Stoke City forward Nathan Lowe has been in sensational form on loan at Walsall, with the youngster’s impressive tally of goal contributions landing him the EFL Young Player of the Month award
Stoke City forward Nathan Lowe has been in sensational form on loan at Walsall, with the youngster’s impressive tally of goal contributions landing him the EFL Young Player of the Month award Stoke City forward Nathan Lowe has been in sensational form on loan at Walsall, with the youngster’s impressive tally of goal contributions landing him the EFL Young Player of the Month award
As 2024 draws to a close, everything is adding up both on and off the pitch for Walsall loanee Nathan Lowe.
Nobody boasts as many goal contributions (10) in League Two than the 19-year-old forward from Stoke, who was crowned EFL Young Player of the Month this week.
But the youngster, who speaks with a maturity beyond his tender years, has vowed that he won’t be getting carried away anytime soon. And you’d be a fool not to believe him.
For Lowe, football has never been the be-all and end-all. That was drilled into him by his parents, who stressed the importance of staying grounded with his studies during his younger years. It’s paid off handsomely and Lowe speaks with the same infectious enthusiasm about his Business Management degree as he does whilst discussing his goalscoring exploits for the Saddlers.
“My football was conditional on the fact that I was still achieving good grades,” he explains to Mirror Football. “Maths was probably my favourite subject but it changed over the years. I didn’t feel like myself when I went out of education after I finished my BTEC [to earn his scholarship]. It felt like I was missing something, so I went back into it.
“Football has never been the be-all and end-all for me. It’s a great way for me to spend my time productively. I’m not someone that can go home and particularly watch a lot of football.
“I think it helps me that football is not my whole personality; It doesn’t define me. I know that I’m not just a stereotypical footballer and that helps my confidence [on the pitch].”
Confidence is, perhaps, the most precious commodity of all to a striker and Lowe has it coursing through his veins. He already has ten goals and four assists to his name in all competitions for Walsall, who have notched the second most goals (27) in the league.
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Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
While Lowe has done the business at one end of the pitch, his team-mate and friend, Tommy Simkin, has been busy keeping the goals out at the other end. The talented goalkeeper (also 19) also belongs to Stoke, with the duo heading to The Bescot in sync.
“That helps [knowing people] with the transition process,” admits Lowe, whose experience living in digs when he moved to Stoke from Hertfordshire at the age of 10 meant he wasn’t overawed at the prospect of heading to the Midlands alone.
“All the lads have been unreal. They’ve treated me like one of their own, not like a youth player. Sometimes you can go into a place and they might make you feel different because you’re younger and you’re not in the same sort of boat as them.
“I think this award is sort of testament to all their characters in the changing room, because they’ve allowed me to be me.”
Experience is one thing Walsall are not short of when it comes to the top end of the pitch. With Jamille Matt (35), Danny Johnson (31) and Josh Gordon (30), Lowe has had plenty of opportunities to glean as much as he can from players who have been there, done that and got the t-shirt.
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Jess Hornby)
“I’m nowhere near the finished article – I probably never will be – so any little tidbits I can learn from more experienced players [is invaluable]. I look at Jamma [Matt]: he’s got a 16-year career or something like that. He’s been playing almost as long as I’ve been alive, and he’s really taken me under his wing. We play up front together most weeks and have almost developed a sort of classic No.9 and No.10 partnership.
“It’s been a massive privilege and it’s helped me so much already. If you’d asked me at the start of the season, I’d have bit your hand off for [his current stats].”
As with any young player’s first loan, there have been peaks and troughs. When asked to pinpoint his lowest moment, Lowe immediately recalls a penalty miss against Huddersfield Town in the League Cup.
“It was my first start at home and I’ve missed the first penalty I’ve ever missed in my life. I’m talking genuinely, I couldn’t tell you a penalty after Under-10s that I’ve missed. And I’ve missed my first ever professional one in a game.”
Keeping in line with how his season has gone, Lowe promptly made amends by dispatching two goals to help Mat Sadler’s side upset their League One opponents.
He makes no attempt to downplay the significance of that moment, even though it was one of the first games of his loan spell.
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Pete Norton)
“Had that happened six months ago I probably would have thrown my toys out of the pram and sulked. It could have turned toxic real quick with the fans and they might not have taken to me as kindly [as they have].
“I just thought, ‘You’re at rock bottom, it can’t get any worse – you might as well go for it’. And then I got one, I didn’t even celebrate it. I needed another one. And I wanted the third, but it didn’t come.
“It was bittersweet after the game because I was still embarrassed about missing the penalty. But I’d say that was probably [his most important] moment.”
Walsall had to bide their time to land Lowe in the summer. After staying in and around the team at Stoke during the second half of the 2023-24 season when he was originally slated to head out on loan, injuries threatened to scupper his plans again.
It’s clear from spending time in his company how grateful he is that the Saddlers showed patience to get a deal over the line.
“They’ve already invested in me. It’s a very nice environment for me to grow and thrive.
“I’m very fortunate to with what I’ve been able to experience in the last couple of years. Playing games for Stoke, which I’m very proud of, and then coming on loan and playing a bunch of games in League Two while still being pretty young. I’m just really grateful for the position I’m in and for everyone that’s got me to this point now.”
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