Watford coach Bevans pleased 'clean pathway' to first team

The 30-year-old knows that, when that happens, it means he and the rest of the Academy staff have done enough to enable another young, homegrown player to take a step up the footballing ladder.

And, right now, that’s something that is happening more at Watford than has been the case for many years.

“We’re very blessed at the moment that there is real continuity between the first team, the Under-21s and the Under-18s,” said Bevans.

“I’ve not seen that here at Watford for a long time, for whatever reason.

“There is now a clean pathway, and Tom Cleverley, Damon Lathrope and Armand Kavaja have been really good in taking young boys up to the first team and letting them have a chance to learn.

“That benefits the whole Academy, and you can see that in the boys because they are desperate to want to do well and push on.”

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Matt Bevans in the dugout with Watford Women last season (Image: Andrew Waller Images)

Of course, having some of their best talent off playing elsewhere may affect the results the Under-18s achieve on the pitch.

“We always say that winning is important, but it doesn’t define us,” Bevans pointed out.

“There are six or seven of the Under-18s already with the Under-21s or the first team, so we’ll never have what might be perceived as our strongest squad.

“We are more than happy to play younger boys up an age group and give them a chance, and allow players who are working hard to get their opportunity.

“The goal for us is to see how many players we can get professional contracts for, and how many players we can help become better people and better individuals.

“If we can’t achieve something with them at Watford, then how many deals can we get for the boys elsewhere?”

For Bevans himself, a promising career as a defender was taken away from him by two serious injuries.

He spent his formative years at Watford and then, just as he was on the cusp of making a breakthrough, bad luck took a hold.

“I was here until about 12 years ago as a player. Gianfranco Zola was in charge at the time,” he recalled.

“I’d come through all the ages at the Academy and then progressed into the Under-21s, and I was lucky enough to be in and around the first team, and training with them.

“Lloyd Doyley was someone I trained with, and we go back a very long way.

“It’s all meant the transition into my new job has been really smooth.

“I did my anterior cruciate ligament when I was 18 in a reserves game away at Southampton.

“I had a year out because of that, came back and the squad was so big at that time it was really tough for me to break in.

“I had a great experience nonetheless, because I was working with the first team nearly every day.”

Matt Bevans goes back 'a very long way' with Lloyd Doyley (Image: Action Images)

Bevans moved away to get his chance of senior football but, just as at Watford, he was dealt another blow that was to end his dreams of playing professionally.

“I left and joined Oxford United, and had two seasons there. I played for the first season, and then I did my ACL again in the second season.

“At that point I had to take a step away from full-time football because my body just couldn’t take it anymore.

“I went into non-league and played for the likes of Farnborough, Wealdstone and Oxford City, because I needed to earn some money.

“But my body was never the same.”

Bevans had the foresight to use his time in the professional game to get the qualifications required to be a top-level coach.

“Coaching was always my ambition and I did my badges at a young age. I was 17 when I did them, and then I’ve just progressed as things have gone along.

“When I was 25, I came back to Watford to coach the Under-16s. Ryan Andrews was part of the group of players I had then, and so was Shaq Forde.

“There are loads of players in the Under-21s now that I’ve worked with.”

In between then and his new role, Bevans spent time working with Watford Women.

“Armand, who is now one of the first-team coaches, asked me and Damon if we would go and help the Women’s team.

“Obviously Damo took the job and I assisted him, and then when he moved up to support Tom Cleverley I took over as interim head coach for the Women.

“I learned loads from that experience, more than you can imagine.

“You find yourself having more empathy, more care for players, and you develop a greater understanding which ultimately makes you a better coach.

“Because you spend a lot of time with the players, you get to know more about their lives and their families, their daytime jobs, what motivates them, what upsets them.

“Then you have to find the balance so that you can get the best version of each person out on the pitch.”

He then jumped at the chance of the new job with the Hornets Under-18s.

“I was very excited,” he admitted.

“I’d worked in the Academy before and I said I would always come back if there was the right opportunity at the right time.

“Who I worked with was a really big factor for me, so having Lloyd with me is great.

“We’re on a really exciting journey.”