Matt Sparrow
|
Sparrow playing for Brighton & Hove Albion in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Ronald Sparrow | ||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Wembley, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Sorrento | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1999 | Scunthorpe United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2010 | Scunthorpe United | 336 | (36) |
| 2010–2013 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 47 | (6) |
| 2013 | Crawley Town | 17 | (3) |
| 2013–2015 | Scunthorpe United | 35 | (4) |
| 2015 | → Cheltenham Town (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | Lincoln City | 31 | (0) |
| 2016 | Sorrento | 0 | (0) |
| 2016 | Gainsborough Trinity | 4 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:06, 9 June 2016 (GMT+8). | |||
Matthew Ronald "Matt" Sparrow (born 3 October 1981) is a former English professional footballer who currently works as a coach for Sorrento. A midfielder, he has made 440 appearances in the Football League, including 369 for Scunthorpe United.
In his 16-year-long playing career, Sparrow has previously played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Crawley Town and Cheltenham Town.
Club career
Scunthorpe United
Born in Wembley, London, Sparrow spent 11 years of his professional career at Scunthorpe United, playing in the bottom three tiers of league football for them. He formally signed for the club as a 16-year-old and played in the FA Youth Alliance final for Scunthorpe at the old Wembley stadium against West Bromwich Albion.[1]
After spending several months in prison in 2001, he became a regular in the Scunthorpe first team.[2]
In August 2007, he was offered a new three-year contract with the club.[3]
Sparrow scored the opening goal in the 2008–09 League One Play-off Final at Wembley Stadium against Millwall which led them to a 3–2 victory to clinch promotion to the Championship.
On 24 June 2010, it was reported[4] that Sparrow had turned down a new contract offer and was looking elsewhere to continue his career.
Testimonial year
Sparrow made his 300th appearance for Scunthorpe in April 2009, and subsequently played in a testimonial match which took take place on 1 May. Former Scunthorpe striker Billy Sharp and veteran midfielder Peter Beagrie returned for the match. Also involved were Jack Cork, Alex Calvo Garcia, Jamie McCombe, Jamie Forrester, John Eyre, Lee Ridley, Paul Wilson, Steve Housham, Andy Butler, Mark Jackson, Martin Carruthers, Steve Torpey, Lee Hodges, Paul Harsley, Wayne Graves, Lee Turnbull, Tony Daws, Andy Crosby, Ian Baraclough, Cleveland Taylor, Chris Hope, Kevin Sharp, Kevin Pressman, Paul Musselwhite, Justin Walker, Ross Hyslop, Brian Quailey, Sam Beagrie, Des Comerford and Simon Elliott – plus managers Brian Laws and Nigel Adkins.
Brighton & Hove Albion
On 29 June 2010, Sparrow signed for League One side Brighton & Hove Albion, penning a three-year contract. Brighton won the League One championship that season (in which Sparrow scored four goals) and were promoted to the Championship. In the 2011–12 season, Sparrow scored two goals, both in the 3–0 home win over Southampton. However, he received a red card and a three-match suspension in February's win against Leicester City, for a reckless sliding tackle.
Crawley Town
On 10 January 2013, Sparrow signed for League One and fellow Sussex side Crawley Town on a free transfer.[5] Sparrow made his Crawley debut only two days later on 12 January, coming on in the 67th minute as a substitute replacing fellow midfielder Dannie Bulman, in a 2–0 defeat against Tranmere Rovers.[6] He made his home debut on 2 February in a 1–1 draw against Swindon Town.[7] He scored his first goal for the club on 9 February in a 2–1 defeat against his former club Scunthorpe United.[8] He scored his second goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against Yeovil Town.[9] He played 17 times for Crawley in the league that season, scoring three goals as they finished a very credible 10th place, their highest-ever league placing.
Return to Scunthorpe United
Sparrow returned to his old club Scunthorpe United on 2 July 2013 after being released by Crawley Town.[10] On 5 May 2015 it was announced that Sparrow wouldn't be offered a new deal and was free to leave the club.[11]
Lincoln City
On the 24th of June 2015 he signed a one-year deal with Conference Premier club Lincoln City and make his debut in a home game against Cheltenham Town.
Sorrento
In 2016, he emigrated to Western Australia, and currently coaches for the semi-professional club Sorrento.
Gainsborough Trinity
On 6 October 2016 it was announced that Sparrow had signed with Gainsborough Trinity of the National League North. [12] He made a total of 4 appearances for Gainsborough before returning to Australia.
Personal life
He attended the John Leggott College in Scunthorpe between 1998 and 2000, studying Leisure and Tourism.[13]
Career statistics
- As of 1 April 2014.
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Scunthorpe United | 1999–2000[14] | Second Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 2000–01[15] | Third Division | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 | |
| 2001–02[16] | Third Division | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 2002–03[17] | Third Division | 42 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 49 | 9 | |
| 2003–04[18] | Third Division | 38 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 50 | 4 | |
| League Two | 44 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 49 | 6 | ||
| League One | 39 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 45 | 5 | ||
| League One | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 4 | ||
| Championship | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | |||
| League One | 36 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10[lower-alpha 3] | 2 | 50 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10[24] | Championship | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 34 | 2 | ||
| Total | 336 | 37 | 24 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 396 | 42 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2010–11[25] | League One | 29 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 36 | 6 |
| 2011–12[26] | Championship | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13[27] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 47 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 8 | ||
| Crawley Town | 2012–13[28] | League One | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
| Scunthorpe United | 2013–14[29] | League Two | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| Career totals | 420 | 48 | 33 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 22 | 3 | 494 | 55 | ||
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
- ↑ 1 appearance in Football League Trophy, 2 appearances in Football League Third Division play-offs
- ↑ 7 appearances in Football League Trophy, 3 appearances and 2 goals in Football League One play-offs
Honours
Scunthorpe United
Brighton & Hove Albion
References
- ↑ Sparrow is targeting silverware – BBC Sport
- ↑ Scouting report – The Guardian
- ↑ Iron reward Sparrow with new deal – BBC Sport
- ↑ Sparrow leaves The Iron – www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk
- ↑ "Sparrow flies in". Crawley Town F.C. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20919276
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21209214
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21311362
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21665724
- ↑ "Scunthorpe United: Matt Sparrow return deal agreed". BBC Sport. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
- ↑ http://www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk/news/article/iron-announce-retained-list-2440421.aspx
- ↑ http://www.gainsboroughtrinity.com/latest-gainsborough-trinity-news/double-signing-boosts-trinity.html
- ↑ Former Students (Alumni) – Significant Alumni Member (Matt Sparrow – John Leggot College
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 1999/2000 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2000/2001 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2001/2002 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2002/2003 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2003/2004 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2004/2005 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2005/2006 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2006/2007 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2007/2008 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2008/2009 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2009/2010 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Brighton 2010/2011 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ↑ "Brighton 2011/2012 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Brighton 2012/2013 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Crawley 2012/2013 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ↑ "Scunthorpe 2013/2014 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
