1. Overview
Matthew Pennington is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Blackpool. Born on October 6, 1994, in Warrington, England, he began his youth career at Everton and made his senior debut with the club. Throughout his career, he has had multiple loan spells at various English clubs, including Tranmere Rovers, Coventry City, Walsall, Leeds United, Ipswich Town, Hull City, and Shrewsbury Town, before making a permanent move to Shrewsbury Town and later to Blackpool. He has also represented England at the youth international level, specifically for the England U19s.
2. Early Life and Youth Career
Matthew Pennington joined the Everton youth academy at the age of 11 in 2005. He progressed through the ranks at the club and signed his first professional contract in July 2013. In July 2015, he further committed to Everton by signing a new three-year deal, which extended his stay at the club until 2018.
3. Club Career
Matthew Pennington's professional career began at Everton, but much of his early experience came through a series of loan spells designed to provide him with first-team football. After his time at Everton, he made permanent moves to Shrewsbury Town and then Blackpool.
3.1. Everton
Pennington spent a significant part of his formative and early professional years at Everton, where he developed through their youth system and made his senior debut before embarking on several loan spells to gain crucial first-team experience.
3.1.1. Youth and Senior Debut
After joining Everton's academy at the age of 11, Matthew Pennington signed his initial professional contract with the club in July 2013. He continued his progression and signed a new three-year deal in July 2015, securing his place at Everton until 2018. In July 2015, he featured in two pre-season friendlies against Dundee and Leeds United. His full senior debut for Everton came on August 26, 2015, in a League Cup match against Barnsley.
3.1.2. First Loan Spells
To aid his development and provide him with regular playing time, Matthew Pennington undertook several initial loan spells at clubs in lower English divisions.
3.1.3. First Team Involvement and Subsequent Loans
Following his initial loan spells, Matthew Pennington had periods of increased involvement with Everton's first team, including a significant return from injury and scoring his first goal for the club. These periods were interspersed with further loan moves to maintain his development and playing time.
3.1.4. Permanent Departure
Following the conclusion of his loan spell and his release from Everton, Matthew Pennington signed a permanent deal with Shrewsbury Town on May 27, 2021.
3.2. Shrewsbury Town
After a successful loan period, Matthew Pennington joined Shrewsbury Town permanently on May 27, 2021, after being released by Everton. He became an integral part of their squad. In the 2021-22 season, he made 45 League One appearances, scoring three goals, and featured in five cup matches. For the 2022-23 season, he played in 37 League One games, contributing four goals, and made five appearances in cup competitions, scoring two goals. Across his permanent tenure with Shrewsbury Town, he accumulated 82 league appearances, scoring seven goals.
3.3. Blackpool
After rejecting a new contract offer from Shrewsbury Town, Matthew Pennington agreed to join Blackpool on July 1, 2023. He currently plays as a centre back for the club, wearing squad number 5. As of February 13, 2024, he has made 21 League One appearances and scored one goal for Blackpool.
4. International Career
Matthew Pennington has represented England at the youth international level. He made his debut for the England U19s on March 21, 2013, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute in a 1-0 victory against Turkey. He made one appearance for the England U19 team.
5. Career Statistics
The following table details Matthew Pennington's professional appearances and goals by club, season, and competition, updated as of February 13, 2024.
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Everton | 2013-14 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014-15 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015-16 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2016-17 | Premier League | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2017-18 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018-19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019-20 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020-21 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | ||
| Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 2013-14 | League One | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
| Coventry City (loan) | 2014-15 | League One | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (Appearance in Football League Trophy) | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Walsall (loan) | 2015-16 | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Leeds United (loan) | 2017-18 | Championship | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 24 | 0 | |
| Ipswich Town (loan) | 2018-19 | Championship | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 31 | 1 | |
| Hull City (loan) | 2019-20 | Championship | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 16 | 0 | |
| Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 2020-21 | League One | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 2021-22 | League One | 45 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 (Appearances in EFL Trophy) | 0 | 51 | 3 |
| 2022-23 | League One | 37 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 6 | |
| Total | 101 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 113 | 11 | ||
| Blackpool | 2023-24 | League One | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (Appearances in EFL Trophy) | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| Career total | 243 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 264 | 16 | ||
6. Individual Awards
Matthew Pennington has received one notable individual award during his professional career:
- Coventry City Young Player of the Year: 2014-15