Smith: Mathieu James (Matt)

2013-2014 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Striker

Born: Birmingham: 07-06-1989

Debut: Brighton & Hove Albion (substitute): 03-08-2013

6'6" Weight: Unknown (2013)

Educated at Pate's Grammar School, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, he started his football career with Evesham United Juniors in 2005-06 before becoming a Trainee at Cheltenham Town in 2006-07, but was not taken on at the age of eighteen. He was only there for one year, while he was studying for his A-Levels, and chose to gain a degree in International Management at the University of Manchester on a four year course. He specialised in American Studies and spent one year at Arizona State University. He gained Non-League experience while studying, and also played at University level, and while his studies remained his number one priority he was encouraged to pursue a football career by his father and grandfather, who were both professional footballers. He played for Manchester University for a year and then played for North West Counties' League side, New Mills, in a League which toughened him up for a professional career. He played his first game for the newly-promoted Derbyshire side in the North West Counties Premier League as a substitute against Silsden on 18th October 2008. He scored the first goal in the eighty-fourth minute in a 2-0 win. He went on to play a crucial role in the club's amazing League-record twenty-one game winning run, and scored thirteen goals that season including a hat-trick against Alsager Town in April 2009, as they missed out on the North West Counties Premier League title only on goal difference to A.F.C. Fylde, who beat the Millers 5–0 on the last day of the League season. Both teams finished with one hundred and four points. Two days after the disappointment on the Fylde coast, the Millers lifted the League Cup for the first time by beating Runcorn Linnets 2–0 at the Tameside Stadium, the home of Curzon Ashton. Unfortunately, as he was due to spend a year studying in America, he left the Millers that Summer. Whilst at Manchester he was also captain of the University's men's football team, was called up to the Great Britain squad for the World University Games in China in 2011 and was named the University’s Sportsman of the Year. However after he returned from his one year stint in America he joined Blue Square Bet North side Redditch United in July 2010. He did not initially make the first eleven and was loaned to Midland Combination Division One outfit Littleton where he scored nine goals in just three games. He quickly scored five goals in five games before moving from Redditch to Droylsden in the same League when he returned to Manchester to study in September 2010. He scored twice in two games for Droylsden before returning to Redditch United on 21st December 2010 on loan until February 2011. In his second spell at Redditch he scored four times in six games, before being loaned to Solihull Moors at the end of his loan spell on 7th February 2011. In April 2011, he was called up for the England "C" squad for the game against Portugal Under-Twenty-threes on 19th May 2011, but he did not make the final sixteen. He scored twelve goals in fourteen games for the Midlands side before he finished his degree and signed for Oldham Athletic on a two year contract on 23rd May 2011. He made his League debut for the Latics in the first game of the season in a 0-2 home defeat by Sheffield United on 6th August 2011. His first goal came eight minutes from time with the winner in a 2-1 win at Scunthorpe United on 16th August 2011, after coming on as a sixty-ninth minute substitute. Smith was often used as a substitute by Manager Paul Dickov and after only four starts in thirty three appearances for the Latics you was loaned to Macclesfield Town on 15th March 2012 for the rest of the season. he made his debut in a 0-2 away defeat at Dagenham & Redbridge on 17th March 2012 and scored his first goal, after sixty-five minutes in a 2-4 defeat at Rotherham United three days later. It was his only goal in six starts and two games from the bench in the League. Smith really came to the notice of most people when he had three sensational games against the two Liverpool clubs in the F.A. Cup. On 27th January 2013, after Oldham had disposed of Nottingham Forest on their own ground by 3 goals to two in the Third Round, Smith scored in the third minute to put Oldham ahead 1-0 and then after Suarez had equalized, he added a second, right on half-time to restore their lead. They went on to win 3-2 and set up a Fifth Round home clash with Everton on 16th February 2013. After coming on as a sixty-first minute substitute, it was Smith who score in the final minute of the game to make the score 2-2 and force a replay at Goodison Park on 26th February 2013. Again a substitute, this time in the fifty-fifth minute, Smith was again on target in the sixty-fourth minute, but by then Everton had already scored three to win the tie 3-1. Smith was voted the player of the Fifth Round because of his deeds in the two games. He finished the season with a goal in each of the final three games, which won him the Player of the Month Award for April 2013. This brought his record to nine League goals in seventeen starts and forty-five games from the bench, four goals from two starts and four games from the bench in the F.A. Cup, One start and one game from the bench, without scoring, in the League Cup and one goal in one start and four substitute appearances in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, while at Boundary Park. He rejected an improved offer from Oldham on 23rd May 2013 and on 10th June 2013 he signed for Leeds United on a two year contract. He scored twice in his first game for the club in a 5-0 win against Farsley AFC on 6th July 2013. He made his League debut for Leeds in the first game of the season in a 2-1 home win over Brighton & Hove Albion on 3rd August 2013, when he came on as an Eighty-third minute substitute for Luke Varney. he made his starting debut in the 2-1 League Cup win over Chesterfield on 7th August 2013. He finished the season with an impressive twelve League goals from twenty starts and nineteen games from the bench in the League, togeter with one goal in three starts in the League Cup and a further start in one F.A. Cup tie, as he provided many assists for Ross McCormack with he formed a strong partnership, particularly as late substitute, when his arrival caught many defences unable to counter his presence. He made a strong start to the 2014-15 pre-season and his Leeds future seemed assured when he signed a new three year contract with the Elland Road club. But it was not to be. After the striking duo had been split as Ross McCormack was allowed to move to Fulham in early July for £11million, Smith was still expected to be the focal point of the Leeds attack, but as before was still used part of the time as a late impact player and had featured in five of the first seven, scoring just once in the sixth game in a 1-2 defeat by Bradford City in the League Cup. It came as a total surprise when the club accepted an offer of £500,000 from Fulham to reunite the McCormack-Smith combination on 1st September 2014. He was given a three-year contact by the Craven Cottage club, with a further option of another twelve months. His career at Fulham could not have got off to a worse start when he was sent off after just eighteen minutes in a 0-3 defeat at Reading on 13th September 2014. In fact he only featured in two late substitute appearances before here was a change of management at the club and he was loaned to League One side Bristol City on 27th November 2014, on a short term deal of two months. which was later extended to 1st March 2015. He made his Bristol City debut as an eighty-third minute substitute in a 3-0 win at Peterborough United the following day. He made his starting debut on 10th December in a 2-0 home win over Coventry City in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and three days later started in a 1-0 home win over Crawley Town in the League and a late substitute appearance at Crewe a week later. He then hit a rich vein of scoring form, scoring nine goals in five games. He scored the opener in the thirty-first minute of a 2-1 home win over Yeovil Town on Boxing Day. This was followed two days later by goals in the thirty-fourth and forty-fourth minutes of a 3-1 away win at Gillingham, and the equaliser in the seventy-fifth minute of a 1-1 draw at Doncaster Rovers in the F.A. Cup on 3rd January 2015. Three days later he was back at the Priestfield Stadium to score all four goals in a 4-2 win in the Johnstone's Paint Tropht, with goals in the eighteenth, twenty-seventh, fiftieth and seventy-seventh minutes. Four days later he got the second goal, two minutes before half time, in a 4-0 home win over Notts County. He went on to score seven goals in eleven starts and three from the bench in the League, one goal in three starts in the F.A. Cup and five goals in three starts in the Football League Trophy. After his return to Craven Cottage he did start to get amongst the goals, although not as prolifically as at Ashton Gate, but they helped Fulham to avoid relegation as he finished his first season with five League goald in eight starts and seven from the bench.