Released Derby County player refuses to rule out return to football

Activated Although Scott Loach, the goalkeeper for Derby County, hasn’t completely ruled out playing football again, he intends to use this summer to create a strategy for his long-term future. Loach and several other seasoned professionals, like Dwight Gayle and Conor Hourihane, left Derby at the end of the season as the Rams made room for their upcoming hiring spree.

The 36-year-old Loach signed mostly after the team was relegated to League One, mainly to serve as the team’s backup goalkeeper behind Joe Wildsmith and Joseph Anang, who was on loan from West Ham but was returned back to his original club in January 2023 after breaking his arm and without getting a chance to play. In the interim, Loach filled in, making three appearances in EFL Trophy games.

In the end, he has backed Derby’s clear top scorer and fellow summer departure Wildsmith, along with Josh Vickers this season. However, even though he hasn’t played much lately, Loach, who played 163 games for Watford from 2006 to 2012, hasn’t necessarily decided to hang up his boots. He does, however, know exactly the path he wants to take in the upcoming years.

He said, “I’ve got a lot to think about,” to the podcast Goalie On Adventure. It’s incredibly lovely to have that security and comforting presence when there are opportunities to go and undertake good coaching roles. That’s undoubtedly my desired destination and activity. Being a head of goalkeeping somewhere is exactly what I want to do, no question about it. If I had to make a Scott Loach plan for the future, that would be it.

“I really need to figure out how I approach that path right now. Since my goalkeeping schools are expanding so well, I’m taking a brief vacation. I want to offer the children the same personalized programs—like an academy program—that I was able to receive.

“I haven’t completely ruled out playing, but I believe that at my age, traveling from ship to ship and spending every summer at the same location isn’t ideal for a family. Right now, I need to figure out what’s best for my long-term future, but I will continue to play goalkeeping because it’s the only topic I enjoy discussing!

Loach acknowledges that he preferred playing number three and being able to mentor others over the responsibilities of playing number two, which include having to be ready at all times and training as though you are a number one player even when you don’t play for months at a time. Along with pride, the stopper signed off from Pride Park with a promotion.

“After twenty years, I’ve attained one at last! It was a really fantastic way to bow out and a nice way to end my term with them,” he continued. “As part of the rebuild, I entered to help them regain their rightful place within the team.

“I started off as a number three and did some side coaching, but the pressure of the ball hitting the hand caused the number two to break his arm in the first week, taking 16 weeks to heal. I played a couple cup games and finished second, which was fantastic. I alternated between the two and three positions once more this year.

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