Matthew Richard Robinson (born 23 December 1974) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a full back who notably played in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

for

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, before switching to rivals

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. He later played in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

for

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

and

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...

before moving into non-league football with

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Formed in October 188 ...

and

Totton Totton is a town in the civil parish of Totton and Eling, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. In 2021 it had a population of 28,094. History The name "Totton" means 'Tot(r)ingtun' farm of 'Tot(t)a', "Totton was "Totinctone" in 98 ...

. He later had a spell as player/manager of

Swindon Supermarine Swindon Supermarine Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in South Marston, Swindon, England. The club plays in the and is affiliated to the Wiltshire Football Association. The club plays at the Webbswood Stadium on the nort ...

, before later joining Chippenham Town as a coach.

Playing career

Having represented Dorset Schools, Robinson joined

as a trainee in July 1991, signing as a professional in 1993. His career at Southampton suffered from the rapid turnover of managers and in little over four years, he served under five different managers. He only made 14 appearances (of which 11 were from the bench) for Southampton before joining

for £50,000 in February 1998. At Portsmouth, he was Alan Ball's second signing as manager and he went straight into the side at

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. His career also suffered from frequent managerial changes, but in his two years at

Fratton Park Fratton Park is a association football, football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is the home of Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth Football Club. Fratton Park's location on Portsea Island is unique in English professional football, as it ...

, Robinson chalked up more than 75 games, including 69 league appearances and scoring one goal, before moving to

in a £150,000 deal in January 2000. Robinson played another 75 league and cup games for Reading before he headed to

in July 2002 on a free transfer. A regular for Oxford, Robinson amassed 192 games in just over four years. Another free transfer took him to

in September 2006 where he made thirty Conference appearances. In May 2007, he joined Salisbury City on a part-time basis and was in training to be a police officer. After a successful period with Salisbury, Robinson left the club and signed for A.F.C. Totton in February 2009. In 2010, Robinson joined Southern League side

as player-manager. The 2011–12 season was a hard season for Swindon Supermarine finishing third from bottom under the management of Matt Robinson and Gary Horgan. With the appointment of Highworth manager Dave Webb and assistant Lee Spalding the club hoped Robinson would still play for the club and Horgan would take a coaching role. Robinson left Supermarine in April 2012.

Personal life

Robinson is now a

police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...

. In November 2021, Robinson spoke candidly about how it was difficult to be accepted by Portsmouth fans following his transfer from Southampton.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Matthew 1974 births Living people Footballers from Exeter English men's footballers Southampton F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Reading F.C. players Oxford United F.C. players Salisbury City F.C. players A.F.C. Totton players Premier League players Swindon Supermarine F.C. players Men's association football defenders