 Derbyshire playing forOlympiacos in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Anthony Derbyshire[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1986-04-14)14 April 1986 (age 39) | ||
| Place of birth | Blackburn, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Matlock Town | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2002 | Darwen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2003 | Great Harwood Town | 31 | (21) |
| 2003–2009 | Blackburn Rovers | 63 | (10) |
| 2004–2005 | →Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | →Wrexham (loan) | 16 | (10) |
| 2009 | →Olympiacos (loan) | 7 | (5) |
| 2009–2011 | Olympiacos | 14 | (6) |
| 2010–2011 | →Birmingham City (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2011–2014 | Nottingham Forest | 44 | (8) |
| 2012 | →Oldham Athletic (loan) | 18 | (4) |
| 2013 | →Blackpool (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Rotherham United | 69 | (17) |
| 2016–2020 | Omonia | 113 | (62) |
| 2020–2021 | Macarthur FC | 25 | (14) |
| 2021–2022 | AEK Larnaca | 21 | (5) |
| 2022–2023 | NorthEast United | 8 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | Bradford City | 20 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | Matlock Town | 4 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2007–2009 | England U21 | 14 | (4) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12:36, 21 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Matthew Anthony Derbyshire (born 14 April 1986) is an Englishfootballer who last played as astriker forNorthern Premier League Premier Division clubMatlock Town.
He began his career with non-League sideGreat Harwood Town before earning himself a move to localPremier League teamBlackburn Rovers in 2003. He played for Blackburn for five years, and had loan spells withPlymouth Argyle,Wrexham andOlympiacos, before joining the latter club on a permanent basis in 2009. Whilst at Olympiacos, Derbyshire won theSuper League Greece andGreek Cup. He returned to England in 2010 withBirmingham City, and continued with spells atNottingham Forest,Oldham Athletic,Blackpool andRotherham United. He spent four seasons in Cyprus withOmonia followed by one season withA-League clubMacarthur FC before returning to Cyprus withAEK Larnaca. He joinedNorthEast United in 2022. He spent two seasons withBradford City before retiring from football in November 2024.
He won 14caps forEngland at under-21 level.
He currently works as a teacher at Queen Ethelburga’s independent day and boarding school in York.
Derbyshire was born inGreat Harwood,Lancashire[2] and attendedOur Lady and St John R.C. High School in Blackburn.[3] He played football as a youngster forDarwen before joiningGreat Harwood Town in 2002. He scored his first goal for the club's first team as a 16-year-old, in October 2002, attracting interest fromAccrington Stanley andRadcliffe Borough who took him on trial in pre-season 2003. By the time he left Great Harwood in November 2003, he had scored 26, of which 21 had come in theNorth West Counties League, and 18 in his last nine appearances.[3]
Derbyshire joinedBlackburn Rovers in November 2003 for a £20,000 fee, a club record for Great Harwood.[3] He had previously worked in Rovers' community department, coaching young children. He rejected a move toManchester United in favour of Blackburn, whom he had supported since he was a child.[4] He progressed through the youth and reserve teams, and his performances earned him the Supporters' Young Player of the Year award for the2004–05 season.[5] Derbyshire made his first-team debut as a latesubstitute in thePremiership defeat at home toFulham on 7 May 2005.[6]
He joinedChampionship clubPlymouth Argyle on 30 August 2005on loan for the season;[7] a few days later, managerBobby Williamson was sacked.[8] Derbyshire made his debut as a substitute in caretakerJocky Scott's first match in charge, and started the next three, after whichTony Pulis was appointed manager and Derbyshire made nine more appearances but no more starts.[9][10] The loan was ended early, and on the advice of Blackburn managerMark Hughes, he began another loan, an initial month atLeague Two clubWrexham.[11][12] He scored five goals in as many games, the loan was extended to three months, and he ended up with ten goals from 16 league matches and a new two-year contract with Blackburn.[13][14]
Derbyshire opened his senior goal account for Blackburn in a 3–0 win againstWigan Athletic on 1 January 2007 before extending his tally further with the opener away toEverton in a 4–1FA Cup third-round victory six days later. He made his first Premiership start againstArsenal on 13 January, and scored his third goal in four games againstManchester City.[15] His form continued the following week with two goals and anassist away toLuton Town in the FA Cup fourth round.[16] He also scored againstManchester United, taking advantage of a defensive error to give Blackburn Rovers a 1–0 lead, although they went on to lose the match 4–1.[17] He finished his first Premier League season with 9 goals in all competitions, from 14 starts and 16 substitute appearances.[18]
In the 2007–08 season, Derbyshire scored in the first match of the season, againstMiddlesbrough, coming on as a substitute to score the winner in a 2–1 victory.[19] On 1 March 2008, he scored a 90th-minute winner againstNewcastle United,[20] and again scored a late winner, againstFulham on 20 September, finishing off a move involvingTugay,Carlos Villanueva andRoque Santa Cruz.[21]
He found starts hard to come by under new managerPaul Ince and played little after the arrival of his successorSam Allardyce,[21][22][23] and in late January 2009, Derbyshire joinedOlympiacos on loan until the end of the2008–09 Superleague season.[24] He made his first appearance for the club as a substitute in the first leg of aGreek Cup match atPAOK'sToumba Stadium. In the return match, his home debut, Derbyshire scored a goal in extra time, securing progress to thesemi-finals.[citation needed]
He made his league debut on 14 February in a 2–1 home victory overAris as a 79th-minute substitute forDiogo.[25] On 15 March, he scored his first goal in a 5–0 win overIraklis with his first touch of the ball after coming on forLuciano Galletti in the 81st minute, adding his second goal (and Olympiacos' fifth) just five minutes later.[citation needed] The following week he started the match againstPanionios and played the whole 90 minutes, scoring in a 2–3 away win.[25]
Derbyshire played a pivotal role in theGreek Cup final against cross-city rivalsAEK Athens. With Olympiacos 2–0 down, he was brought on at half-time; three minutes later, he scored. The game then went to 2–2 before AEK Athens scored what seemed to be the winning goal in stoppage time. However, with the last touch of the game, Derbyshire headed an equaliser in the sixth minute of added time, bringing the score to 3–3, after having suffered a broken nose and suspected concussion following a clash with an opponent.[26] He stated afterwards that he realised he had scored from the cheers of fans.[22] Olympiacos went on to win the match 15–14 on penalties, and Derbyshire received theMan of the match award for his efforts.[26] He signed a four-year contract with Olympiacos on 23 June 2009 after the clubs agreed a fee reported as £3m.[27]
On 21 March 2010, Derbyshire scored the winning goal againstPanathinaikos, in a 1–0 away victory, and was instantly nicknamedThe English Killer by the Greek media.[28]
In August 2010, the team's new coach,Ernesto Valverde, told Derbyshire that he was not part of his plans for the 2010–11 season, so he should search for a new team.[29]
Derbyshire returned to England when he signed forBirmingham City on 16 August 2010 on loan for the2010–11 Premier League season, with a possibility of the deal being made permanent at the end of that time.[30] He made his debut against former club Blackburn Rovers on 21 August as a second-half substitute for fellow new signingNikola Žigić,[31] and scored his first goal for the club five days later in a 3–2 League Cup victory overRochdale.[32] After waiting until January 2011 for his first Premier League start for Birmingham, againstBlackpool, he then scored twice in the 4–1 win atMillwall in the third round of the FA Cup.[33] Derbyshire never established himself in the first team, and despite making five appearances inthat season's League Cup competition, he was omitted from Birmingham's squad forthe final, in which Birmingham achieved a shock 2–1 victory against Arsenal.[34][35] He left the club at the end of the season after their relegation from the Premier League.
Derbyshire signed a three-year contract withChampionship clubNottingham Forest on 10 August 2011. The fee was undisclosed.[36] He was issued squad number eight.[37] Upon signing, Derbyshire stated the importance to his career of getting regular first team football again. At Forest, Derbyshire renewed acquaintance with assistant managerRob Kelly, who was his coach when he was a youth player at Blackburn Rovers.[38] Derbyshire made his debut for Forest on 16 August in a 1–0 away win againstDoncaster Rovers.[39] His first and only goal in the 2011–12 season was the opener in a 3–2 away defeat toSouthampton.[40]
On 14 September 2012 Derbyshire went on loan toLeague One clubOldham Athletic in a short-term deal.[41] He scored on his debut a day later, scoring in a 2–2 draw at home toNotts County.[42] He scored again in the following game, earning a point for Oldham in a 1–1 draw againstScunthorpe United.[43] Derbyshire's third goal for Oldham came in a 2–0 away win overCrewe Alexandra.[44] He scored again in a 2–0 win at home toLeyton Orient, but the goal was controversial as Orient managerRussell Slade accused Derbyshire of a "blatant" handball offence that the referee did not see.[45] ManagerPaul Dickov then stated his desire to keep him at the club,[46] and the spell was extended until 15 December.[47]
In January 2012 Derbyshire went on loan to Championship club Blackpool[48] but failed to score for them.
Derbyshire signed for newly promoted Championship teamRotherham United on a two-year contract on 30 May 2014.[49] Before his departure in summer 2016 he scored 17 goals in 69 matches for the club.[50]
On 17 June 2016,Cypriot First Division clubOmonia Nicosia announced the signing of Derbyshire.[50] He made his debut on 30 June againstFC Banants Yerevan in the first leg of theEuropa League first qualifying round, and scored the only goal of the match.[51] In his first league appearance, in a 3–1 win againstErmis Aradippou, Derbyshire opened the scoring with a second-minute penalty.[52] On 4 January 2017 he drew attention when he scored ahat-trick againstEthnikos Achna in 4 minutes, overturning a 2–0 deficit against Omonia, that gave his side a valuable league victory.[53] He continued to score regularly, and finished the season as the league's top scorer with 24 goals, three more than his nearest rival.[54]
On 9 August 2017, Omonia announced the extension of his contract until the summer of 2021.[55]
In the first game of the2017-18 season, on 10 September 2017, he scored both goals for Omonia againstEthnikos Achna.[56] He scored 23 goals from 33 appearances over the season, which made him again the league's top scorer.[citation needed]
In the2018–19 season Derbyshire made 25 league appearances but scored only twice.[57]
On the opening day of the2019—20 season, Derbyshire opened the scoring againstDoxa Katokopias with aheader.[58]
On 4 August 2020, it was announced that Derbyshire had signed for new AustralianA-League clubMacarthur FC on a two-year contract.[59]
On 10 July 2021, Macarthur FC confirmed that they had agreed an undisclosed fee for Derbyshire's transfer to Cypriot top-flight clubAEK Larnaca.[60] The move was reported elsewhere as a free transfer.[61]
Derbyshire signed forNorthEast United of theIndian Super League on 2 September 2022.[62]
On 30 December 2022 it was announced that Derbyshire would sign forBradford City on 9 January 2023.[63] He was released by Bradford City at the end of the 2023–24 season.[64][65]
On 1 November 2024, Derbyshire announced his retirement from football.[66]
On 30 December 2024, Derbyshire came out of retirement to joinNorthern Premier League Premier Division sideMatlock Town.[67]
Derbyshire was called up to theEngland Under-21 squad by new managerStuart Pearce for a friendly againstSpain on 6 February,[68] but was forced to withdraw after he tore a thigh muscle playing for Blackburn three days before the match.[69]
However, Derbyshire was fit enough to be included in the under-21 squad to faceItaly in the opening fixture of the newWembley Stadium on 24 March; he scored England's third goal in a thrilling 3–3 draw.[70] During the group stage of the2007 European Under-21 Football Championship, he was the scorer of a controversial goal against theSerbian under-21 team. He did not kick the ball out when Serbian defenderSlobodan Rajković was down injured and went on to score England's second goal of the game;[71] in his defence, Derbyshire claimed he did not see the injured player.[72] He took part in the epic semi-final shootout against hostsNetherlands, scoring his first but having his second penalty saved as England lost 13–12.[73] On 27 March 2009, Derbyshire played the second half for England as they beat Norway 5–0, scoring two goals.[74]
Derbyshire's wife Melissa, née Norman, is from Ireland and they have three children.[75][76]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2004–05[6] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06[13] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2006–07[15] | Premier League | 22 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 30 | 9 | ||
| 2007–08[77] | Premier League | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6[b] | 2 | — | 33 | 6 | ||
| 2008–09[78] | Premier League | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 22 | 5 | |||
| Total | 63 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 2 | — | 86 | 20 | |||
| Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 2005–06[13] | Championship | 12 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Wrexham (loan) | 2005–06[13][79] | League Two | 16 | 10 | — | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 17 | 10 | |||
| Olympiacos (loan) | 2008–09[citation needed] | Super League Greece | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | 2[a] | 0 | — | 13 | 8 | ||
| Olympiacos | 2009–10[25] | Super League Greece | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 0 | 5[e] | 0 | 21 | 6 | |
| 2010–11[25] | Super League Greece | — | — | — | 2[f] | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 21 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 15 | ||
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2010–11[34] | Premier League | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 20 | 3 | ||
| Nottingham Forest | 2011–12[80] | Championship | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13[81] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14[82] | Championship | 29 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 35 | 10 | |||
| Total | 44 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 51 | 12 | ||||
| Oldham Athletic (loan) | 2012–13[81] | League One | 18 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 20 | 6 | |||
| Blackpool (loan) | 2012–13[81] | Championship | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Rotherham United | 2014–15[83] | Championship | 34 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 10 | ||
| 2015–16[84] | Championship | 35 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 8 | |||
| Total | 69 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 74 | 18 | ||||
| Omonia | 2016–17[25] | Cypriot First Division | 33 | 24 | 4 | 1 | — | 4[f] | 2 | — | 41 | 27 | ||
| 2017–18[25] | Cypriot First Division | 33 | 23 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 35 | 25 | ||||
| 2018–19[25][85] | Cypriot First Division | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 28 | 2 | ||||
| 2019–20[25] | Cypriot First Division | 22 | 13 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 23 | 15 | ||||
| Total | 113 | 62 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | 127 | 69 | |||
| Macarthur FC | 2020–21[25] | A-League | 25 | 14 | — | — | — | 2[g] | 0 | 27 | 14 | |||
| AEK Larnaca | 2021–22[25] | Cypriot First Division | 21 | 5 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | 26 | 7 | |||
| NorthEast United | 2022–23[25] | Indian Super League | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| Bradford City | 2022–23[86] | League Two | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | 2[h] | 1 | 13 | 2 | |||
| 2023–24[87] | League Two | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 23 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 455 | 143 | 36 | 18 | 21 | 10 | 18 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 540 | 177 | ||
Olympiacos
Birmingham City
Individual
