Matthew Etherington

Peterborough United

Born in Truro, Cornwall, Etherington came through the youth ranks at Peterborough United after being spotted by Barry Fry playing for Falmouth Town under-14s. He made his debut in the Football League aged 15 years and 262 days in a 2–1 win at Brentford on 3 May 1997. He made a further two appearances in the following season but made his breakthrough into the first team in 1998–99 when he made 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals. He went on trial at Manchester United in July 1999, but at the end of December 1999, he joined Tottenham Hotspur in a deal that valued him at £500,000. He made a total of 58 appearances for Peterborough in all competitions, scoring six goals.

Tottenham Hotspur

Etherington joined Tottenham in a move that saw Simon Davies join the North London club as part of the same deal. Etherington struggled to establish himself during his three-year stint at Spurs and, in 2001, spent two months on loan to Bradford City, where he made 13 appearances and scored one goal, against Watford. Having only started five Premier League matches since arriving from Peterborough in 1999, he handed in a transfer request in June 2002, saying he decided his career would be best served away from Spurs. However, no transfer was forthcoming, and he broke into the first team during the 2002–03 season, when he made 25 appearances. despite a lay-off with an ankle injury. He scored his first Premier League goal in a 2–2 draw with…

Etherington appeared for the England Under-20 team at the 1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup, playing alongside players such as Stuart Taylor, Ashley Cole, Peter Crouch and Andy Johnson. However, the team failed to score a single goal in their three group matches, and finished bottom of their group.

In May 2018, Etherington was announced as manager of the under-18 team at Peterborough United, rejoining the club where he started his career over 20 years earlier. On 12 November 2021, Etherington was made assistant manager at Peterborough following the departure of Mark Robson. Following the departure of Darren Ferguson as manager, Etherington became interim manager of the club on 22 February 2022. He led the team in a 2–1 loss at leaders Fulham the following day, and Grant McCann was permanently appointed the day after that. On 27 November 2022, he was appointed as the manager of 19th-placed EFL League Two club Crawley Town, succeeding interim boss Lewis Young. He named his former Peterborough and Tottenham teammate Simon Davies as his assistant. On 3 December, the team won 2–0 at home to Swindon Town on his first game in charge. On 29 December, Etherington and Davies departed the club after just three matches that saw one victory and two defeats. In the statement announcing their departure, Crawley's CEO Chris Galley said that the partnership was not the right fit to carry the club forward. In June 2023, Etherington was appointed under-21 lead coach at League Two club Colchester United. Following the departure of Ben Garner in October 2023, he was appointed caretaker manager. Having already overseen a match in interim control, he had to step down from his position following a contract dispute between Colchester and Etherington's former club Crawley. Crawley Town had…

Etherington had a gambling addiction while he was at West Ham, who issued him a £300,000 loan after he accumulated debts in excess of £800,000. He also spent time at Tony Adams' Sporting Chance Clinic. Matthew's father, Peter, has thanked Stoke City for saving his son's career and helping him to combat his gambling addiction. In 2015, Etherington spoke to BBC journalist Victoria Derbyshire concerning the impact of gambling on professional footballers. His own debts caused by gambling throughout his career were reported as £1.5 million.