IN-FORM flanker Mat Gilbert has spoken of his determination to repay Worcester Warriors, who snapped him up after he was “left out in the cold” by Bath.
The 29-year-old agreed to leave the Aviva Premiership club in September after he found his opportunities limited under head coach Mike Ford.
Gilbert told The Observer he was “hugely frustrated” by the way things ended at Bath as he believed he had produced the goods whenever he turned out for them.
He said he was even handed a two-year contract extension in March 2013, but in the end he felt he had little option but to be released and look to progress his career elsewhere.
“It was the harsh realities of professional sport where if you are signed by one coach and they move on you are left in a place where you are not necessarily wanted,” he said.
“Gary Gold signed me in November and gave me a two-year extension, but once he had gone I found myself left out in the cold despite having quite a lot of minutes under my belt, so it was bizarre.
“I felt I was in good form and every time I played I played well and got good reviews from my team-mates and coaches, so to not get picked the following week was odd.”
Gilbert also revealed he did not have another club lined up when he decided to end his time at Bath, which was why he contacted Warriors for a trial.
“I know there were a lot of quality back rowers at Worcester, but Dean (Ryan) gave me the option to keep fit and keep my eye on the ball,” he said.
After a series of strong showings for the Cavaliers, Ryan offered Gilbert a full-time contract and the back rower said he was now fully focused on making Warriors a successful side.
“I don’t want to dwell on what happened at Bath. It has gone now,” he added.
“It would have been great to have been there and been in the team every week, but due to the amount of quality back rowers they had the coaches decided to go elsewhere so I am here now and I am looking forward to the future.
“I am really pleased with how things have gone so far, but I have just got to push on in the Championship before going back into the B&I Cup where we can hopefully secure a quarter-final spot.”