| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Carragher[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-01-14)14 January 1976[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England[2] | ||
| Date of death | 28 December 2016(2016-12-28) (aged 40) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wigan Athletic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1997 | Wigan Athletic | 119 | (0) |
| 1997–2003 | Port Vale | 194 | (1) |
| 2003 | Stafford Rangers | 8 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | Macclesfield Town | 49 | (5) |
| Total | 370 | (6) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Matthew Carragher (14 January 1976 – 28 December 2016) was an Englishfootballer who played 362 league games over twelve years in theFootball League. He was a versatiledefender and was described as "a natural leader".
He began his career withWigan Athletic in 1993. He made 119 league appearances in four years at the club, helping the "Latics" to theThird Division title in 1996–97. He then switched toPort Vale. He was later made clubcaptain and led the "Valiants" to victory in theFootball League Trophy in2001. Despite 194 games for the club, he was released in May 2003. Following a brief spell atStafford Rangers, he spent two years withMacclesfield Town before retiring in 2005.
Carragher started his career atWigan Athletic after coming through the ranks at the Latics School of Excellence and made his debut in a 6–3 win overChester City in October 1993.[4][5]Kenny Swain's "Latics" then finished the1993–94 campaign fourth from bottom of theThird Division. New bossGraham Barrow then led theSpringfield Park club to 14th in1994–95, before he was replaced byJohn Deehan. Wigan finished 10th in1995–96, two points behindColchester United in theplay-off zone. Carragher made 16 appearances in1996–97, as Wigan were crowned of the Third Division, finishing aboveFulham ongoal difference.
He moved on toPort Vale in 1997 afterJohn Rudge judged Carragher to be a potential replacement for the ageingDean Glover andNeil Aspin. He made 25First Division appearances in1997–98, helping the "Valiants" to beatHuddersfield Town 4–0 on the final day of the season to avoidrelegation by one point, at the expense ofManchester City andPotteries derby rivalsStoke City.[6] However, he featured just 12 times in1998–99, and was not selected once by new bossBrian Horton.[7] He was though named as the club's Clubman of the Year.[8] He scored his first goal atVale Park on 25 September 1999, in a 2–0 win overSwindon Town, and went on to play 39 games as Vale were relegated to theSecond Division at the end of the1999–2000 season. He played 56 of the club's 57 games in2000–01, playing as asweeper in a defence ofMichael Walsh,Sagi Burton,Allen Tankard, and goalkeeperMark Goodlad.[9] He alsocaptained the "Valiants" at theFootball League Trophyfinal at theMillennium Stadium, which finished as a 2–1 win overBrentford.[10] He continued to lead the back line in2001–02, making 47 appearances.[7] He scored only his second goal for the club on 22 October 2002, in a 3–1 home win overHull City in the Football League Trophy. Despite making 40 appearances in2002–03, being one of only three settled defenders (the others beingSam Collins andIan Brightwell), he was surprisingly released by Horton in May 2003.[11]
Following his release from Vale, he joinedStafford Rangers on non-contract terms, playing eightSouthern League games, whilstBurton Albion bossNigel Clough considered whether or not to make him an offer.[12] Instead he signed forMacclesfield Town in November 2003.[13] He played 18 games in2003–04, as the "Silkmen" avoided relegation into theConference by three places and seven points. Ironically,managerJohn Askey was replaced by Brian Horton in April 2004. He played 39 games in2004–05 and featured in the play-off semi-final defeat toLincoln City, but Horton released him from his contract atMoss Rose in May 2005.[14]
Carragher was a versatiledefender who could play as a left-back, right-back or sweeper. He was described as "a natural leader".[15]
His father was a semi-professional footballer.[16] He had three older sisters.[16] Carragher married childhood sweetheart Louise Morgan in 2001.[16] Carragher died of cancer on 29 December 2016 at the age of 40.[17][18] Former teammateTony Naylor paid tribute to him as a "a cheeky chappie, a typicalScouse lad, confident and a nice guy with it".[15]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 1993–94 | Third Division | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| 1994–95 | Third Division | 41 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 50 | 3 | |
| 1995–96 | Third Division | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 1996–97 | Third Division | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Total | 119 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 145 | 3 | ||
| Port Vale | 1997–98 | First Division | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | First Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000 | First Division | 37 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 2000–01 | Second Division | 45 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 56 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | Second Division | 41 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 2002–03 | Second Division | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 40 | 1 | |
| Total | 194 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 220 | 2 | ||
| Macclesfield Town | 2003–04 | Third Division | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | League Two | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 57 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 362 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 422 | 5 | ||
Wigan Athletic
Port Vale