Matthew Etherington

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Matthew Etherington : biography

14 August 1981 –
A.  The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Football League play-offs and the Football League Trophy.

Club career

Peterborough United

Born in Truro, Cornwall, Etherington came through the youth ranks at Peterborough United after being spotted by Barry Fry playing for Falmouth Town under 14s. He made his debut in the Football League aged 15 years 262 days, in a 2–1 win at Brentford on 3 May 1997. He made a further two appearances in the following season but made his breakthrough into the first team in 1998–99 when he made 33 appearances in all competitions scoring three goals. He went on trial at Manchester United in July 1999, but at the end of December 1999, he joined Tottenham Hotspur in a deal that valued him at £500,000. He made a total of 58 appearances for Peterborough in all competitions, scoring six goals.

Tottenham Hotspur

Etherington joined Tottenham Hotspur from Peterborough in a move that saw Simon Davies join the North London club as part of the same deal. He struggled to establish himself during his three-year stint at Spurs and, in 2001, spent two months on loan to Bradford City,, BBC Sport, 23 October 2001. Retrieved 27 June 2007. where he made 13 appearances and scored one goal against Watford. Having only started five Premiership games since arriving from Peterborough in 1999, he handed in a transfer request in June 2002 saying that he had decided that his career would be best served away from Spurs., BBC Sport, 28 June 2002. Retrieved 2007. However, no transfer was forthcoming but he broke into the first team during the 2002–03 season, when he made 25 appearances despite a lay-off with an ankle injury., BBC Sport, 3 March 2003. Retrieved 27 June 2007. He scored his first Premier League goal in a 2–2 draw with Everton on 17 August 2002.

In August 2003, he joined West Ham in an exchange deal plus cash for Fredi Kanouté amid a formal complaint made to the FA by Peterborough at the valuation placed on Etherington, who would have benefited from a sell-off clause had it been greater than £500,000, the price at which Peterborough sold Etherington to Tottenham in 1999., BBC Sport, 7 August 2003. Retrieved 27 June 2007. Etherington made 51 appearances for Tottenham, 28 of these as a substitute, scoring two goals against Bolton in the FA Cup and Everton in the league.

West Ham United

Etherington joined West Ham at the beginning of their two-year spell in the second-tier of English football, playing the final season of the First Division and the first of the Championship. Etherington was a big hit at Upton Park, scoring several goals including a hat-trick in a 5–0 win over Wimbledon. He won the "Hammer of the Year" award in his first season at the club and played a huge part in helping the club get to the 2004 Championship play-off final by scoring in the 2–0 win over Ipswich Town in the play-off semi final second leg. Etherington played in the final as West Ham lost 1–0 to Crystal Palace. The following year, West Ham reached the play-off final again, with Etherington setting up the goal in the final against Preston North End with a perfectly timed cross which was scored by Bobby Zamora, which sent West Ham back into the Premier League.

He was a regular member of the team for seasons 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06, his appearances being more sporadic in the following three seasons. Etherington eventually lost his place in the starting eleven due to Gianfranco Zola’s preference to play younger players. He completed 195 games for West Ham, in all competitions, scoring 18 goals, before being sold to Stoke City on 8 January 2009.

Stoke City

On 8 January 2009, Etherington completed a transfer, thought to be for £2million, from West Ham United to Stoke City, signing a three and a half-year contract. He made his debut for Stoke City two days after his transfer, against Liverpool in the Premier League, in a game which finished goalless. He was sent off in his fifth game with Stoke for kicking out at Danny Collins as his side lost 2–0 to Sunderland. He scored his first goal for Stoke in a 4–3 League Cup win over Blackpool on 22 September 2009. Etherington scored his first League goal for Stoke in a 2–2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Etherington went on to have a successful season for Stoke which led him to win the player of the year award. Etherington signed a new four-year contract with Stoke on 11 July 2010.