Matt Mills

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Matt Mills
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Mills playing for Leicester City in 2011
Personal information
Full name Matthew Claude Mills[1]
Date of birth (1986-07-14) 14 July 1986 (age 38)[1]
Place of birth Swindon, England
Height Script error: No such module "person height".
Position(s) Centre Back
Team information
Current team
 Nottingham Forest
Number 5
Youth career
0000–2003 Southampton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2006 Southampton 4 (0)
2004 → Coventry City (loan) 4 (0)
2005 → Bournemouth (loan) 12 (3)
2006–2008 Manchester City 2 (0)
2007 → Colchester United (loan) 9 (0)
2007 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 14 (2)
2008 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 20 (1)
2008–2009 Doncaster Rovers 41 (0)
2009–2011 Reading 61 (4)
2011–2012 Leicester City 25 (1)
2012–2015 Bolton Wanderers 87 (6)
2015– Nottingham Forest 22 (5)
International career
2004 England U18 1 (0)
2004–2005 England U19 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 January 2016

Matthew Claude "Matt" Mills (born 14 July 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Championship club Nottingham Forest. He has also represented England sides at various age levels. He is also a former player of Reading and captain of both Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers.

Club career

Southampton and Manchester City

Born in Swindon, Wiltshire,[1] the England U19 defender signed for Manchester City from Southampton on a three-and-a-half-year deal in January 2006. There Mills linked up again with City reserve manager Steve Wigley, who had worked with the youngster during his spell in charge of Southampton's Academy. Mills displayed his potential during a handful of Championship appearances for the south coast club, whilst also enjoying loan spells at Bournemouth and Coventry City. On 26 January 2007 he joined Colchester United on loan,[2] returning in April.

Doncaster Rovers

On 17 August 2007 Mills joined Doncaster Rovers on a six-month loan deal, linking up with manager Sean O'Driscoll for the second time in his career. He had his loan spell cut short on 21 November 2007, but then rejoined Doncaster on loan following a spell out through injury, and stayed at the South Yorkshire club for the rest of the season. He was part of the starting eleven which won promotion to the Championship, beating Leeds United at Wembley Stadium in the League One play-off Final in May 2008.

He expressed a desire to join Doncaster Rovers after winning promotion at Wembley, and was expected to sign in the close season. After two months of speculation about his future, and his move to Doncaster Rovers in doubt after a change of manager at Manchester City, he was eventually unveiled as Doncaster Rovers' record signing when he signed a three-year contract with Doncaster on 30 July 2008.[3] Doncaster Rovers paid £300,000 for his services which smashed the club's transfer record, previously set with the signing of James Hayter for £200,000 in 2007. On signing permanently for Doncaster Rovers, Mills was given the number 5 shirt which had been vacated by the departure of Graeme Lee; Mills had previously worn number 22 when he was on loan with the club.

In the summer of 2009 Mills attracted the interest of a number of bigger clubs including Birmingham City and Newcastle United. However, on 10 June 2009 Nottingham Forest put in an offer of £2,000,000 for Mills which was rejected by Doncaster Rovers.[4] A subsequent offer from fellow Championship side Reading was accepted, however, and Mills left Doncaster in August 2009.

Reading

File:Mills vs Cardiff.jpg
Mills playing for Leicester City against Cardiff City.

On 5 August 2009 Mills was officially unveiled as a Reading player, signing a three-year contract under Brendan Rogers. The exact transfer fee was left undisclosed, however the transfer fee is believed to be somewhere in the region of £2,000,000.[5] Mills made his debut for Reading in a 0–0 draw against Swansea City on 18 August 2009.[6]

After Reading's 1–0 win in March 2010 against Q.P.R., Mills was seen making an apparent obscene gesture to his own supporters, for which he apologised.[7] Manager Brian McDermott attributed his gesturing to passion, saying that Mills' actions wouldn't dampen the player's relationship with his supporters and describing Mills' form as "inspirational".[8] During the 2009–10 season Mills appeared in 30 matches and scored two goals in all competitions for Reading.

Mills started the 2010–11 season in goalscoring fashion, scoring twice in the League Cup 2nd Round 3–3 draw against Northampton Town, before scoring the winner in a 2–1 win away at Leicester City just three days later where he also made a last-ditch goal line clearance, ensuring the Man of the Match award.

On 1 March 2011 Mills scored the winning goal against Everton in a 1–0 victory to take Reading through to the FA Cup Quarter-finals.[9]

After a surging run, Reading qualified for the playoffs. On 30 May 2011, in the Championship play-off Final against Swansea, Mills skippered the Royals and scored a header from a corner kick on 57 minutes and got booked in their 4–2 defeat at Wembley Stadium and he also completed the full 90 minutes.

Leicester City

File:Earnshaw & Mills.jpg
Mills in a league match against Cardiff City on 25 September 2011.

On 7 July 2011 Mills signed a four-year contract with Leicester City for an undisclosed fee, and was later confirmed as club captain for the 2011–12 season,[10] reuniting with his former Manchester City manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson.[11] Mills had rejected an offer from Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers to join Leicester[12] and he was selected by Ian Stringer of BBC Radio Leicester as the club's key player for the 2011–12 season, describing him as a "solid centre half".[12]

He made his league debut in a 1–0 win over Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena on 6 August 2011,[13] On 16 October, Mills was sent off in the 55th minute of a 2–0 defeat at Birmingham City for a two-footed tackle on Morgaro Gomis.[14] and he was sent off again 6 weeks later against Hull City for a professional foul on Aaron McLean.[15] He scored his only goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on 24 January 2012.[16]

In February 2012 reports surfaced of an alleged bust up with new manager Nigel Pearson,[17] which Mills denied.[18] He then lost the captaincy and was relegated to training with the club's youth academy.[18][19] He did not travel for the 1–0 victory against Derby County on 23 February 2012, which prompted questions over his future at the club.[19] Mills was later informed by phone that he was allowed to leave Leicester.[18] But despite being linked with league rivals Leeds United and West Ham United,[20] Mills refused to leave on loan as it would have been "very disrespectful for the fans".[18] Though this move away from the club did not materialise, he never played for Leicester again.

Bolton Wanderers

On 4 July 2012 Mills signed a three-year contract with Bolton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee.[21] Upon joining the club, Mills said, "This deal has worked out perfectly for me, mainly because Bolton are a fantastic club. Speaking to the manager, I have got the vibe of what the place and club is about and the ambitions of getting back into the Premier League."[22] Mills made his debut for the club in a 2–0 home victory over Derby County on 21 August.[23] He scored his first goal on 15 September, in a 2–1 win against Watford.[24] He picked up an upper thigh injury which ruled him out of play for four to five months. Upon return from injury Mills was unable to reclaim his starting position due to the form of Craig Dawson, Tim Ream and Zat Knight who had all occupied the centre-back position in his absence.[25]

On 2 April 2013 he made his first appearance for the club since his injury against Huddersfield Town on 8 December 2012 coming on as a 90th-minute substitute for goalscorer Chris Eagles to ensure a 1–0 victory against Huddersfield Town.

In July 2013, after Mills was linked with a move to Leeds United to reunite with his former Reading manager Brian McDermott, Bolton manager Dougie Freedman confirmed that Leeds had made an inquiry about the availability of Mills. Freedman stated that he would like Mills to stay at the club but if Mills wanted to leave he would let him go provided the right offer came in.[26][27]

Mills won his place back in the side and partnered either David Wheater and Tim Ream. Mills was named as vice-captain to Jay Spearing for the 2014/15 season.[28] Spearing left on loan in January, making Mills the unofficial captain for the remainder of the season.

Nottingham Forest

On 1 July 2015 Mills signed for Nottingham Forest, reuniting with former Bolton manager Dougie Freedman in the process.[29] Mills started each of Forest's first eight matches of the season, scoring twice, before an injury sustained shortly after equalizing against Middlesbrough on the 19 September forced him to miss Forest's following match away at Huddersfield.[30] He returned to the starting XI in Forest's next game at home to Hull City on 3 October. However, with Forest trailing 1–0 to an Abel Hernández goal, Mills received a straight red card from referee Nigel Miller in the 87th minute of the game following an aerial challenge with Hull's on-loan Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom. Forest lost the game 1–0.[31]

On 5 December Mills scored a headed brace in a 3-0 defeat of Fulham, with a third headed effort in injury time hitting the crossbar.[32] Having played an integral role in an unbeaten December for Forest, Mills was nominated for the SkyBet Championship Player of the Month Award on the 7 January 2016.[33]

International career

Mills has represented England at England under-18 and England under-19 level. Mills was also called up for England under-21's.

Career statistics

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As of 13 January 2016
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Southampton 2003–04 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004–05 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2005–06 Championship 4 0 0 0 2 0 — 6 0
Total 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 6 0
Coventry City (loan) 2004–05 Championship 4 0 0 0 1 0 — 5 0
Bournemouth (loan) 2004–05 League One 12 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 3
Manchester City 2005–06 Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2006–07 Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2007–08 Premier League 0 0 0 0 2 0 — 0 0
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
Colchester United (loan) 2006–07 Championship 9 0 0 0 0 0 — 9 0
Doncaster Rovers (loan) 2007–08 League One 34 3 0 0 1 0 6[lower-alpha 1] 0 41 3
Doncaster Rovers 2008–09 Championship 41 0 4 0 0 0 — 45 0
Total 75 3 4 0 1 0 6 0 86 3
Reading 2009–10 Championship 23 2 6 0 1 0 — 30 2
2010–11 Championship 38 2 3 1 1 2 3[lower-alpha 2] 1 45 6
Total 61 4 9 1 2 2 3 1 75 8
Leicester City 2011–12 Championship 25 1 3 0 3 0 — 31 1
Bolton Wanderers 2012–13 Championship 18 1 0 0 0 0 — 18 1
2013–14 Championship 32 1 2 0 1 0 — 35 1
2014–15 Championship 37 4 2 0 2 1 — 41 5
Total 87 6 4 0 3 1 — 94 7
Nottingham Forest 2015–16 Championship 22 5 0 0 0 0 — 22 5
Career total 301 22 20 1 12 3 9 1 340 27
  1. ↑ Three appearances in Football League Trophy, three in Football League play-offs
  2. ↑ Appearances in Football League play-offs

Personal life

Mills went to school at Bradon Forest Secondary School in Purton, Wiltshire.

His youngest brother, Joseph, was a trainee at Southampton, and made his first team debut in 2008. He now plays for Oldham, on loan from Burnley. His other brothers, Jon-Paul and Jamie both play for Hellenic Football League side Witney United.

The former Hollyoaks and Prisoners' Wives actress Emma Rigby was formerly Mills' girlfriend.[34]

In 2014 he married Jade Elliott, daughter of former Leicester City and Scotland defender Matt Elliott.

Style of play

The football pundit and former Leicester City player Steve Claridge described Mills' style of play as that of "an old-fashioned centre-half who relishes the physical side of the game".[35]

Honours

Doncaster Rovers

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ http://www.bwfc.co.uk/page/General/0,,1004~2832198,00.html Mills On Bolton Switch
  23. ↑ "Bolton 2–0 Derby" BBC Sport. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  24. ↑ "Bolton 2–1 Watford" BBC Sport. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/americantour/11368477.Spearing_and_Mills_given_captain_s_roles_for_next_season_at_Wanderers/?ref=var_0
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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