JOHN MATTHEWS

Full Name: John Melvin Matthews

Born: 01 November 1955

Came from: Chesterfield   Went to: Torquay United

First game: 17 August 1985   Last game: 29 April 1989

Appearances: 159 (153/6)   Goals: 6

Born in King's Cross in the London Borough Camden, Matthews went, rather aptly, to Highbury Grove School and played for Islington District Schools before joining his boyhood team, Arsenal, as an apprentice in 1971.

He came through the youth ranks at Highbury and signed professional in August 1973. He made his full debut on the opening day of the 1974-75 season as a right-back for Bertie Mee's side, in a 1-0 away win against Leicester City at Filbert Street. With the Gunners troubled by injury that season, his versatility was to prove a plus as he played 20 times.

The following season he played just once before being blighted by injury himself as a broken ankle in December 1975 cost him the rest of the 1975-76 season. Moving into his preferred midfield role, competition for places became more fierce and he was up against the emergence of David Price and Liam Brady. In total, he went on to play 45 times for Arsenal in five years, scoring twice.

Early pictures of Matthews, particularly from the latter stages of his Arsenal career onwards, aren't always immediately recognisable to Argyle fans as he was moustachioed, a look he was never to have by the time he reached Devon.

Sheffield United made a bid of £90,000 to lure Matthews from Arsenal, in August 1978 but he was initially reluctant to leave the capital, but the lure of regular first team football proved enough. He scored 14 times in 103 games for the Blades including a winning goal on his debut, again against Leicester City away. A Fourth Division Championship medal followed in 1981-82 and in total he spent four years in South Yorkshire but after the promotion, was released on a free transfer and moved to Mansfield Town in August 1982. He spent two years with the Stags, scoring six goals in 72 games, before moving again, to Chesterfield, again on a free transfer, in August 1984.

That season, he played a major role in Chesterfield's 1984-85 Fourth Division championship-winning side, collecting his second winner's medal from that league, playing 38 times and scoring once.

Another post-promotion departure saw him move south west, joining Argyle on a free in August 1985, to link up with Dave Smith, who had been, for a period, Arsenal's reserves' coach whilst Matthews was at the club. The by now highly cultured playmaker helped Ciderman's promotion-winners to the 1985-86 Division Three runners-up spot, chipping in with some industrious yet classy performances, often dictating play and gaining renown for a canon-like shot. The midfield trio of Matthews, Kevin Summerfield and Russell Coughlin was probably amongst the most prodigious the club had ever seen.

He adapted well to life in Division Two, as Argyle finished a heady seventh, helped largely by the elevation in league allowing for more time on the ball. This was a division that contained Leeds United, Sunderland and Derby County. In January 1987 he returned to Highbury with Argyle in the FA Cup 4th round, in a chastening defeat for the Greens who were torn apart by their top-flight opponents, losing 6-1. With Argyle roared on by an estimated 12,000-strong Green Army, Matthews was substituted but to applause from both sets of fans.

The following season Aston Villa and Manchester City were added to the division and with Matthews nearing the veteran stage, he remained competitive and a strong influence on games. At the end of that season, with Dave Smith being replaced by Ken Brown, Matthews kept his place although after Christmas struggled to see out 90 minutes and was often substituted.

He remained at Home Park until June 1989, when he was released, along with John Uzzell as both then reunited with Smith at Torquay United. However, by now his heart was no longer truly in football. He played a further 25 times for the Gulls before finishing his career in non-league, with Dorchester Town, playing three times in the 1990-91 season.

Returning to Plymouth he completed his coaching badges and ran local soccer schools between Devon and Cyprus, before later starting up an office furniture business. In 1993 he was short-listed for the role of Youth Team Manager at Home Park under Peter Shilton's tenure but somewhat nepotistically and not entirely surprisingly the role went to Shilton's former Nottingham Forest team-mate, Ian Bowyer, who later became assistant to Shilton and John McGovern.

Into the new millennium, Matthews made the news as he rolled back the years by playing a few games for Penzance in the South West Peninsula League, as a favour during a player shortage, when into his 50s.

In July 2019 he ranked at number nine in the midfielders section of the Top 25 'Greatest Pilgrims' survey which listed a fans' voted all-time Top 25 for each playing position.

In later years Matthews lived in Torpoint and worked as postman. A regular guest of Forever Green (the former players' association at Home Park) he often turned out for Arsenal Legends and is a keen golfer as well as an advocate for Cornish football and the production of local talent.