, what advice would you give your younger self?
I would probably tell my younger self to just work that little bit harder in training and games cause you never know what will happen next for you, as what happened to me with covid hitting and leaving me out the game for a while, football can be cruel sometimes.
There was a period where you were without a club. How tough was that mentally and what kept you motivated during that time?
That period of time where I was without a club for about a year or so was really tough because all I knew was playing football every day weather it was training or games, and not being able to do any of that it did effect you a lot there was points in that time out I thought to myself I’m never going to get a chance to play again which was really hard to take in, it was probably my family and friends that kept me motivated to keep going and that I would play again, obviously I knew that I had the ability and the right attitude when something came up then I would do well and push on from there it was just a case of when will that be.
How important was the move to Stranraer in getting your career back on track?
The move to Stranraer is probably the most important one I’ve had in my career so far it was my first taste of first team football and I knew if I ever wanted to get back to a good level then I would have to get loads of professional games under my belt. Which I did with them and I really enjoyed my 18 months at the club, I knew I had to just keep my head down and work hard like I’ve always done and I done very well with goals and assists in my first season and a half in a professional league.
How did the opportunity to join Linfield FC come about? And what were your first impressions of the club and the supporters?
I had just left Stenhousemuir after a very good 3 years there so I was a free agent at the time, me and my agent were kind of just going back and forth about clubs and where I would want to go I definitely wanted to try and get back full time again and when he mentioned Linfield to me I was very interested to see where it would go, it didn’t take long to get everything agreed with them the next day I flew over an got a tour of the stadium and stuff which was unbelievable and I signed the deal on the same day.
Looking at the ups and downs in your career so far, what moment shaped you the most?
Obviously getting my first taste of first team football with Stranraer would have helped me a lot but I think A moment that really shaped me was my first season at Stenhousemuir. I finished the season with 30 goal contributions in 35 games, I was named in the SPFL Team of the Year and I won Player of the Month in February that year. That season gave me a lot of confidence and showed me what I’m capable of when I’m consistent and working hard and since then I’ve tried to maintain that level and keep improving every season.
What goals have you set for yourself at Linfield and how motivated are you to win trophies with the club?
The goals I’ve set myself is to definitely hit at least 10 goals this season, I’m very motivated to win trophy’s with this club that’s what this club is built on winning trophy’s each season that was definitely I big part on why I signed here.
