Mason Hancock travelled to Prenton Park, but was not involved in the match day squad.placeholder image
Mason Hancock travelled to Prenton Park, but was not involved in the match day squad. | Local Library
George Bennett
Published18th Apr 2026, 08:00 BST
Walsall defender Mason Hancock was asked for his earliest footballing memory.
Whenever that question is usually asked, the player responds with a tale from the stands, or the immediate joy at a ball being at his feet.
But that was not the case for the Surrey-born full-back.
“I used to love watching football, I just didn’t like playing it.”
Hancock on his earliest footballing memories
“My earliest football memories are not wanting to play if I’m being 100 per cent honest,” he admitted.
“My dad would be desperately trying to put me through a little skill show down the park and I wouldn’t want to do it.
“I think my old man was frustrated because he played football when he was younger and wanted me to play too.
“I’ve been a big QPR fan from day one and used to love watching football, I just didn’t like playing it.
“In the end, I think he had enough and started his own team. That was when I found a love for it.”
Childhood supporting QPR
Hancock was in the crowd at Wembley when QPR won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2014.placeholder image
Hancock was in the crowd at Wembley when QPR won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2014. | Getty Images
Hancock eventually discovered his love for the game and spent his childhood consuming football in the stands at Loftus Road.
And so he embarked on the life of a football supporter during a five-year period which featured two promotions and two relegations apiece.
“They’ll always keep you on your toes but I can tell you exactly where I was at the play-off final when they beat Derby to go to the Premier League,” he recalled.
“It was one of the best days of my life. Bobby Zamora scored in the last minute and I was literally right behind the goal.”
Joining Fulham’s youth ranks
On the pitch, Hancock was making great strides of his own playing for his dad’s local Sunday League team.
And Fulham soon came calling when scout Dan Rice discovered him and brought him to the London club.
“You’ve got the big clubs in the Premier League that have got huge academies and produce brilliant players, but Fulham are right up there from an academy perspective,” he reflected.
Walsall’s Mason Hancock played with Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho at Fulham.placeholder image
Walsall’s Mason Hancock played with Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho at Fulham. | AFP via Getty Images
Hancock rocketed through the ranks and brushed shoulders with a number of future Premier League stars - including Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott.
It was clear that the pair were a cut above the rest and Hancock remembers his time alongside them in great detail.
“You knew from young the kind of player that Fabio was going to be from the moment he came in - unbelievable,” he remembered.
“He was doing things with a ball that none of us could even dream of doing and it was the exact same with Harvey.
“I’ll never forget when he turned up for a friendly in a Real Madrid top with Ronaldo on the back.
“Suddenly, he started taking every single free-kick and every single corner. You didn’t have to be Einstein to figure who he’d become and it was only a matter of time for that boy.”
Surrounded by stars
Hancock also went to school with Fulham promotion-winner Ryan Sessegnon.placeholder image
Hancock also went to school with Fulham promotion-winner Ryan Sessegnon. | Getty Images
Elliott and Carvalho were not the only future stars in the Lilywhites’ ranks. Hancock also went to school with the Sessegnon brothers, Ryan and Steven, and took inspiration from the likes of Matt O’Reilly and Patrick Roberts.
“We used to go and watch their youth team games all of the time,” he continued.
“And we would always be told to watch and learn things from everyone of those names.
“You would visualise it and that would make us better players. A lot of us went to school in the same place and we were full-time from the age of 12 or 13.
“So we’d be training with players that are bigger and better which would help develop you quicker.
“But away from that, they were good people, who looked after you and guided you on the right path.”
Tough lessons after Fulham release
“It was a real wakeup call, a sort of mess around and find out situation.”
Hancock on his post-Fulham experiences
While Elliott went on to become the youngest player in Premier League history for Fulham aged 15, Hancock was left searching for his next challenge following his release.
“When it was my time to go, there were no hard feelings,” he revealed.
“I was moving on and so were they, but Fulham were great with helping me finding a new club.”
18 months at Oxford United followed before he was exposed to men’s football for the first time with Woking’s under-23s.
“I made the move to Oxford United just after Fulham and that was brilliant. I got a little bit of first team experience at the age of 16 which was exactly what I needed,” he said.
“After a season-and-a-half there, I moved on to Woking and I didn’t know how good that would be for me.
“I was able to play under-23s football in a men’s league.”
Mason Hancock joined Walsall from Airdrieonians last summer. (Pic: Walsall FC)placeholder image
Mason Hancock joined Walsall from Airdrieonians last summer. (Pic: Walsall FC) | Owen Russell
Dropping down from an elite academy, Hancock admitted that any sign of cockiness was wiped out of him in an instant.
“It was a real wakeup call, a sort of mess around and find out situation,” he conceded.
“You could say there was a little bit of cockiness in there but that got shot right down going into the men’s game.”
Hancock was now very much aware of the brutal side of the game and that prepared him for the challenges ahead when he crossed the border to play in Scotland.
“You learn that it isn’t all pretty. There’s a dark, dark side to the game and I didn’t learn it all.
“But I picked up on a good few things which lined me up for everything I needed before making the jump to Scotland.”
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