Mattie William Pollock (born 28 September 2001) is an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a defender for club

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

. Mainly a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

, he can also be deployed as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

. Pollock was the product of the youth academies of

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

and

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

before joining

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...

'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

in 2021. He has since spent time on loan with

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...

Early life

Born in Redhill, Pollock was brought up in

, where he attended the Nunthorpe Academy.

Career

Pollock was a trainee with

up until under-15 level, where he was considered a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Grimsby Town

Pollock joined

on a scholarship in 2018 after being scouted playing as a defender for his father's team, Polton Allstars. He was called up to the first-team bench by manager

Michael Jolley Michael Jolley (born 30 March 1977) is an English professional football manager who was most recently in charge of Segunda Federación side Vélez CF. Jolley is a Cambridge University graduate with an MA in economics and also has a postgraduat ...

for the first time in October 2018. Pollock made his professional debut on 29 December, coming on as a 52nd-minute substitute for

Martyn Woolford Martyn Paul Woolford (born 13 October 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He has played in the Football League for Scunthorpe United, Bristol City, Millwall, Sheffield United, Fleetwood Town and Grims ...

in a 2–1 win at

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

following a red card for centre-back Alex Whitmore. He turned professional in February 2019 and upon signing a -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". Pollock was given his first start for the "Mariners" on 13 August 2019, in a 1–0 victory over

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

Blundell Park Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1899, but only one of the original stands remains. The current capacity of the ground is 9,05 ...

. He scored his first goal for Grimsby in a 1–1 draw with

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They have played their ...

on 24 October 2020.

Watford

On 27 May 2021, Pollock joined

on a five-year deal for an initial fee of £250,000. On 30 August 2021, Pollock joined

on loan for the 2021–22 season. Pollock scored his first goal for Cheltenham in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

first round against Gillingham on 6 November 2021. He also scored in the replay win on 16 November, earning Cheltenham a spot in the second round and praise from manager Michael Duff. 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 Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...

. He was loaned to

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...

club

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

in January 2023. His first goal for Watford came in the 5-0 win over

MK Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...

in the

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

in August 2024. In March 2025 he was in the EFL sky bet team of the week for both the championship and EFL team of the week.

Personal life

He is the son of former

and

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

midfielder Jamie Pollock, and younger brother to professional footballer Ben Pollock.

Career statistics

Honours46+

Individual *

Supporters' Young Player of the Season: 2021–22

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Mattie 2001 births Living people English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Grimsby Town F.C. players Watford F.C. players Cheltenham Town F.C. players English Football League players Aberdeen F.C. players People from Reigate and Banstead (district) Footballers from Surrey 21st-century English sportsmen