By Matt Badcock
As professional league debuts go, they can't come much stranger than Scott Loach's for Watford.
Back in September 2008, a fresh-faced Loach pulled on his gloves in the Championship for the first time when he came off the bench against Reading after just four minutes for the injured Mart Poom.
Less than ten minutes later he was fishing the ball out of his net. Well, sort of. The ball from a Reading corner had dropped wide of the goal and been hooked back into the mix by Noel Hunt, where Andre Bikey's header hit the bar. Referee Stuart Attwell blew his whistle and, on the advice of his assistant, gave what became known as the infamous ‘ghost goal'.
“Still to this day, and I've watched it numerous times, I don't remotely know how it was given,” Loach says. “He said the linesman gave it, but I don't see how the ref couldn't see it hadn't gone anywhere near the goal. At least I can make it into a pub quiz as making my debut and letting a ‘ghost goal' in!”
Watford turned the game around only for Reading to be awarded a late penalty. “Welcome to the Championship,” Loach laughs.
Loach went on to establish himself as Watford's number one over the next four seasons, played for England U21s in the 2009 European Championship final against Germany, and was twice called into the Three Lions' full senior squad.
But over the last few seasons the 29-year-old has found regular runs of games hard to come by. He finished the 2016-17 campaign on loan at York City from Notts County and, in the summer, he decided to move into Non-League full-time with National League new boys Hartlepool United.
Appetite
Loach actually has a Non-League grounding from when he was a youngster with loan spells at Boston Town, Lincoln United, Grantham and Stafford Rangers.
“You always are where you are for a reason, but part of the reason I'm at Hartlepool is because I've always just wanted to play games of football,” Loach says. “For the last few seasons, for whatever reasons, I've found it hard to get a full run of games.
“I've played 20 here, 20 there, and that's why I dropped down to this level to get as close as I could to 100 games over two seasons and let everyone know I'm still about and still capable of playing. For me, that's what it's all about. You can't beat getting games because, as a keeper, it's a similar job at whatever level you're at.
“Obviously in the Premier League you've got to be more technically gifted and brighter with your feet. But the basic principles of goalkeeping are the same at any level – and I want to be out there for as long as I can be playing.”
Loach has played more than 300 games already and at 29 still has many years between the sticks ahead of him.
But was it a difficult choice to walk away from the Football League when he potentially could have held out for another option?
“Because of where I was, and because I've been used to playing games, I think that made it easier to make my mind up and say, ‘Yeah, I'm going to go and play',” he says. “If I'd always been a number two/three and always been in and out, it might have been different.
“But I genuinely just want to play football and Hartlepool is a really good club. I'm passionate about it and I want to do well. I want to make my family proud. I've got a little boy and a little girl who I want to come and watch me play, rather than come and watch me sit down for 90 minutes.
“That's my own personal feelings and playing as high as I can and as well as I can is my aim.”
Loach's appetite for playing games is evident from the early Non-League loan spells he had while at Lincoln City that gave him the platform for a move to Watford.
“It was brilliant, you're around men and you're learning the game,” he says. “When I was at Stafford we played Cambridge. We were fighting relegation and they were fighting for promotion. We drew 1-1 and I saved a penalty. It was probably the first time I realised what it meant to someone to earn points.
Influence
“When you're at Academy football, if you win, if you lose, it's all about development. There's not too much riding on it other than that.
“The big thing, and this is what I say to the younger lads, it's important to learn what it feels like to win. That's where I am now. Every game means something to me. If it's a good draw you take it, but I want to win every game no matter what. I was devastated we lost in the FA Trophy to Workington because I desperately wanted to win. There's no point playing unless you want to get the best out of yourself and all of your team-mates.”
Pools boss Craig Harrison recently spoke of Loach in glowing terms in how much of a positive influence Loach is at the club, both on the pitch with his performances, and off it.
His leadership qualities are shining through for the boss in a tricky season that has been peppered by inconsistent results. Loach genuinely feels the team aren't far away from getting it right, but understands the supporters' frustration and underlines the determination from everyone to get it right.
His own game too; he talks about how he's learnt over the years to immediately move on from any mistake and not go looking to get involved in a game to make up for it. And he still has the drive to climb back up the leagues.
“I just have to believe in myself,” he says. “I've got the ability otherwise I wouldn't have been there in the first place. What I've done since then is grow up and turn into a man. I'm a lot more mentally stronger. I was a young boy then, and perhaps a bit naive. But now I feel strong, I feel like a man, and I feel like I've learnt a lot over that period of time.
“That was another factor in coming to Hartlepool to play a full season, and to show everyone I'm here.”
*This article originally featured in The @NonLeaguePaper, which is available every Sunday
