Jay Matete (born 11 February 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL League One club Bolton Wanderers, on loan from EFL Championship club Sunderland.

Jay Matete
Matete warming up for Sunderland in 2022
Personal information
Full name Jay Matete[1]
Date of birth (2001-02-11) 11 February 2001 (age 23)[2]
Place of birth Lambeth, London, England
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Bolton Wanderers
(on loan from Sunderland)
Number 28
Youth career
0000–2018 Reading
2018–2019 Fleetwood Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Fleetwood Town 27 (1)
2021Grimsby Town (loan) 20 (3)
2022– Sunderland 22 (0)
2023Plymouth Argyle (loan) 19 (1)
2024Oxford United (loan) 6 (0)
2024–Bolton Wanderers (loan) 9 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:25, 16 October 2024 (UTC)

He was part of the youth academy at Reading before joining Fleetwood Town in 2018 and signing professional terms with them a year later. He went on to have a loan spell with Grimsby Town before joining Sunderland in 2022. He was part of the Plymouth Argyle side that won EFL League One title in 2023 following a successful loan spell.

Career

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Fleetwood Town

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In May 2018, Matete signed for Fleetwood Town's academy, following a spell at Reading.[3] During the 2019–20 EFL Trophy, he made two appearances for Fleetwood Town, once against Liverpool U21 and once against Oldham Athletic.[4]

Grimsby Town (loan)

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On 21 January 2021, Matete signed for Grimsby Town on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season.[5] During his loan spell, Matete made 20 appearances for The Mariners, scoring his first goal for the club just 32 seconds into a EFL League Two match against Bolton Wanderers which Grimsby Town won 2-1.[6][7]

He scored the winner in a 2–1 win at Oldham Athletic, with a brilliant solo strike having run from the halfway line before hitting a shot into the top corner.[8] A few days later, he scored again away at Exeter City to give The Mariners a 2–1 lead, but was later sent off as Grimsby eventually lost 3–2 confirming relegation from the Football League.[9][10] The club appealed his red card but this was turned down effectively ending his season.[11]

Sunderland

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On 31 January 2022, Matete signed for fellow EFL League One side Sunderland on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[citation needed]

On 6 January 2023, Matete signed for Plymouth Argyle on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season.[12][13]

On 8 August 2024, Matete signed for Bolton Wanderers on loan until the end of the 2024-25 season.[14]

Career statistics

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As of match played 5 October 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fleetwood Town 2019–20[15] League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 3[a] 0 3 0
2020–21[16] League One 7 0 0 0 2 0 4[a] 0 13 0
2021–22[17] League One 20 1 1 0 1 0 3[a] 1 25 2
Total 27 1 1 0 3 0 10 1 41 2
Grimsby Town (loan) 2020–21[16] League Two 20 3 20 3
Sunderland 2021–22[17] League One 14 0 2[b] 0 16 0
2022–23[18] Championship 8 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 9 0
Total 22 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 25 0
Plymouth Argyle (loan) 2022–23[18] League One 19 1 0 0 0 0 3[a] 0 22 1
Oxford United (loan) 2023–24[19] League One 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Bolton Wanderers (loan) 2024–25[20] League One 9 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 14 0
Career total 103 5 1 0 7 0 17 1 128 6
  1. ^ a b c d Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. ^ Appearances in EFL League One play-offs

Honours

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Sunderland

Plymouth Argyle

References

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  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Fleetwood Town" (PDF). English Football League. p. 27. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  2. ^ Jay Matete at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  3. ^ "11 youngsters awarded scholarships within club's academy". Fleetwood Town F.C. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  4. ^ Jay Matete at Soccerway
  5. ^ "Matete Arrives at Blundell Park On Loan". Grimsby Town F.C. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Grimsby Town 2-1 Bolton Wanderers". BBC Sport.
  7. ^ "Report: Grimsby Town 2-1 Bolton Wanderers".
  8. ^ "Oldham 1-2 Grimsby: Mariners boost survival hopes through Jay Matete winner". Sky Sports.
  9. ^ "Grimsby relegated to National League". BBC Sport.
  10. ^ "Exeter 3-2 Grimsby: Paul Hurst's Mariners relegated from Sky Bet League Two".
  11. ^ "Jay Matete's Grimsby Town loan comes to an end after unsuccessful appeal". Grimsbylive. 30 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Sunderland unveil Jay Matete on long term deal in early hours of Tuesday". February 2022.
  13. ^ "Sunderland confirm late deadline day signing of Jay Matete from Fleetwood Town". February 2022.
  14. ^ "Wanderers Seal Matete Loan Deal". 8 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Games played by Jay Matete in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Games played by Jay Matete in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  17. ^ a b "Games played by Jay Matete in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  18. ^ a b "Games played by Jay Matete in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  19. ^ "Games played by Jay Matete in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  20. ^ "Games played by Jay Matete in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  21. ^ Paddy, Chris (21 May 2022). "Sunderland 2–0 Wycombe". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  22. ^ "Plymouth beat Port Vale to win League One title". BBC Sport. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  23. ^ Pilnick, Brent (2 April 2023). "Bolton crush Plymouth to win Papa Johns Trophy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 August 2023.