| Lee Matthews | |
| Nationality: | 
|
| Rovers apps (gls)1: | 9 (0) |
| Date of birth: | 16 January 1979 |
| Place of birth: | Middlesbrough |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in |
| Position: | Forward |
| Date joined: | January 2004 |
| Joined from: | Bristol City |
| Date left: | March 2004 |
| 1 League appearances and goals only. | |
Lee Matthews is a striker who Rovers took on loan from local rivals Bristol City in January 2004. He was brought to the club by manager Ray Graydon just four days before he was sacked, and spent two months playing for the club. He made nine starts and no substitute appearances without scoring, all in Division Three, before returning to his parent club.
Career[]
Lee's first senior club was Leeds United, where he was a trainee. He broke through into their first team squad in 1997, before making his senior debut in January 1998. In four years with Leeds he made just three substitute appearances in the Premier League and one in the League Cup, and he was sent out on loan three times; to Notts County, Gillingham and Bristol City. After less than a week on loan at Ashton Gate, City paid £100,000 to keep him permanently. He stayed with the Robins for three years, but made just fourteen league starts in that time, plus 28 appearances from the bench, scoring nine times. He was loaned out three times during this spell, to Darlington, Bristol Rovers and Yeovil Town, before leaving on a free transfer to join Port Vale in the summer of 2004.
After two years with Port Vale, Matthews joined Crewe Alexandra in 2006, where he stayed for a year. He did not make any league starts in this time, and came off the bench ten times without scoring. He joined Livingston in 2007, and after being released he retired from playing and became a players' agent.
Career stats[]
| Season | Club | League | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | ||
| 1997-98 | Leeds United | 3 | 0 |
| 1998-99 | Leeds United | 0 | 0 |
| 1998-99 | →Notts County (loan) | 5 | 0 |
| 1999-00 | Leeds United | 0 | 0 |
| 1999-00 | →Gillingham (loan) | 5 | 0 |
| 2000-01 | Leeds United | 0 | 0 |
| 2000-01 | →Bristol City (loan) | 1 | 1 |
| 2000-01 | Bristol City | 5 | 2 |
| 2001-02 | Bristol City | 22 | 3 |
| 2002-03 | Bristol City | 7 | 1 |
| 2003-04 | Bristol City | 8 | 2 |
| 2003-04 | →Darlington (loan) | 6 | 1 |
| 2003-04 | →Bristol Rovers (loan) | 9 | 0 |
| 2003-04 | →Yeovil Town (loan) | 4 | 0 |
| 2004-05 | Port Vale | 31 | 10 |
| 2005-06 | Port Vale | 3 | 0 |
| 2006-07 | Crewe Alexandra | 10 | 0 |
| 2007-08 | Livingston | 5 | 0 |
Record against Rovers[]
Lee has played against Rovers twice in his career, both times for local rivals Bristol City. In his second game, a 3–0 win to the Robins, he scored twice against his future club.
| Date | Club | Venue | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 April 2001 | Bristol City | Memorial Stadium | 1–1 | Rovers goalkeeper Steve Phillips also played for City in this game |
| 9 January 2002 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate | 3–0 to City | Football League Trophy Southern Section semi-final Rovers players Steve Phillips and Danny Coles also played for City in this game |