Jason Matthews (footballer)
English footballer (born 1975)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jason Lee Matthews (born 13 March 1975) is an English former professional footballer who is the goalkeeper coach and the director of football at Weymouth.[3]
|
Matthews playing for Weymouth in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jason Lee Matthews[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 March 1975[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Paulton, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Weymouth (goalkeeper coacn and director of football) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bristol Rovers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Welton Rovers | |||
| Paulton Rovers | |||
| –1998 | Mangotsfield United | ||
| 1998[2] | Taunton Town | 2 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | Salisbury City | (0) | |
| 1999 | Nuneaton Borough | 0 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Exeter City | 12 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Aberystwyth Town | 31 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Clevedon Town | ||
| 2002–2008 | Weymouth | 198 | (1) |
| 2008–2011 | Eastleigh | 102+ | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Bath City | 10 | (0) |
| 2011 | Clevedon Town | 3 | (0) |
| 2012 | Chippenham Town | 5 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Dorchester Town | 35 | (0) |
| 2013–2017 | Weymouth | 138 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Chippenham Town | 2 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Bath City | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Bracknell Town | 7 | (0) |
| 2020 | Chippenham Town | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Brislington | 2+ | (0) |
| 2022 | Salisbury | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Weymouth | 1 | (0) |
| 2026[3] | Weymouth | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 541+ | (1+) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014–2017 | Weymouth (player-manager) | ||
| 2024 | Weymouth (interim manager) | ||
| 2024 | Weymouth (interim manager) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
Born in Paulton, Somerset, Matthews started playing in goal at an early age and soon won a place at Millfield's Centre of Excellence.
Bristol Rovers signed him up on schoolboy terms but he was released just before he left school. Matthews then spent six years playing for a number of clubs in the Screwfix League including Welton Rovers, Paulton Rovers and Mangotsfield United, before signing for Western Football League Premier Division club Taunton Town in 1998.[2] Shortly after, he joined Geoff Butler's Salisbury City in the Southern Football League in August 1998.[4]
The following season Matthews signed for Nuneaton Borough in early June 1999 without making a single competitive appearance after pre-season. This is because in August 1999, he joined Exeter City where he spent the 1999–2000 season, giving him his only taste of Football League action.
He followed this by moving over the Welsh border to Aberystwyth Town for a year before joining Clevedon Town. It was from Clevedon that Geoff Butler signed him for Weymouth in 2002, where he has stayed (and stayed almost unrivalled #1 keeper) for nearly five whole seasons.
On 17 March 2007, he scored his first ever career goal for Weymouth in a Conference National match against Southport. It was all the more remarkable as it was from his own penalty area, in the last minutes of the game, and was the winning goal. It was the first ever goal a Weymouth goalkeeper has scored from open play in the entire history of the club.
Matthews made his Eastleigh debut in the 5–0 away win over Maidenhead United on 8 March 2008 before making his home debut a week later in the 4–1 home defeat at the hands of Hayes & Yeading United a week later.[5]
Adie Britton brought Matthews to Bath City on 22 June 2011. It has been stated that Matthews will start off as second choice keeper but both player and manager are hoping he puts pressure on current first team keeper Glyn Garner.[6]
Matthews signed a one-year contract at Dorchester Town in May 2012.[7] In June 2013 Matthews returned to Weymouth on non contract terms for the 2013–14 season.[citation needed] When Brendon King was sacked he was made temporary Player/Manager at Weymouth. On 12 January 2014, Matthews was appointed player/manager on a full-time basis, after winning four of his seven games.[citation needed]
In the summer of 2021, Matthews signed for Brislington aged 46 playing part-time also working as an electrician, debuting on 17 August 2021 during the 1–0 victory against Cadbury Heath.
In 2022 he rejoined Weymouth and retired in 2024 while only making a single appearance. He came out of retirement in February 2026 and was backup for Max Evans. Evans was shown a red card in the 1–0 loss against Havant & Waterlooville meaning Matthews made one more appearance for Weymouth at the age of fifty.[3]
Coaching career
Following his departure from Weymouth, Matthews joined Chippenham Town as player-coach.[8] He became assistant head coach in January 2018, supporting Gary Horgan.[9]
In June 2022, Matthews joined Salisbury as goalkeeping coach.[10]
On 27 March 2024, following the surprise departure of Bobby Wilkinson, Matthews was appointed interim manager of Weymouth.[11]
He became the interim manager of Weymouth again after Mark Molesley was sacked on 28 November 2024.[12]
Career statistics
Player
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mangotsfield United | 1997–98 | Western Football League Premier Division | ||||||||
| Taunton Town | 1998–99 | Western Football League Premier Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Salisbury City | 1998–99 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Nuneaton Borough | 1999–2000 | Football Conference | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Exeter City | 1999–2000 | Football League Third Division | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Aberystwyth Town | 2000–01 | League of Wales | 31 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||||
| Clevedon Town | 2001–02 | Southern Football League Western Division | ||||||||
| Weymouth | 2002–03 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2004–05 | Football Conference South | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |||
| 2005–06 | Football Conference South | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07 | Football Conference | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |||
| 2007–08 | Football Conference | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |||
| Total | 241 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 247 | 1 | ||
| Eastleigh | 2007–08 | Football Conference South | 0 | — | — | 0 | ||||
| 2008–09 | Football Conference South | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Football Conference South | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | Football Conference South | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| Bath City | 2011–12 | Football Conference | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Clevedon Town | 2011–12 | Southern Football League Division One South & West | 3 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Chippenham Town | Southern Football League Premier Division South | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Dorchester Town | 2012–13 | Football Conference South | 35 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| Total | 155 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 176 | 0 | ||
| Weymouth | 2013–14 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 45 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | 53 | 0 |
| 2014–15 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 40 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9[g] | 0 | 54 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[h] | 0 | 44 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | Southern Football League Premier Division | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9[i] | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Chippenham Town | 2017–18 | National League South | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[j] | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Bath City | 2018–19 | National League South | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bracknell Town | 2019–20 | Isthmian League Division One South Central | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 147 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 182 | 0 | ||
| Chippenham Town | 2020–21 | National League South | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brislington | 2021–22 | Western Football League Premier Division | 2+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+ | 0 | ||
| Salisbury | 2021–22 | Southern Football League Premier Division South | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Weymouth | 2022–23 | National League South | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | National League South | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025–26 | Southern Football League Premier Division South | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 541 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 603 | 1 | ||
- One appearance in EFL Cup, four appearances in EFL Trophy
- One appearance in FA Trophy, one appearance in Hampshire Senior Cup
- Three appearances in unknown
- One appearance in Southern Football League Cup (England)
- Three appearances in FA Trophy, one appearance in Dorset Senior Cup
- Six appearances in FA Trophy, one appearance in Southern Football League Cup (England), two appearances in Dorset Senior Cup
- Six appearances in FA Trophy, one appearance in Southern Football League Cup (England), two appearances in Dorset Senior Cup
- One appearance in Wiltshire Senior Cup
Honours
Player
Mangotsfield United
- Gloucestershire Challenge Trophy: 1996–97
Taunton Town
- Western Football League Premier Division: 1998–99
Salisbury City
- Wiltshire Premier Shield: 1998–99
Clevedon Town
- Somerset Premier Cup: 2001–02
- Southern Football League Cup (England): 2011–12
Weymouth
- Football Conference South: 2005–06
- Dorset Senior Cup: runner-up 2002–03
Manager
Weymouth
- Dorset Senior Cup: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17
