‘It’s a dream come true’: Aston Villa star Matty Cash thrilled to finally make his international debut with sub appearance for Poland in a 4-1 win over Andorra
- Matty Cash made his Poland debut in the 4-1 win over Andorra on Friday
- He qualified to play for Poland through his mother’s side of the family
- The Aston Villa right-back described his debut as a ‘dream come true’
Aston Villa’s Matty Cash was left delighted after making his debut for Poland in the 4-1 thrashing of minnows Andorra.
The right-back – who was born in Slough – qualified to play for the Polish side through his mother’s side of the family and and successfully had his citizenship changed in October after talks with the Polish FA.
Cash made his first international appearance after coming off the bench in the 63rd minute. He replaced Przemyslaw Frankowski’s and played on the right wing for the remaining minutes of the game.
Matty Cash made his debut for Poland on Friday night against Andorra in Group I
The Aston Villa right-back was eligible to play for England but opted to represent Poland
Speaking after the game, the 24-year-old said: ‘It is a dream come true and a special moment for me. We looked great and it was an exceptional victory.’
‘Every time I play, I give 100 percent. I had a good time playing with the boys. I hope I will continue to do so. The training camp was fantastic. I enjoyed every moment. The boys greeted me kindly. I love to be here and I love to play for Poland.’
He added: ‘I hope to be able to do this many more times. I spoke to the coach before the game and he told me I would play for a part of the game. I didn’t know how many, but I was ready. I will remember this moment forever.’
Robert Lewandowki’s brace and goals from Kamil Jozwiak and Arkadiusz Milik were enough to secure the three points for Poland.
Cash was eligible to play for England but pushed to get his Polish citizenship, with the likes of Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier all ahead of him in the pecking order.
The 4-1 win over Andorra on Friday night secured Poland’s place in the World Cup playoff
Poland are in the same group as England and the win on Friday night secured their place in the World Cup playoff – which will give Cash a great opportunity to feature in Qatar next year.
Cash came through the youth ranks at Wycombe Wanderers before joining Nottingham Forest aged 17 in 2014 – eventually progressing to become a regular member of the first team and playing 141 times.
His impressive performances in the Championship secured him a £14million move to Aston Villa last year, where has has since played 39 Premier League games.