Matty Foulds set to face hometown club with Harrogate

The Clayton-born defender is back at City this weekend with Harrogate.

Foulds made his loan move to the Sulphurites permanent in the summer - leaving his hometown club with a year still left on his contract.

The 25-year-old insists it was the right move for his career but revealed that he never saw the initial switch coming.

Foulds had nailed down the left-back role under Mark Hughes in the first half of last season after Liam Ridehalgh was ruled out injured for four months.

But the arrival of Tolaji Bola on loan from Rotherham in January rapidly changed the picture.

Foulds said: “I was surprised that they were bringing another left back in after I’d played 18 games on the bounce.

“I understand that’s football and they are going to bring players in.

“But I had a meeting with the manager at Bradford and came out of that feeling it was just healthy competition.

“Then later that evening I got a phone call saying I’m going on loan. It was a shock.

“That’s the way it came about to me. I didn’t push for a move.

“A lot of people think I wanted to leave.

“I just thought it was going to be competition with the lad coming in on loan.

“I spoke to the manager who said that he hadn’t played much football. So I felt quite confident after that conversation and then I got the call later on.”

Foulds went on to play every game for the rest of the season and helped Harrogate move clear of the drop zone.

“Looking back now, it was the best thing for me to go on loan.

Tolaji Bola joined City on loan but played only four times (Image: Thomas Gadd)

“I could have stayed at Bradford and not got a sniff. That wouldn’t help me at all for my career.

“I’d been sitting on the bench waiting for my opportunity the previous season and I think I deserved to carry on playing football after my games at Bradford.

“It could have worked in my favour. But having two other left backs at the club as well, you think you’re probably not going to get the opportunity you deserve or you want.”

Foulds played 52 times for City after signing from Everton in January 2021 and scored twice. But he sensed his time at Valley Parade was up.

“It was a tough one but from the start of my loan spell to the end of the season I didn’t really hear from anyone at Bradford,” he added.

“I took that as a sign that I’m not going to be part of the plans.

“There was no bad blood between me and the club but it was a disappointing ending leaving Bradford.

“There were opportunities to go elsewhere in the summer but it was a no-brainer for me when Harrogate came in.

“I’d had the loan spell there and they’d welcomed me with open arms.

“I’m at a stage of my career when I want to be playing regular football.

“That opportunity came when I heard Harrogate were interested.

“The manager was keen on me, trusted me and the lads and backroom staff had been so welcoming.

“I didn’t have to relocate with the kids for school. It ticked a lot of boxes for me.”

READ MORE: Matty Foulds signs for Harrogate on two-year deal

Foulds was on the bench as Harrogate went down to a stoppage-time goal at leaders Gillingham last week but had started all the previous league games.

And he is eager to be out there at Valley Parade for a Yorkshire derby that tends to throw up very close encounters.

“Every time I’ve been involved in one, it’s usually been only one goal in it. They are always competitive games and I’m sure this will be the same.

“I’ve only ever played there once before (for the away team) when I was at Everton in the Football League Trophy but there was just a couple of hundred people there. It’s going to be a bit different with 17,000 this time.”

He could be in direct competition with Bobby Pointon in their own battle of the boyhood Bantam fans.

“I’m obviously made up for Bobby,” said Foulds. "He was a great lad when I was there and a good player.

“He trained with us a few times, although I’ve never been involved in a game with him.

“He’s a young lad from Bradford, a local boy, and fair play to him. I wish him all the best in his career there.”

Matty Foulds in FA Cup action against Harrogate last season (Image: Thomas Gadd)

There is a strong City connection in the Harrogate line-up with Anthony O’Connor and Levi Sutton also in the ranks. Midfielder Sutton made the move from Valley Parade on January deadline day.

Foulds said: “He came in a week or so after I joined. Levi’s a good lad, as we all know, and a top player as well.

“We were fighting a relegation battle last season and fortunately we stayed up.

“I’d like to think we can be underdogs this year and progress up the league.

“No disrespect to Carlisle but you wouldn’t have thought they would have gone on the run they did and got promoted.

“There’s no reason why other teams can’t do that. Any team can beat anyone in this league as we’ve already seen.

“We’ve just been unlucky with some of the goals we’ve conceded. We should have picked up more points than we have but it’s still very early on.

“People say it’s going to be the toughest League Two that it has been in a while and it seems to be that the way the season’s started.”