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Matthew William Jay (born 27 February 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for EFL League Two club Colchester United.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew William Jay[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 27 February 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Torbay, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Colchester United | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2013 | Exeter City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2023 | Exeter City | 163 | (41) |
| 2014–2015 | → Weston-super-Mare (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2015 | → Hayes & Yeading United (loan) | 6 | (2) |
| 2016 | → Truro City (loan) | 20 | (6) |
| 2023– | Colchester United | 35 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:42, 18 September 2024 (UTC) | |||
Jay was born in Torbay in Devon and he attended South Dartmoor Community College together with Ollie Watkins and Jamie Reid.[3][4]
Exeter City
Jay made his professional debut for Exeter in a 2–0 loss to Wycombe Wanderers in the Football League Trophy at St James Park on 3 September 2013.[5]
On 22 November 2015, Jay joined National League South side Hayes & Yeading United on a one-month loan.[6]
He scored his first goal for Exeter in an EFL Trophy tie against Oxford United on 30 August 2016.[7] Jay finally scored his first league goal on the 8th of April, in the 2017–18 campaign, away to Cambridge United in a game where Exeter came twice from behind to win 3–2. This came to the delight of many players and fans alike following a run of impressive games starting and from the bench.[8][9]
In 2021, Jay scored his first career hat trick in a 4–0 victory against Leyton Orient.[10] After a month in which he scored five goals and got one assist, Jay received the League Two Player of the Month award for March 2021.[11] At the end of the 2020–21 season, he was named as the Devon side's Player of the Season,[12] and on 29 April 2021 was named in the 2020–21 EFL League Two Team of the Season at the league's annual awards ceremony.[13]
Jay was awarded the Exeter captaincy following the departure of Jake Taylor in the summer of 2021 and was given the number 7 shirt. He continued his goalscoring form into the 2021–22 season, netting 16 times in all competitions. The most significant of these came in a 2–1 home win over Barrow, where he scored a late winner, chesting the ball down from a Josh Key cross and slamming home through the legs of Paul Farman on the volley to secure his boyhood club's return to League One after a decade in League Two.[14]
Colchester United
On 9 January 2023, Jay signed for Colchester United for an undisclosed fee.[15]
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- As of match played on 17 September 2024
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Exeter City | 2013–14[16] | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014–15[17] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015–16[18] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[19] | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2017–18[20] | League Two | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 23 | 1 | |
| 2018–19[21] | League Two | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 24 | 4 | |
| 2019–20[22] | League Two | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[d] | 4 | 23 | 8 | |
| 2020–21[23] | League Two | 44 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 1 | 48 | 20 | |
| 2021–22[24] | League Two | 45 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 2 | 51 | 16 | |
| 2022–23[25] | League One | 18 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3[b] | 2 | 25 | 4 | |
| Total | 163 | 41 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 25 | 10 | 206 | 54 | ||
| Weston-super-Mare (loan) | 2014–15[26] | Conference South | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
| Hayes & Yeading United (loan) | 2015–16[26][27] | National League South | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
| Truro City (loan) | 2015–16[26] | National League South | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[f] | 0 | 22 | 6 | |
| Total | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 9 | ||
| Colchester United | 2022–23[25] | League Two | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24[28] | League Two | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| 2024–25[29] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 229 | 51 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 34 | 10 | 281 | 64 | ||
- Appearance in Football League Trophy
- Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
- Three appearances in EFL Trophy, one appearance in League Two play-offs
- Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
- Appearances in the National League South play-offs
Exeter City
- EFL League Two runner-up: 2021–22[30]
Individual
- PFA Team of the Year: 2020–21 League Two,[31] 2021–22 League Two[32]
- EFL League Two Team of the Season: 2020–21[13]
- Exeter City Player of the Season: 2020–21[12]
- EFL League Two Player of the Month: March 2021[11]
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