6 minute read
Matt Smith
GUNNING FOR MORE
WORDS: Abi Rodwell
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HOW MANY 20-YEAROLDS CAN SAY THEY HAVE AN FA CUP WINNERS' MEDAL?
THE ANSWER IS PROBABLY NOT MANY, BUT MATT SMITH CAN. THE 20-YEAR OLD IS YET TO MAKE A FIRSTTEAM APPEARANCE FOR PARENT CLUB ARSENAL, BUT IS ONE OF THE GUNNERS' MOST HIGHLY-RATED STARS EMERGING FROM THE CLUB'S ACADEMY.
Smith - who is currently enjoying the third loan spell of his career - has notched up more than 40 career appearances, despite only making his professional debut last season.
The Harlow-born midfielder joined Doncaster in the summer, eager for more first-team football as he looks to make a name for himself at the top.
"Last season was really good for me," he says, reflecting on the 2020/21 campaign.
"I do feel like I did well to say it was my first one, but I just want to push on and do well this season now I’ve got the experience under my belt."
The 20-year-old’s professional debut came during his first loan spell with Swindon Town. In fact, it was current Rovers manager Richie Wellens who signed the midfielder and gave him his debut, a game in which Smith also scored his first professional goal and hasn't forgotten in a hurry.
"It was a big day for me, I remember it well," he adds.
"I remember us winning 3-0, I scored in the game as well and that’s not something you forget, to score on your professional debut is amazing, it was amazing for me."
Although things started well for Smith at Swindon on an individual basis, they struggled as a team at the bottom of the table and, following the departure of Wellens to League Two side Salford City, the Arsenal loanee began to fall out of favour with new manager John Sheridan.
"Overall last season was a really good experience for me.
"It was my first season playing professional first-team football and it was a very different experience playing in League One. League football comes with lots of highs and lows
"I had to deal with managerial changes, relegation battles, winning games, losing games as well as being in and out of the team.
Mature beyond his years, a down to earth Smith speaks openly about the ups and downs of competitive football at such a young age, as well as his desire to use those experiences to not only make him a better player, but contribute positively for Rovers who only have one league win this season.
"I made sure I spoke regularly to the more experienced players to help me deal with the highs and lows," he continues.
"I needed to learn how to deal with them because they’re part of football, highs and lows are always going to be there and it’s important that as a player you learn how to deal with them, not matter how young you are. I learnt that very quickly.
"I feel a better player this season for that and I think I’ve come into this season with the right tools to be able to deal with certain situations and a better-equipped footballer."
On signing for Rovers in the summer, he identified Wellens as a key reason for moving north saying that he "loved" working with him last season making the decision to sign an easy one.
"He was massive, having worked with Richie before I knew how he liked to play his football and I really enjoyed it at Swindon under him last season.
"I knew Doncaster was a big club and they were a very good team last season so they were all things that influenced my decision."
A lifelong Arsenal fan, Smith joined the Gunners as a sevenyear-old, progressing through the ranks in North London.
Part of the team that reached the final of the 2018 FA Youth Cup, the midfielder regularly played above his age group, captaining the Under-18s along the way. He began to make a name for himself at the Emirates in the 2018/19 season, as he racked up 14 assists and chipped in with five goals in just 22 appearances in the Under-18s.
A technically gifted midfielder renowned for his creativity and passing, Smith comes highly rated by the Gunners backroom staff and his performances at youth level prompted Mikel Arteta to name him in the first-team squad six times at the back end of the 2019/20 campaign.
"That was massive for me," he says.
"Especially having been at Arsenal my whole career. I support Arsenal, my family supports Arsenal, as a young player I looked up to all the first-team players and so to be in the squad for a first-team game at that age was amazing.
"Just being in the changing room, in and around the squad and just being among that environment can help you so much. I just tried to learn off everyone all the time and I was loving the experience."
Although he is yet to make his senior debut, his development was also rewarded with a place in the matchday squad in Arsenal's FA Cup Final victory over Chelsea in 2020, an experience Smith describes as "the best of his career."
"When you’re in the moment it’s hard to take it in as much as you want, but I remember a couple of weeks later when the season finished I looked back and thought ‘wow’, what an amazing experience.
"Even just to be there and be on the bench in an FA Cup Final was an unbelievable experience, but to go on and win it as well was amazing. I remember the celebrations afterwards, it’s something I’ll never forget and easily the best experience of my career so far.”
Despite his tender age, Smith hopes to use his experiences to positively influence Rovers' season as Wellens' side look to climb the League One table.
"We know we’ve got the capability to get wins. Even before we got our first league win, the standard of training had been brilliant, morale has been good and the team has genuinely been surprised by the difficult start that we’ve had given the quality we know that we have in the side.
"Games aren’t always the prettiest in League One, it’s a tough division and every opposition is different, you get all different types of games against different teams.
"League One is tough but most of the time the win is all that matters."
With 38 games still to play, the midfielder is confident they can turn things around.
"It can change so quickly in this division, that’s why a winning mentality is important. Once you have that just a few wins on the bounce can change things quite a lot.
"With that comes confidence within the team which is important because as we've seen so many times, anyone can beat anyone in this league."
