Matthew Liam Doughty (born 2 November 1981) is an English former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and manager. He started his professional career at Chester City, but whilst at the club he was sent to prison for four months following an incident outside a nightclub in

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

, this meant he missed Chester City's last game in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

before they were relegated. In 2001, he joined

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

where he spent three seasons before moving on to play for Halifax Town and

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...

respectively. In 2010, he moved to Witton Albion before joining Hyde in March 2011. He later returned to Altrincham, before playing for Warrington Town and

Trafford Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of in . It covers and includes the area of Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Urmston, Partington and Sa ...

. Following his retirement from football, he had a brief spell as manager of Altrincham. In July 2023, Doughty appeared as one of the contestants on Gordon Ramsay's Hells Kitchen.

Career

Chester City

Born in

, Doughty signed professional terms with Chester City at the age of 16. He played regularly in 1999–2000 and 2000–01. This period saw him and the club relegated from the

, with Doughty missing the decisive final game of the 1999–2000 season after being sent to prison for four months the day before, following an incident outside a nightclub in his home town of

. After his release from prison, he regained his place in the Chester side throughout the 2000–01 season.

Rochdale

Doughty attracted the interest of many

clubs but he joined

in July 2001. Doughty established himself as the club's first choice

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. He was offered a trial with

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, but a broken leg prevented the move going through. Doughty's first game for Rochdale in August 2001 saw him score in a 2–1 win at

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...

, the first

goal to be scored at the

Kassam Stadium The Kassam Stadium (also known as Grenoble Road) is the home of Oxford United F.C., and is named after the ground's owner and former chairman of the football club, Firoz Kassam. The Kassam Stadium was built whilst Oxford United played in Di ...

. Doughty was not offered a contract renewal from Rochdale in the summer of 2004 and was left without a club.

Return to non-league

Despite interest from clubs, most notably Bristol Rovers, Doughty said he did not want to "up sticks" and move his young family a long way from home. During the off-season,

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...

offered Doughty a contract and announced in the press that Doughty had signed, which he had not. Two days after the false announcement he had signed for Accrington, Doughty agreed terms with Halifax Town. In 2008, after the relegation of Halifax Town, he joined

Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...

side

. In 2010, he left Altrincham to join Witton Albion, after sustaining a major injury in a match against Salisbury City.

Hyde

On 25 March 2011, Doughty left Witton Albion to join Hyde, making his debut the day after in a 0–0 draw against

Alfreton Town Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street. History The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alf ...

Retirement and return to Altrincham

Still struggling with injury problems, Doughty fell out of football after his release from Hyde. After a year, he returned to former club Altrincham on trial. He eventually signed up for the season, and made his return to action as a substitute in a 4–1 defeat against Brackley Town. He later played for Warrington Town and

. He returned to Altrincham again when appointed Assistant Manager in 2016. After manager

Jim Harvey James Harvey (born 2 May 1958) is a Northern Irish football manager and former player. Playing career As a player, Harvey began his career at Glenavon in his hometown of Lurgan, before joining Arsenal in 1977. He made only three Football Leag ...

was sacked in December 2016 he was appointed interim manager. In April 2017 the club announced he was to be replaced by Phil Parkinson.Robins unveil new manager and say he's the "right man to turn things around"
Altrincham Today, 28 April 2017

Honours

Chester City *

Conference League Cup The National League Cup is an annual association football competition in England. The National League Cup is open to clubs playing in the National League and, since its revival in 2024, professional under-21 teams playing in the Premier League 2. ...

: 2000–01 Halifax Town *

play-off finalists: 2005–06

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doughty, Matt 1981 births Living people Footballers from Warrington Men's association football fullbacks English men's footballers Chester City F.C. players Rochdale A.F.C. players Accrington Stanley F.C. players Halifax Town A.F.C. players Altrincham F.C. players Witton Albion F.C. players Hyde United F.C. players Warrington Town F.C. players Trafford F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players English criminals English football managers Altrincham F.C. managers British sportspeople convicted of crimes 21st-century English sportsmen