Kelly: Let’s attempt to get to know you a bit of bit extra away from the pitch. Firstly, I at all times like asking: what had been you want as a teenager?
Nathan: If you happen to requested my mam or dad, they’d say I used to be a headcase! I used to be only a bit itchy, I at all times needed to transfer. I might by no means sit nonetheless and loosen up. I at all times needed to do one thing. In order that they needed to burn me out. I at all times wished to be within the grass or taking part in soccer, simply working round to empty my vitality. I believe I used to be arduous work for my dad and mom, I would say it like that!
Kelly: It appears like perhaps it was fairly a chaotic family. What number of siblings have you ever received?
Nathan: I’ve received an older brother, a youthful sister and a youthful brother. I believe it was only a fixed battle of me making an attempt to beat my older brother. It was simply so arduous as a result of the age distinction. All of us had coaching at completely different instances they usually’d be working out of the home and also you’d overlook your boots or they’d be taking two vehicles in several instructions. It was a little bit of a carnage, however you would not have it every other method.
Kelly: Are you continue to shut now?
Nathan: Ah yeah, in fact. I discuss to them roughly day by day on the telephone. Each probability I get to go residence I’ll. My mam goes to each sport – residence and away. She watches all of them.
Kelly: So she flies over? Are they nonetheless in Eire?
Nathan: Yeah, they reside in Eire, so she flies over and he or she goes all over the place to be truthful.
Kelly: House and away?
Nathan: Yeah.
Kelly: That’s some dedication!
Nathan: I do know, I inform her, ‘pay attention, you do not have to’ and he or she’s like, ‘no, I wish to’.
Kelly: Not everybody’s received a son that is a Premier League footballer although… I form of get the attraction!
Nathan: Yeah, I do not suppose that she watches the matches. I believe that she simply appears at me the entire sport and sees what I am doing. She’ll come after, ‘Why had been you scratching your leg a lot within the match?’ … ‘I do not know. How have you learnt that?’
Kelly: Aw, bless her, that is actually candy. How would your greatest good friend describe you?
Nathan: I would wish to suppose that they’d describe me as the identical lad I used to be rising up. The very first thing that might pop of their head… they would not say I am a footballer. I believe they’d simply say, ‘ah Nathan, he is only a good lad like… he is a little bit of craic and he comes out when he can’ … however I do not suppose that they’d have a look at me as a footballer, which I actually get pleasure from. And it simply means once I’m with them, I can simply be myself and simply get pleasure from being one of many lads.
Kelly: So if the supervisor provides you a time without work, what would you do?
Nathan: It relies upon. If it is a weekday and it is good climate, I will play golf with a number of of the lads right here and we’ll get out within the solar.
Kelly: Are you any good?
Nathan: I am all proper. Hear, I can play. I am not the best, however I am not the worst.
Kelly: Who do you play with right here?
Nathan: The group proper now could be me, Keane Lewis-Potter, Kris Ajer, Hakon Valdimarsson. It is a good crew as a result of now we have quite a lot of gamers and we do some Ryder Cup-style.
Kelly: Oh good!
Nathan: So it is employees v gamers.
Kelly: Wow!
Nathan: Yeah, as a result of there’s quite a lot of gamers. We did that final yr. We did 18 holes within the morning, we went for some lunch, after which we did 18 holes within the afternoon and it was actually good enjoyable. Gamers received, so thank God!
Kelly: Oh, that was my subsequent query. Have you ever received any secret hobbies?
Nathan: I like cooking, in order that’s one thing. After I cook dinner, I believe I simply overlook about all the pieces. I am simply in my very own little zone and my head form of goes quiet, which is good.
Kelly: Are you a very good cook dinner?
Nathan: It relies upon who you ask…
Kelly: If I used to be asking your girlfriend…
Nathan: Yeah, she’s truly saying: ‘Ah, you are getting higher at cooking!’
Kelly: That is a bit patronising!
Nathan: Yeah, and I used to be like… ‘Does that imply I used to be dangerous?’
Kelly: Truthful sufficient. What do individuals get mistaken about you essentially the most?
Nathan: Perhaps I get a little bit of stereotypical: ‘Ah, he is only a footballer.’ Perhaps they get that after which suppose, ‘oh, he is truly fairly good to speak to… he is all proper… he is form of relaxed… he is chill’.
I at all times wish to be only a good particular person as effectively. That is essential for me, simply to be a pleasant particular person, a very good particular person, a caring particular person. As a lot as I wish to be the perfect footballer I can ever be, I additionally wish to be the perfect particular person I will be and I believe that is one thing that I at all times try in direction of as effectively.
Kelly: What is the hardest second of your profession been? Has there been a tricky second?
Nathan: I had one sport for Brentford in opposition to Wolves and I had two errors within the sport. I gave away two targets, we misplaced 3-1 or one thing like that and I received battered off the Wolves followers as a result of I’d simply left Wolves and the followers had a lot to go in opposition to me, a lot stick. I used to be like, ‘oh my God, this could not have gotten any worse’.
To be truthful, that evening Thomas Frank rang me and he was like, ‘pay attention Nathan, that is in all probability the worst sport you will ever have in your profession’, and he is like, ‘so it is solely up from right here’.
