I meet Piero Mingoia on a blustery afternoon at Accrington’s stately Dunkenhalgh Hotel. It’s a tranquil, laid-back spot which seems to perfectly suit the talented Stanley winger. Softly-spoken, measured and polite, Mingoia is a refreshing antidote to the antics of certain English players who have taken up column space during this summer.
Honest and engaging throughout our chat, Piero discusses dramatic appearances for Watford, his unforgettable winner for Stanley in their Capital One Cup triumph away at Middlesbrough, his instinctive partnership with Josh Windass, and much more.
DB: You grew up in Enfield in the ’90s, where you obviously had big clubs like Tottenham, Arsenal and then Football League clubs like Leyton Orient, nearby. Which club did you support growing up, and which players did you pretend to be in the playground?
PM: When I was younger, obviously [Manchester] United were pretty strong, but Arsenal were also up there challenging, and not living too far from Highbury and Islington, my team were Arsenal. They had great players like Bergkamp and Marc Overmars – who was one I looked up to.
DB: You joined the Watford youth setup in 2003, and went on to spend a decade at the club. How much do you feel that Watford helped you develop as a player and as an individual during your early years there?
PM: Massively. The experience moulded me into who I am today. All the principles I believe in, I learnt primarily at Watford. I joined when I was 13, and left when I was 21/22, so not only did they improve me as a young kid, as a player, but they taught me things about life, and how to present yourself and how to be respectful to others.
DB: Were there any particular coaches you had in the youth team that you’d say were especially influential?
PM: Sean Dyche was my youth team coach, and Mark Warburton who was part-time, with the youth team, but he was with me throughout much of my stay. They taught me a lot.
DB: You made your first-team debut for the Hornets at the age of 19, scoring a fantastic goal in a 4-1 FA Cup win over Hartlepool United. What are your memories of the build-up to your first game, and of the match itself.
PM: Basically, I’d signed as a pro and had done the pre-season with the first team, and was with them all the time. I hadn’t really got a chance until that game, and was probably the only one out of the young lads that hadn’t been given that opportunity.
I think there were a few injuries and a few older players getting rested as we were playing lower league opposition. I got given a chance and managed to nick a goal and get a Man of the Match award.
DB: You played six more times for Watford in the 2010-11 season, including substitute appearances in that 2-2 draw away at Leeds United, which saw four goals in the final 20 minutes, and a 3-0 demolition of Derby County. What are your memories of those games, and that season for you in general.
PM: The memories, obviously, are really positive as I was a young lad and played against some big teams like Leicester, Derby and Leeds. Coming on at Leeds was probably one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever played in – and for that year, there were only positives. I went on holiday [after the season] over the moon with everything.
Even though some were little appearances, at the standard they were at and the stadiums I played at, they were massive to me.
DB: During 2012 and 2013 you had four loan spells – two of those were in Non-League, with Hayes & Yeading United in the Conference Premier and Boreham Wood in the Conference South. Were you keen to go out on loan, or did the club engineer those moves? And what was it like adapting to the different level of facilities and footballing standard in Non-League?
PM: When loan moves happen, it’s normally a mutual agreement between you and the manager. Obviously, if you’re not really playing, there’s no point you staying there, so if you’ve got any hunger about yourself, you want to go and play.
For me that happened at Hayes, and I managed to nick a few goals and I learnt, really, it opened my eyes up as to what Non-League football was like, and how lucky I was and how good I had it at Watford.
DB: In that period, you also had your first experience of playing in the Red and White of Accrington Stanley. It was a tumultuous time for the club, and manager Paul Cook left for Chesterfield during that period – but you put in some excellent performances. What was Paul like to work under, and what are your standout memories of that first spell?
PM: Again, it was different for me, because it was the first time I had to move away from home. That was a bit difficult to be honest. I just wasn’t used to it, and I managed okay, but deep down, when I look back now, I found it a bit difficult.
Paul Cook was – like everyone knows now – a top manager. So even though he was only there a little while, I picked things up from him and his assistant [Leam Richardson], which I’ve tried to do from all the staff and coaches I’ve had.
