Alex Mathie
Encyclopedia
Alexander Mathie (born 20 December 1968 in Bathgate
) is a Scottish
former footballer who made over 200 appearances as a striker
for a number of British
clubs. His most recent position was as player-manager of NCEL Premier Division side Pickering Town
, resigning from the club in January 2007.
, making eleven appearances before leaving for Greenock Morton
in 1991 in a £100,000 deal. At Morton he had a short loan spell with Port Vale
of the English
Second Division
, he made three appearances in April 1993, all of them as a substitute.
At the end of the 1992–93 season, Mathie won a move to Newcastle United
, in a deal worth just under £300k. After scoring on his debut in a 4–2 win over Sheffield Wednesday
, he played just 25 times in two seasons and moved to Ipswich Town
in February 1995 for £500,000. In 1998 he scored a hat-trick
against rivals
Norwich City
, becoming an Ipswich legend in the process.
His regular scoring in over 100 appearances saw his valuation rise and in October 1998 Dundee United
handed Ipswich around £700k for his services. He replaced the outgoing Robbie Winters
, who had moved on to Aberdeen
for around the same fee (plus Billy Dodds
) a few weeks previously. With just two goals in the 1998–99 season, Gary McSwegan
played a fraction of Mathie's games and yet scored twice as many. Dodds had scored seventeen goals in as many appearances as Mathie.
He was loaned out to Preston North End
in the Second Division
for the early part of the 1999–2000 season, scoring four goals in eighteen games. Returning to Dundee United in December 1999, following the sale of Dodds to Rangers
for £1.3 million, he scored his first goal and only at Tannadice Park
on 30 January 2000, in a 4–1 defeat of Airdrieonians
. As United's #9 he hit the net four times in seventeen games that season, though this still left him 5th in the club's scoring charts.
He played four games of the 2000–01 season; a 2–1 defeat to Celtic
, 3–0 loss at Hibernian
, 1–1 draw with Motherwell
and 2–1 defeat by St. Johnstone. Leaving the SPL
in September 2000 after being released by Dundee United, he joined York City
on a free transfer in the English Third Division
.
He made 52 league appearances for York, half of them as a substitute, before leaving professional football at the end of the 2002–03 season for player-manager spells in lower league English football.
In 2003 he spent time as Spennymoor United
player-manager, before moving on to West Auckland Town
. In 2004 he became player-manager of Pickering Town
before resigning in January 2007.
to provide match commentary and analysis for former side Ipswich, joining former players such as Bryan Hamilton
and John Wark
. Six weeks later, Mathie was due to participate in a legends match for Ipswich against Norwich City in aid of the Canaries' Historical Trust.
Now working for Royal Mail
, Mathie is a delivery office manager in York. He will play in the 2011 York postmen's charity match, raising money for the William Rhodes foundation, set up in aid of the son of his former York team-mate Ben Rhodes.
Bathgate
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway west of Livingston. Nearby towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Whitburn, Livingston, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is away...
) is a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
former footballer who made over 200 appearances as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
for a number of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
clubs. His most recent position was as player-manager of NCEL Premier Division side Pickering Town
Pickering Town F.C.
Pickering Town Football Club is an English football club based in Pickering, North Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1888 and are currently in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division.- History :...
, resigning from the club in January 2007.
Playing career
Mathie began his career with CelticCeltic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, making eleven appearances before leaving for Greenock Morton
Greenock Morton F.C.
Greenock Morton Football Club are a Scottish professional football club, who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs....
in 1991 in a £100,000 deal. At Morton he had a short loan spell with Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
of the English
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, he made three appearances in April 1993, all of them as a substitute.
At the end of the 1992–93 season, Mathie won a move to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, in a deal worth just under £300k. After scoring on his debut in a 4–2 win over Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, he played just 25 times in two seasons and moved to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
in February 1995 for £500,000. In 1998 he scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
against rivals
East Anglian Derby
The East Anglian derby is a sobriquet used to describe football matches held between Ipswich Town and Norwich City. In recent years it has sometimes been described humorously as the Old Farm derby, a reference to the Old Firm derby played between Celtic and Rangers...
Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, becoming an Ipswich legend in the process.
His regular scoring in over 100 appearances saw his valuation rise and in October 1998 Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
handed Ipswich around £700k for his services. He replaced the outgoing Robbie Winters
Robbie Winters
Robbie Winters is a Scottish footballer who currently plays for Alloa Athletic.-Career:Winters began his career at Dundee United in 1992 and played 99 league games for the Terrors, scoring 19 times. A move to Aberdeen beckoned, which saw Billy Dodds and cash come to Tannadice in exchange for Winters...
, who had moved on to Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
for around the same fee (plus Billy Dodds
Billy Dodds
William "Billy" Dodds is a Scottish former professional footballer, he was assistant manager at Dundee, but was made redundant when the club went into administration in October 2010, one of his former clubs...
) a few weeks previously. With just two goals in the 1998–99 season, Gary McSwegan
Gary McSwegan
Gary John McSwegan is a Scottish professional footballer currently without a club following his release from Clyde...
played a fraction of Mathie's games and yet scored twice as many. Dodds had scored seventeen goals in as many appearances as Mathie.
He was loaned out to Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
for the early part of the 1999–2000 season, scoring four goals in eighteen games. Returning to Dundee United in December 1999, following the sale of Dodds to Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
for £1.3 million, he scored his first goal and only at Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park, usually referred to as Tannadice, is a football stadium located on Tannadice Street in the Scottish city of Dundee. The stadium is home of Dundee United F.C. and has a capacity of 14,209.-Early days :...
on 30 January 2000, in a 4–1 defeat of Airdrieonians
Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
. As United's #9 he hit the net four times in seventeen games that season, though this still left him 5th in the club's scoring charts.
He played four games of the 2000–01 season; a 2–1 defeat to Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, 3–0 loss at Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
, 1–1 draw with Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
and 2–1 defeat by St. Johnstone. Leaving the SPL
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
in September 2000 after being released by Dundee United, he joined York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
on a free transfer in the English Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
.
He made 52 league appearances for York, half of them as a substitute, before leaving professional football at the end of the 2002–03 season for player-manager spells in lower league English football.
In 2003 he spent time as Spennymoor United
Spennymoor United F.C.
Spennymoor United F.C. was an English association football club based in Spennymoor, County Durham.In 1905, they joined the Northern League and won the league title six times in their history. In the 1936-37 season, they reached the third round of the FA Cup, where they lost to top-flight side West...
player-manager, before moving on to West Auckland Town
West Auckland Town F.C.
West Auckland Town F.C. are a football club from West Auckland, County Durham, England, competing in the Northern League, in the ninth tier of the English football league system...
. In 2004 he became player-manager of Pickering Town
Pickering Town F.C.
Pickering Town Football Club is an English football club based in Pickering, North Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1888 and are currently in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division.- History :...
before resigning in January 2007.
Post-retirement
On 29 July 2008, Mathie began working for BBC Radio SuffolkBBC Radio Suffolk
BBC Radio Suffolk is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Suffolk, commencing broadcasts on 12 April 1990. Its studios are at Broadcasting House in St Matthews Street, Ipswich on 95.5 , 95.9 , 103.9 and 104.6 FM...
to provide match commentary and analysis for former side Ipswich, joining former players such as Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton
Bryan Hamilton is a Northern Irish former professional football player and manager. He gained 50 caps for Northern Ireland between 1969 and 1980, and later managed the national team for four years. He is currently Technical Director at Antigua Barracuda F.C.-Playing career:Born in Belfast,...
and John Wark
John Wark
John Wark is a Scottish former footballer who spent most of his playing time with Ipswich Town. He won a record four Player of the Year awards before becoming one of the four inaugural members of the club's Hall of Fame...
. Six weeks later, Mathie was due to participate in a legends match for Ipswich against Norwich City in aid of the Canaries' Historical Trust.
Now working for Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
, Mathie is a delivery office manager in York. He will play in the 2011 York postmen's charity match, raising money for the William Rhodes foundation, set up in aid of the son of his former York team-mate Ben Rhodes.