After welcoming 18-year-old Zavier Massiah-Edwards to Hampshire, we caught up with the Watford loanee to find out how he’s settling into life on the South Coast.

A productive first month on loan was capped off with the attacker scoring his first professional goal in a 2-2 draw against Halifax Town on Saturday. His celebration was passionate and emotional, including a moment where he pointed towards his parents in the away end—showing just how much the goal meant to him.

“It was probably the most emotional goal I’ll ever score. It was a proud moment for me and my parents who were sitting in the away end. I need to make sure that I keep working hard so that I can add to that goal.

“It was a chance that I felt I took well. The space just seemed to open up in front of me and I picked my spot and thankfully found the back of the net.”

 

Following his goal in West Yorkshire, Massiah-Edwards’ loan was initially set to expire – but an agreement was soon made to extend his stay in SO50 by another month, at a club that ticks all the right boxes for the young forward.

“I’ve really been enjoying the challenge and the new experiences that I am getting at Eastleigh, and everyone at the club has been really helpful during my time here.

“I now feel comfortable and safe here, and those are the things I need to play as well as I can in an environment where I was always going to feel a little bit uncomfortable to begin with, so it was an easy decision to extend.”

One of the key benefits of a loan move is the opportunity to play alongside seasoned professionals – players who can pass on valuable advice to younger teammates. That’s certainly been the case for Massiah-Edwards during his time at Eastleigh.

“That’s definitely been the case since I joined Eastleigh. Jordan Cousins has really helped me to be more vocal when I’m playing because it’s almost a whole different game from what it’s like at Under-21s level.

“Aaron Pierre has also helped me a lot off the pitch too but, if I’m being fair, everyone has been really welcoming and helped me out with different aspects of my game.”

It’s often said there’s a big step between development football and the men’s game – and while there are many differences, one of the most significant is the heightened focus on team results over individual performance.

“Winning is everything here. At Under-21s level, for me personally, it’s more individual. If I score a hat-trick but the team loses, the hat-trick is more important to me, but here, I’d rather not have a hattrick if it means we win the game.

“At this level it’s about doing anything and everything you can to try to ensure the team wins the game.”

Massiah-Edwards arrived at Eastleigh with five Championship appearances under his belt for Watford, where he featured in a squad packed with international and top-level experience.

“It was a very good taste of first-team football and ever since I got those opportunities, I’ve been hungry for more and I think it’s prepared me to come on loan. By the same token, this loan is also helping me for when I go back to Watford.”

After creating a special moment with his goal against Halifax, we asked Zavier to reflect on another standout memory from his footballing journey so far.

“It has to be the FA Youth Cup Quarter-Finals because I think for the whole of the tournament, we were seen as the underdogs and then we played Southampton at Vicarage Road who were favourites.

“We scored the opening goal before being pegged back, and it looked as though they were going to go on to win it before I was able to find a winner!

“It was amazing to celebrate with the boys after the game and have that moment so yeah, that has to be up there!”

With football being both physically and mentally demanding, recovery time is crucial – and for Massiah-Edwards, that includes a bit of gaming and gym work.

“We’re coming close to the release of a new FIFA or FC26 as it’s called now so I think that will keep me busy. A boring answer is the gym. I try to go to the gym every day because I’m a little bit smaller so I need to keep my body strong.”

“My mum is a chef so she makes sure that my diet is good and that I’m eating the right things!”

For anyone who has watched Zavier play, his surprising physical strength and hold-up play stand out. But that ability hasn’t come by chance – it’s the result of dedicated effort.

“Ever since I was a youngster at Watford, I played up top and the physicality of it was a side that me and my family acknowledged was important for me to improve. If I wasn’t going to grow vertically, I knew it was important that I grew sideways with muscle!

“My dad took me to boxing which helped my body to grow. I was able to get stronger and from there, it was about learning how to use my body against bigger players and that’s what has helped me up to this point.”

It’s clear that Massiah-Edwards has a strong sense of purpose and a clear vision for what he wants to achieve during his time at Eastleigh – and how that experience can help shape his return to Watford.

“I want to get as much experience as I possibly can and play as many games as I can during my time here.

“I also want to experience things off the pitch that I can learn from, but that all stems from me working hard in training so if I focus on that, hopefully the rest will follow!”

Massiah-Edwards is available for selection for this weekend’s game against Braintree Town.

Tickets for our upcoming home fixture against Braintree are available to purchase by clicking here!