Matt Macey is used to grabbing opportunities with both hands.
From the first time he pulled on the gloves as a striker-turned-shot-stopper to making a dream first-team debut with Arsenal, the 26-year-old isn't the type to let the moment pass him by.
He's hungry for a few more after ripping up his contract with The Gunners to seal a move to Easter Road earlier this month.
Were you always a goalkeeper, Matt?
Since I was 13. I was always tall and it’s not like I took a sudden stretch and they decided to stick me in goals. Initially I played up front and was probably a bit like Peter Crouch. Then the keeper in our Sunday team broke his arm ahead of a big game against a team that were doing well at the time. I played in goal, did well and stayed there. I don’t think it was a case of me preferring that to playing up front but I’m sure, deep down, I thought I was better there and that it might give me a better chance of making it. I played a lot of different sports at school in Bath – basketball, rugby and cricket – but I always wanted to be a footballer. Bristol Rovers picked me up and it went from there.
When you were in the youth ranks at Bristol Rovers there was a bit of a scramble for your signature. What was it like to be an 18-year-old in the middle of all that?
It was a mad period in my life and, looking back, a bit surreal. I was only playing Under-18 football when the offers started, and I just didn’t expect it. Things snowballed very quickly. Fulham were the first to come in for me and that seemed to spark others into life. I ended up going to train with seven or eight different clubs, all over the country. That was tough. Going on trial is never an easy experience but I knew it was what I wanted and something I had to tough out. Bristol Rovers were in League Two at the time, with modest facilities compared to the places I was getting the chance to visit. I went to Wigan, Bolton, Norwich, Reading and Everton in quick succession. Everton were the one who made the first official offer, while the others – I think – were holding off to see how a tribunal would go. I came very, very close to signing for Everton until Arsenal came in at the last minute.
What was it that swayed you towards Arsenal?
I got a lot of good, reassuring advice from people around me and I’m with the same agent now that I was then. I feel lucky to have had that network to lean on. I’d be up in my bedroom and I’d get a call from my agent saying this team or that team was showing an interest. I’d run downstairs and tell my parents. I remember telling them about Arsenal and they were blown away. Arsenal came in late and I think they realised they had a bit of work to do to make up for lost time and talk me out of going to Everton. They did everything they could have to make a good impression and really made me feel wanted.
How do you look back on your time there?
I feel very fortunate to have learned my trade within their Academy. I remember when I visited them that every member of staff I met told me specifically what they would do to make me a better player and they delivered on that. I was still really raw as a player, so my priority was going to the club that would make me the best goalkeeper I could be. Not necessarily the one that would offer me the quickest route to the first team. I had my ups and downs after those initial years, and it wasn’t one upward spiral but that’s football. When you’re part of a club as big as Arsenal, there are so many players competing for one or two spots. There’s a lot of luck involved and then it’s about taking your chance, but if you don’t make it at Arsenal then there’s a good chance you’ll make it somewhere else as they have a great record of producing young players.
When you signed for Hibernian you mentioned some of the world class players you had the chance to work with. Who sticks out?
Well, Petr Cech was my hero as a goalkeeper when I was a kid, so it was a dream come true to work with him when he signed for Arsenal. He’d achieved so much in the game but was really good to me. He came in and took me under his wing. I also learned a lot from Bernd Leno, and we worked closely together for the last while.
You spent the 2018-19 season on loan at Plymouth Argyle and that ultimately ended in relegation. That couldn’t have been easy for a young goalkeeper?
It was a real learning curve and the toughest period of my career. I think what’s important, though, is that, looking back, it was the most important period of my career. It turned me into who I am today as a goalkeeper and a person. There’s a part of me that wants to change a few perceptions. You can pick up a reputation from being in a team that’s relegated, which can be unfair. When we went down, I felt horrendous. It was a long, bad summer trying to get my head around that. The supporters I met face-to-face were great. I thought they were brilliant in getting behind the team. It just wasn’t to be for us in the end.
Was it tough to go back to Arsenal after that and play second fiddle?
You get used to playing in games that matter, with responsibility on your shoulders. I knew what I wanted after that.
You did manage two games for the Arsenal first team – against Norwich City in the League Cup and Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League. That must have meant a lot after spending so long at the club?
I remember it was a busy period of games and the manager was keen to rest Petr Cech. David Ospina was injured, so I got the shout the day before I made my debut. Within a week I’d played again. I feel like I made important saves at important times in both games. That week will go down as a proud moment and a career highlight. You just don’t want it to be the career highlight. I wasn’t really fazed. I had it in my head that I’d been at Arsenal so long that I was as ready as I was ever going to be. I felt like I deserved to have a good game.
You were thrown in at the deep end with a debut at Celtic Park for us. Where does that rate in the highlights reel?
I enjoyed every minute of it, honestly. I had a long time to think about it on the drive up from London to HTC. I was so excited about the opportunity to come to Hibs. I knew it was the right decision. I just had that buzz in my stomach. A few early touches of the ball helped, and the team did well. I was happy with the contribution I made to the team that night and it lived up to my expectations. It made me hungry for more.
Ofir Marciano got the nod for our League Cup semi-final but is it fair to say you came here with your eyes wide open?
Absolutely. The club were very honest in their dealings with me. I knew I was coming here to compete with Ofir, who is a great goalkeeper and deserves respect as first-choice for Israel. I’ve also been really impressed by Kevin Dabrowski, who is back from a successful loan spell. Nothing’s changed for me. I came here to fight for my place and that’s what I intend to do.
