Johnny Matthews (27 August 1946 – 25 December 2019) was an English footballer and manager. Matthews started his career playing with his home club

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

. He moved to

Waterford United Waterford Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Phort Láirge) formerly Waterford United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Waterford who play in the League of Ireland First Division. The club was founded and elected to the ...

during the 1965/66 season on St. Patrick's Day under the impression from

Jimmy Hill James William Thomas Hill, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including player, trade union leader, coach, manager, director ...

that it was for just a six-week loan period. Matthews played in the last seven games scoring twice and his loan period was extended. During the following season he signed for the club on a permanent basis. In the next 13 seasons Matthews became a legend at Kilcohan Park. In total Matthews won 5 league medals with Waterford, was awarded a 6th many years later after not playing enough games in his first season with Waterford and another with Limerick as well as 3 runners-up medals in the FAI Cup. Matthews also played in 16 European Cup matches and scored against

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while still a player in 1986 before returning to Waterford to take the managerial reins along with Dave Kirby in 1989. His first season in charge with the Blues brought the First Division Title in 1990. Matthews' greatest honour was winning league honours with Waterford but his cherished memory is scoring a penalty against Gordon Banks when the League of Ireland XI played the English League XI in 1971 at Lansdowne Road. At the end of the 2012 League of Ireland season Matthews is eighth in the all-time League of Ireland goalscoring list with 156 league goals A noted cricketer, Matthews was a member of the Waterford Referee's Society and referees junior league matches in the Waterford Junior League maintaining his connection with soccer in the city and county.

Honours

As a player

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

: **

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: 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73 **

Limerick United Limerick Football Club ( ga, Club Peile Luimnigh) was an association football club based in Limerick, Ireland who played in the League of Ireland and currently have teams competing in the underage National League of Ireland. The first Limerick ...

: 1979–80

As a manager

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division ( ga, Céad Roinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division, is the second level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. Th ...

1989/90

References

July 2008 update on Johnny Matthews
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Johnny 1946 births 2019 deaths League of Ireland players Coventry City F.C. players Waterford F.C. players Limerick F.C. players Galway United F.C. (1937–2011) players Longford Town F.C. players English footballers League of Ireland managers English football managers English expatriates in Ireland Waterford F.C. managers League of Ireland XI players Association football forwards