Matthew William Jay (born 27 February 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for EFL League Two club Colchester United.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Matthew William Jay[1] | ||
Date of birth | 27 February 1996 | ||
Place of birth | Torbay, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Colchester United | ||
Number | 7 | ||
Youth career | |||
2003–2013 | Exeter City | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013–2023 | Exeter City | 163 | (41) |
2014–2015 | → Weston-super-Mare (loan) | 5 | (1) |
2015 | → Hayes & Yeading United (loan) | 6 | (2) |
2016 | → Truro City (loan) | 20 | (6) |
2023– | Colchester United | 35 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:52, 9 May 2024 (UTC) |
Early life and education
editJay was born in Torbay in Devon and he attended South Dartmoor Community College together with Ollie Watkins and Jamie Reid.[3][4]
Playing career
editExeter City
editJay made his professional debut for Exeter in a 2–0 loss to Wycombe Wanderers in the Football League Trophy at St James Park on 3 September 2013.[5]
On 22 November 2015, Jay joined National League South side Hayes & Yeading United on a one-month loan.[6]
He scored his first goal for Exeter in an EFL Trophy tie against Oxford United on 30 August 2016.[7] Jay finally scored his first league goal on the 8th of April, in the 2017–18 campaign, away to Cambridge United in a game where Exeter came twice from behind to win 3–2. This came to the delight of many players and fans alike following a run of impressive games starting and from the bench.[8][9]
In 2021, Jay scored his first career hat trick in a 4–0 victory against Leyton Orient.[10] After a month in which he scored five goals and got one assist, Jay received the League Two Player of the Month award for March 2021.[11] At the end of the 2020–21 season, he was named as the Devon side's Player of the Season,[12] and on 29 April 2021 was named in the 2020–21 EFL League Two Team of the Season at the league's annual awards ceremony.[13]
Jay was awarded the Exeter captaincy following the departure of Jake Taylor in the summer of 2021 and was given the number 7 shirt. He continued his goalscoring form into the 2021–22 season, netting 16 times in all competitions. The most significant of these came in a 2–1 home win over Barrow, where he scored a late winner, chesting the ball down from a Josh Key cross and slamming home through the legs of Paul Farman on the volley to secure his boyhood club's return to League One after a decade in League Two.[14]
Colchester United
editOn 9 January 2023, Jay signed for Colchester United for an undisclosed fee.[15]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played on 6 April 2024
Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Exeter City | 2013–14[16] | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 |
2014–15[17] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
2015–16[18] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
2016–17[19] | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
2017–18[20] | League Two | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
2018–19[21] | League Two | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 24 | 4 | |
2019–20[22] | League Two | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[d] | 4 | 23 | 8 | |
2020–21[23] | League Two | 44 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 1 | 48 | 20 | |
2021–22[24] | League Two | 45 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 2 | 51 | 16 | |
2022–23[25] | League One | 18 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3[b] | 2 | 25 | 4 | |
Total | 163 | 41 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 25 | 10 | 206 | 54 | ||
Weston-super-Mare (loan) | 2014–15[26] | Conference South | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
Hayes & Yeading United (loan) | 2015–16[26][27] | National League South | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
Truro City (loan) | 2015–16[26] | National League South | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[f] | 0 | 22 | 6 | |
Colchester United | 2022–23[25] | League Two | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
2023–24[25] | League Two | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
Total | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 1 | ||
Career total | 229 | 51 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 33 | 10 | 279 | 64 |
- ^ a b Appearance in Football League Trophy
- ^ a b c d e f Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
- ^ Three appearances in EFL Trophy, one appearance in League Two play-offs
- ^ Five appearances and four goals in EFL Trophy, one appearance in League Two play-offs
- ^ a b Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
- ^ Appearances in the National League South play-offs
Honours
editExeter City
- EFL League Two runner-up: 2021–22[28]
Individual
- PFA Team of the Year: 2020–21 League Two,[29] 2021–22 League Two[30]
- EFL League Two Team of the Season: 2020–21[13]
- Exeter City Player of the Season: 2020–21[12]
- EFL League Two Player of the Month: March 2021[11]
References
edit- ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Exeter City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 26. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "Matt Jay - Midfielder - First Team - Exeter City FC". Exeter City F.C. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "From the playing fields of South Devon to England and the World Cup – star footballer Ollie does mum and family proud". Torbay Weekly. Clear Sky Publishing. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ "Alumni". South Devon Community College.
- ^ "Exeter City: Matt Jay earns first professional deal". BBC Sport. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ "City youngster with York Road club for a month". Exeter City F.C. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Oxford United 4 (T Roberts 12, Maguire pen 36, Taylor 68, MacDonald 71), Exeter City 2 (Jay 43, McAlinden 61)". Oxford Mail. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ "Exeter City".
- ^ "Cambridge 2-3 Exeter: Grecians battle to victory".
- ^ "Exeter 4–0 Leyton Orient: Matt Jay hat-trick fires Grecians to victory".
- ^ a b "Matt Jay wins Sky Bet League Two Player of the Month!". www.exetercityfc.co.uk. 9 April 2021.
- ^ a b Clark, Daniel (8 May 2021). "Matt Jay takes home player of the year awards as he reaches his 20 goal target". DevonLive. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Football Manager EFL Team of the Season line-ups announced". EFL.com. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Exeter City win promotion from League Two". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Colchester sign Exeter skipper Jay until 2025". BBC Sport. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ "Games played by Matt Jay in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ "Games played by Matt Jay in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Games played by Matt Jay in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Games played by Matt Jay in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ "Games played by Matt Jay in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Matt Jay in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Matt Jay in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Matt Jay in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Matt Jay in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "Games played by Matt Jay in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "M. Jay – Summary". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ "Hayes & Yeading Utd 2 Eastbourne Borough 2 Match Report". Hayes & Yeading United FC. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ Brent Pilnick (26 April 2022). "Exeter City win promotion from League Two". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
- ^ "Norwich City dominate with six players in PFA Championship team of the year". BBC Sport. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Mohamed Salah and Sam Kerr win PFA player of year awards". BBC Sport. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.