_(cropped).jpg) Briggs withGuyana at the2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Anthony Briggs[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1991-03-06)6 March 1991 (age 34)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Wandsworth, London, England | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2007 | Fulham | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2014 | Fulham | 13 | (0) |
| 2010 | →Leyton Orient (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2012 | →Peterborough United (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2012 | →Bristol City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2013 | →Watford (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Millwall | 8 | (0) |
| 2015 | →Colchester United (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Colchester United | 41 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Chesterfield | 11 | (0) |
| 2018 | Barnet | 1 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Maldon & Tiptree | 34 | (5) |
| 2019 | Coggeshall Town | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | HB Køge | 14 | (0) |
| 2020 | Dartford | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Vejle | 3 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Gosport Borough | 59 | (2) |
| 2023 | Horsham | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 220 | (8) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006 | England U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | England U17 | 13 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | England U19 | 12 | (1) |
| 2009 | England U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2011 | England U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2015–2022 | Guyana | 17 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Matthew Anthony Briggs (born 6 March 1991) is a former professionalfootballer who played as aleft-back. Born in England, he represented theGuyana national football team.
Briggs began his career withFulham, where he progressed through the club's academy from the age of ten. He made his first-team debut in May 2007, becoming the youngest player to play in thePremier League, aged 16 years and 68 days.[3] He made 13 league appearances over eight years with the club, and 30 in all competitions. He had loan spells with a number ofFootball League clubs, includingLeyton Orient,Peterborough United,Bristol City andWatford. He was released by Fulham in 2014, and he joinedChampionship sideMillwall. He found opportunities limited at Millwall, and he was loaned out toLeague One clubColchester United during the latter half of the2014–15 season. He was released by Millwall at the end of that season, joining Colchester United on a permanent basis where he remained until May 2017, playing 47 games. He joined Chesterfield in August 2017.
Eligible to represent bothEngland andGuyana, Briggs has represented England atunder-16,under-17,under-19,under-20 andunder-21 levels, and has represented Guyana at full international level.
Born inWandsworth, London, Briggs was spotted byFulham scouts at the age of ten.[4] Able to play atleft-back or the left ofmidfield, Briggs became a regular in the under-18 side despite still being registered with the under-16s, having put in some impressive performances in his age group. He featured at reserve level before being called up toLawrie Sanchez's first-team for a trip toMiddlesbrough in May 2007.[5] He made his debut in the 3–1 defeat at theRiverside Stadium on 13 May, replacingMoritz Volz after 77 minutes to become thePremier League's youngest ever player at the age of 16 years and 65 days old.[6] Briggs held the record for 12 years, untilHarvey Elliott made an appearance, also for Fulham.[7]
After the match, the club's Head of Youth Development, John Murtough, said of Briggs:
Matthew's a good lad and a good athlete. He's come in and hasn't been fazed by anything we've asked of him. It's still early days but he's shown promise in the Reserves – Lawrie Sanchez saw him and rewarded him with an opportunity to travel with the first team.[5]
Briggs later said of the experience:
Lawrie Sanchez said he wanted me to travel with the squad and there was a chance I'd get on. I was buzzing. Going back to school the day after, everyone was like 'oh my God' you've played in the Premier League.[4]
Briggs returned to school the next day to take his GCSE exams.[7]
On 16 January 2010, Briggs signed forLeague One clubLeyton Orient in a one-month loan deal that would run until 13 February.[8] He made his first professional appearance in two and a half years on 19 January when he played the full 90 minutes in Orient's 2–0 home win overYeovil Town.[9] This was to be his only appearance of the season.[10]
On his return to Fulham, Briggs was handed his full debut by managerMark Hughes in Fulham's 6–0 win againstPort Vale in theLeague Cup atCraven Cottage on 25 August 2010. He played for 58 minutes before being replaced byStephen Kelly.[11] In the same season, he made his first start in the Premier League during a 1–0 defeat toChelsea atStamford Bridge on 10 November.[12] He played in Fulham's 2–1 defeat toArsenal on 4 December, but was replaced byChris Baird after just 28 minutes[13] through injury, after which he had an operation on his calf muscles which Mark Hughes hoped Briggs would have fully recovered from in early 2011.[14]
A troublesome ankle injury kept Briggs out of action for longer than expected, but in March 2011, he signed a contract extension to keep him with the club until the summer of 2014.[15]
Under new managerMartin Jol, Briggs believed that the2011–12 season would be the year that he became a regular starter for the Fulham first-team. With Jol placing an emphasis on a youthful side and Fulham competing in theUEFA Europa League through theFair Play ranking,[16] Briggs started in the 3–0 Europa League first qualifying round win over Faroese clubNSÍ Runavík on 30 June 2011.[17] He scored his first goal on 14 July with the opening goal in Fulham's 3–1 win overCrusaders atSeaview inBelfast.[18]
After Martin Jol had made Briggs available for loan in late January 2012,[19] he joinedChampionship sidePeterborough United on a month's loan on 7 February 2012.[20] Immediately after making the switch, Briggs admitted that he hoped he would be able to remain with Peterborough until the end of the2011–12 season.[21] He made his debut on 14 February in Peterborough's 3–1 defeat away toCardiff City.[22] He played five games during his one-month spell atLondon Road.[23]
On his return to Fulham, Briggs was told by Jol that he would have to wait his chance in the first-team owing to the form of regular left-backJohn Arne Riise.[24] Both Peterborough andWatford enquired about Briggs' availability for loan,[25] but Briggs ruled out an exit, saying that he wanted "to fight for the shirt".[26] He started in Fulham's 3–2 defeat toManchester United in the Premier League on 25 August,[27] before he was loaned toBristol City for one month on 26 October 2012.[28] He made his debut the next day in a 2–1 home defeat toHull City.[29] After making four starts for the Championship club, Fulham were prepared to extend Briggs' loan provided the club didn't suffer a further injury crisis, but he instead returned to his parent club after his loan expired.[30]
Watford signed Briggs on loan until the end of the season on 1 March 2013.[31] He made his debut on 9 March in Watford's 2–1 home defeat byBlackpool.[32] He scored his first professional league goal while with Watford, scoring the final goal in their 4–0 win overBlackburn Rovers on 20 April atVicarage Road.[33]
Briggs helped Watford reach theplay-offs, where he played in both legs of the 3–2 aggregate win overLeicester City, taking the club toWembley for thefinal.[34][35] However, Briggs was an unused substitute as Watford were beaten 1–0 byCrystal Palace, denying them promotion to the Premier League.[36] He made nine appearances for Watford during his loan stay.[37]
After his Watford loan came to an end, Martin Jol planned to loan out Briggs across the course of the2013–14 season.[38] He made what was to be his last appearance for Fulham on 31 August when he came on as a second-half substitute forSascha Riether atSt James' Park.[39] In a season which Briggs described as "massive for me",[40] he suffered an injury setback, requiring a hernia operation in September 2013.[41]
At the end of the 2013–14 season when Fulham were relegated to the Championship, Briggs was released from the club alongside eight other players.[42] He had spent 13 years at Fulham.[7]
Briggs joinedChampionship clubMillwall on trial in July 2014. He featured in a friendly againstDartford as managerIan Holloway decided whether to make a move for the player.[43] He also played in a 2–2 friendly draw withStevenage, while Holloway said that "Briggs is growing on me".[44] Briggs initially rejected the contract offered by Millwall, instead holding talks with Blackpool over a move. He decided against joining Blackpool, and instead signed a one-year deal with Millwall on 1 August 2014.[45] Briggs revealed that his agent had also spoken toBlackburn Rovers and also received a contract offer fromHuddersfield Town after spending a few days with the club. He added that his decision was swayed because he "wanted to stay in London as my friends and family are here".[46]
Briggs made his debut on 12 August 2014 atThe Den in aLeague Cup match againstWycombe Wanderers. It was a mixed game for Briggs, scoring on his debut to hand Millwall a 1–0 win, but he wassent off for a second bookable offence after 59 minutes.[47] However, after making his debut, his opportunities in the first-team became limited, with Holloway making changes to his starting line-up,[48] making just 12 appearances from his debut to the middle of January 2015.[49]
On 22 January 2015, Briggs joinedLeague One clubColchester United on loan until the end of the season.[50] He went straight into Colchester's starting line-up in their 2–0 win againstLeyton Orient at theColchester Community Stadium on 24 January.[51] While playing for Colchester, Briggs received a call-up to theGuyana squad to faceGrenada in a friendly.[52] Before making his international debut, Briggs was sent-off for the second time in the2014–15 season when he received a second yellow card during Colchester's 2–2 away draw withGillingham on 21 March.[53] He made 18 appearances for the U's in the closing stages of the season[49] as he helped the club remain in League One for another season, fending off relegation with a final day victory over promotion hopefulsPreston North End.[54]
Following the expiry of his contract with Millwall, Briggs was released at the end of the 2014–15 season.[55]
Colchester United signed Briggs on a permanent basis on 22 June 2015. He signed a two-year contract with the club following his loan spell at the end of the2014–15 season.[56]
He made his second debut for the club in their 2–2 opening day draw with Blackpool on 8 August, playing 79 minutes before being replaced byKane Vincent-Young.[57] He finished his first full season with the club with 32 first-team appearances to his name.[58]
A hip injury ahead of the2016–17 season forced Briggs to undergo surgery which would leave him out of action for several months.[59] He made a return to competitive action on 4 February 2017 in Colchester's 1–1 draw at Blackpool.[60] Despite his injury, Briggs finished the campaign with 15 League Two appearances to his name.[61]
On the expiry of his contract, he was not offered a new deal by Colchester and released on 10 May 2017.[62]
In July 2017, Briggs joinedLincoln City on trial.[63]
Briggs joinedEFL League Two sideChesterfield in August 2017 on a short-term contract. He commuted between Colchester and Chesterfield every day, a 10-hour round trip, while he was caring for his ill partner.[7]
After 11 appearances, managerJack Lester stated in January 2018 that Briggs was out of contract.[64]
Briggs joinedBarnet on 10 March 2018 on a non-contract basis.[65] He made one appearance, at home toPort Vale, but following the departure ofGraham Westley new managerMartin Allen announced that Briggs had departed the club as there was not enough room for him due to the size of the squad.[66]
After working on a construction site,[7] Briggs joinedMaldon & Tiptree for the 2018–19 season.[67] He won the Player of the Year award in his first season.[7]
In August 2019 Briggs joinedDanish 1st Division sideHB Køge, following a brief spell atCoggeshall Town.[68][69] Briggs was one of the profiles for the club in the first half season. However, Briggs never returned from his winter vacation. In the beginning, it was reported that he would like to have more days off with the family but the club didn't allow this. Afterwards, it was reported that he was on sick leave. However, the club announced on 2 March 2020, that they had terminated his contract by mutual consent.[70]
Briggs joinedDartford on 14 March 2020 for the rest of the 2019–20 season.[71]
On 10 September 2020, Briggs returned to Denmark and signed with newly promotedDanish Superliga clubVejle Boldklub after a trial, on a deal until the summer 2022.[72] He made his debut for the side on 30 October 2020 in their 3–0 win againstRanders, replacingWahid Faghir.
After five appearances for the club, Vejle confirmed on 13 July 2021, that Briggs contract had been terminated by mutual consent.[73]
On 23 July 2021, Briggs returned to England to joinSouthern League Premier Division South sideGosport Borough.[74]
In July 2023, Briggs signed forIsthmian League Premier Division sideHorsham.[75] However, he retired from football just one month later.[76]
Briggs is eligible to play for bothEngland andGuyana. He qualifies to play for Guyana through his grandmother.[52][7]
Briggs was first called up to theEngland under-16 squad on 9 November 2006, where he played in England's 3–0 win overNorthern Ireland in theVictory Shield. This was his only game for the under-16 side.[77][78]
Briggs played the first of 13 appearances for theEngland under-17s on 8 April 2007[77] during a 4–1 away win over theirNorwegian counterparts.[79] In his 13 games for the under-17s, he featured in sides that won seven, drew five and lost only once, with his final appearance in the age group againstIsrael on 30 March 2008,[77] a game which ended 2–2.[79]
Briggs made his debut for theunder-19s on 13 October 2008[77] in a 4–1European Under-19 Championshipqualification defeat bySerbia atThe Showgrounds inNewry, Northern Ireland.[80] Briggs was a key member of England's squad that reached the tournament final inDonetsk, Ukraine in 2009. He was a late addition to the squad, having to fly back fromFulham's pre-season tour of Australia to link up with his teammates in Ukraine.[77]
Ahead of the tournament, Briggs had made a substitute appearance in England's 2–1elite qualification win overScotland on 1 June 2009 atBramall Lane,Sheffield. He started in all of England's game en route to the final, including England's 1–1 Group A draw withSwitzerland on 21 July, the 2–2 draw withUkraine on 24 July, and he scored in their 7–1 thrashing ofSlovenia on 27 July to secure their place in the semi-final withFrance. He played in the 3–1 victory on 30 July which put England in the final, which saw a rematch with Ukraine. England finished as runners-up to Ukraine after they were beaten 2–0 in Donetsk.
Briggs made further appearances for the under-19s in the2010 elite qualifying round in the 1–0 win overRepublic of Ireland inKyiv on 26 May 2010, and the 1–1 draw with Ukraine inBorodyanka on 31 May 2010. Briggs played only once in thefinals held in France, starting in England's 3–2 win againstAustria on 18 July inFlers, Orne.[81] This was to be his final appearance for the under-19s.[77]
In September 2009, Briggs travelled with theunder-20 team for theFIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. He made his debut in the starting line-up of England's 1–0 defeat toUruguay on 26 September inIsmaïlia. He made his second and final appearance on 2 October in the 1–1 draw withUzbekistan inSuez.[77][82]
Briggs played in two2013 European Under-21 Championship Group 8 qualifiers in 2011, the first of which was a 6–0 win atVicarage Road overAzerbaijan on 1 September, and his second and lastEngland under-21 appearance came atLaugardalsvöllur inReykjavík as England beat Iceland 3–0.[77][83]
Briggs was called up by theGuyana national team in March 2015 ahead of their friendlies againstSaint Lucia andGrenada.[84][85] He made his full international debut 29 March 2015 as the Golden Jaguars beat Grenada 2–0.[86] After four years away from the national set-up he returned to the Guyana squad for the2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[7] On the 15th of November 2019, Briggs scored his first international goal, tapping in from six yards from anindirect free kick byKadell Daniel during aCONCACAF Nations League Match.
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fulham | 2006–07[87] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08[88] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09[89] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10[10] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11[90] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12[23][a] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12[b] | 1 | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13[37] | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14[92] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 1 | — | 30 | 1 | |||
| Leyton Orient (loan) | 2009–10[10] | League One | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Peterborough United (loan) | 2011–12[23] | Championship | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Bristol City (loan) | 2012–13[37] | Championship | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Watford (loan) | 2012–13[37] | Championship | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 9 | 1 | |||
| Millwall | 2014–15[49] | Championship | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| Colchester United (loan) | 2014–15[49] | League One | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||||
| Colchester United | 2015–16[58] | League One | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[61] | League Two | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| Total | 59 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 65 | 0 | |||
| Chesterfield | 2017–18[93] | League Two | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1[d] | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Barnet | 2017–18[93] | League Two | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Maldon & Tiptree | 2018–19[94] | Isthmian League Division One North | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4[e] | 2 | 39 | 7 | ||
| HB Køge | 2019–20[95] | Danish 1st Division | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Dartford | 2019–20[95] | National League South | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1[f] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Vejle BK | 2020–21[95] | Danish Superliga | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Gosport Borough | 2021–22[96] | Southern League Premier Division South | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4[g] | 0 | 42 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23[96] | Southern League Premier Division South | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1[h] | 0 | 24 | 0 | |||
| Total | 59 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | 66 | 2 | ||||
| Horsham | 2023–24 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 220 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 265 | 12 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guyana | 2015 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 17 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 November 2019 | Synthetic Track and Field Facility,Leonora, Guyana |  Aruba | 1–1 | 4–2 | 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League B |
England U19
