Johnny Matthews
English footballer and manager (1946–2019)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johnny Matthews (27 August 1946 – 25 December 2019)[1] was an English footballer and manager. Originally playing for Coventry City, he moved to Ireland in the 1960s and played with Waterford United for a number of years. He won several League of Ireland titles with Waterford, and one with Limerick FC. He was subsequently a manager.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 August 1946 | ||
| Place of birth | Coventry, England | ||
| Date of death | 25 December 2019 (aged 73) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1965 | Coventry City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1966–1979 | Waterford | 327 | (143) |
| 1979–1981 | Limerick United | 41 | (6) |
| 1981–1982 | Cork United | 18 | (3) |
| 1982–1983 | Waterford United | 11 | (4) |
| 1983–1984 | Galway United | 4 | (0) |
| 1985–1986 | Longford Town | 2 | (0) |
| 1986–1987 | Newcastle West | 15 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1970–1971 | League of Ireland XI | 2 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1986–1987 | Newcastle West | ||
| 1989–1990 | Waterford United | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
Matthews started his career playing with his hometown club of Coventry City.[1]
He moved to Waterford United during the 1965/66 season (at the age of 19)[2] under the impression from Jimmy Hill that it was for just a six-week loan period. Matthews played in the last seven games of the season, scoring twice and his loan period was extended. During the following season, he signed for Waterford on a permanent basis and played the next 13 seasons with the club.
In total, Matthews won 5 league medals with Waterford, and was awarded a sixth many years later after not playing enough games in his first season.[citation needed] He also won three runners-up medals in the FAI Cup.[citation needed] Matthews played in 16 European Cup matches and scored against Celtic at Parkhead[3] and against Manchester United.[4] While playing for a League of Ireland XI against an English League XI in 1971 at Lansdowne Road, Matthews scored a penalty against Gordon Banks.[5]
After also playing for Limerick FC,[5] Cork United and other League of Ireland clubs,[6] Matthews entered management with Newcastlewest FC, in 1986, while still a player.[1] He later returned to Waterford to take a managerial role.[1] He was Waterford manager during the 1989–90 League of Ireland First Division season, when the club won the First Division Title.[7]
Following his playing and managerial career, Matthews became involved in refereeing.[2] He was also involved in other sports, and captained the Munster cricket team.[2]
Matthews died in December 2019.[8] At the time of his death, the 156 goals he had scored made him the "ninth highest goal scorer in the history of the League of Ireland".[9]