Sestao River: Álvaro Mateo: «When you score a goal your confidence rises and you feel in an optimal state»

Sestao River put behind its streak of two consecutive defeats, achieving a victory of great merit against Gernika last Saturday (0-2). The first of the scorers was a regular like Aritz Pascual, the team’s top scorer with seven goals. However, the second of the many was the work of Álvaro Mateo. The 24-year-old left-back launched his scoring account this season and hopes to expand that number. “I’ll try not to just be one this season,” he says. For the moment, this first goal could charge him with morale for the next matches. “A goal gives you a lot of confidence and can make you take a qualitative leap in the game,” he says.

– You went through important quarries before signing for Sestao River such as Athletic, Numancia and Getafe. Why did you decide to leave the subsidiaries and sign for a first team?

-Well, mainly because when Sestao River calls you, you can’t say no. As soon as I received the first offer, I did not hesitate at any time. Being here is a privilege for any player and I consider that my decision was a one hundred percent success. In my case, both because of the club’s history and because of proximity, all the conditions came together so that my performance was the best possible here.

– Three seasons ago, he was already on the brink of promotion at Numancia B, but that thorn was removed last year. How did you experience the promotion to Second RFEF?

– I was not in those previous years of the Sestao River in which the ascent was persecuted a lot and it did not arrive. I did not experience those disappointments here, but I already arrived with that hunger from Numancia B. In the end, football always gives second chances and I was able to experience that promotion last year, which was something very special and beautiful.

– So far, he has played every game and only missed the first part of the opening day against Laredo. Have you worked in a special way for the military in the highest league where you have ever been?

-I take football very seriously. It is not only valid with team training. I take care of myself, I rest, I eat well … I follow a routine so that my performance is better. I am very happy in that sense. Enjoying so many minutes is something a player always wants. Hopefully I can return that confidence with performance and a good level of play on the field.

– His natural position is that of a left back, but he is also being seen a lot as a central defender. How do you see yourself in the center of the rear?

-It is a position in which he already played in the lower categories of Athletic. So I am familiar with it and I feel comfortable. It’s true that the left-back is my natural position, but I also like to play central and I feel good there. As long as I am in the field, I am happy.

– Last matchday he made his debut as a scorer this season against Gernika. For a defender who does not excel in the scoring side. How special is it to score a goal?

It is true that I do not stand out much for my goalscoring side, so a goal always fills me with enormous satisfaction. It would be a feeling that I would love to experience every week, but it is not my job. I am happy to have contributed like this to the team this time and I will try not to be just one throughout the season. When you score a goal your confidence rises a lot and you feel in an optimal state to dare to do more things. A goal gives you a lot of confidence and can make you take a qualitative leap in the game.

– How did you experience that bump of two consecutive defeats before the match against Gernika?

-With a certain calm. We made mistakes that kept us away from the victories, but we had been doing things well. We knew that if we strengthened our strengths and corrected those failures, the results would come. We had the confidence not to give up on our style. Now that victory in Gernika has to return us to that positive inertia. We now return to Las Llanas and our people will give us that push to try to win the three points.