Matthew Mills
Encyclopedia
Matthew Claude "Matt" Mills (born 14 July 1986 in Leicester
) is an English
footballer who currently plays for and is the current captain of Leicester City
in the Npower Championship.
defender signed for Manchester City
from Southampton
on a three-and-a-half-year deal in January 2006. A tall, athletic and composed centre back, Mills linked up again with City reserve boss Steve Wigley
, who worked with the youngster during his spell in charge of Saints' Academy
. Mills displayed his potential during a handful of Football League 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, returning in April.
on a six month loan deal, linking up with manager Sean O'Driscoll
for a second time in his career. He had his loan spell cut short on 21 November 2007, but he then rejoined Doncaster on loan following his 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 Football League One
Play-off Final in May 2008.
He expressed his 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. 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 had 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. A subsequent offer from fellow Championship side Reading was accepted, however, and Mills left Doncaster in August 2009.
Mills started the 2010-11 season in goalscoring fashion, scoring twice in the Carling Cup 2nd Round 3–3 draw against Northampton Town, before scoring the winner in a 2–1 win away at Leicester City just 3 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. On 30 May 2011, in the Npower Championship play-off final against Swansea City, 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.
for an undisclosed fee, and was later confirmed as club captain for the 2011–12 season. Although officially undisclosed, the transfer deal was estimated to be worth an initial ₤5,000,000, with additional clauses meaning the fee could in the future rise past the ₤5.5 million mark. If this was to occur, Mills would become the most expensive player in Leicester City history, and his importance to the club was soon underlined when he was selected by BBC Radio Leicester
's Ian Stringer as the club's key player for the 2011–12 season.
On 16 October, Mills was sent off in the 55th minute of the 2–0 defeat at Birmingham City
for a two-footed tackle on Morgaro Gomis
.
, was a trainee at Southampton
, and made his first team debut in 2008. He now plays for Reading
. His other brothers, Jon-Paul and Jamie both play for Hellenic Football League
side Witney United
.
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
footballer who currently plays for and is the current captain of Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in the Npower Championship.
Southampton and Manchester City
The promising England U19England national under-19 football team
-Other matches:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the friendly match against Denmark.- Recent call-ups :The following players have also been called up to the England under-19 squad and remain eligible.-Past squads:...
defender signed for Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
from Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
on a three-and-a-half-year deal in January 2006. A tall, athletic and composed centre back, Mills linked up again with City reserve boss Steve Wigley
Steve Wigley
Steve Wigley is an English football coach and former player for Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Portsmouth and Exeter City. He made 340 appearances in the Football League. He is the former manager of Southampton and the former assistant/caretaker manager for Bristol City...
, who worked with the youngster during his spell in charge of Saints' Academy
Southampton F.C. Academy
Southampton Football Club Academy or Saints Academy is the youth organisation run by Southampton Football Club to encourage and develop young footballers in the South of England...
. Mills displayed his potential during a handful of Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
appearances for the south-coast club, whilst also enjoying loan spells at Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
and Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
. On 26 January 2007, he joined Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
on loan, returning in April.
Doncaster Rovers
On 17 August 2007, Mills joined Doncaster RoversDoncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
on a six month loan deal, linking up with manager Sean O'Driscoll
Sean O'Driscoll
Sean Michael O'Driscoll is an English-Irish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having been relieved of his duties as manager of Doncaster Rovers in September 2011. He joined Doncaster in September 2006 following Dave Penney's departure. He was previously manager at...
for a second time in his career. He had his loan spell cut short on 21 November 2007, but he then rejoined Doncaster on loan following his 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
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
in the Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
Play-off Final in May 2008.
He expressed his 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. Doncaster Rovers paid £300,000 for his services which smashed the club's transfer record, previously set with the signing of James Hayter
James Hayter (footballer)
James Edward Hayter is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Doncaster Rovers.-Bournemouth:...
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
Graeme Lee (footballer)
Graeme Lee is an English professional footballer who plays for Darlington as a defender. He has previously played for Hartlepool United, Sheffield Wednesday, Doncaster Rovers, Bradford City and also had loan spells with Hartlepool and Shrewsbury Town...
; Mills had previously worn number 22 when he was on loan with the club.
In the summer of 2009, Mills had attracted the interest of a number of bigger clubs including Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and 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...
. However on 10 June 2009, Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
put in an offer of £2,000,000 for Mills which was rejected by Doncaster Rovers. A subsequent offer from fellow Championship side Reading was accepted, however, and Mills left Doncaster in August 2009.
Reading
On 5 August 2009, Mills was officially unveiled as a Reading player, signing a three-year contract. The exact transfer fee was left undisclosed, however the transfer fee is believed to be somewhere in the region of £2,000,000. Mills made his debut for Reading in a 0–0 draw against Swansea City on 18 August 2009. 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 Carling Cup 2nd Round 3–3 draw against Northampton Town, before scoring the winner in a 2–1 win away at Leicester City just 3 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
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in a 1-0 victory to take Reading through to the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Quarter-finals. On 30 May 2011, in the Npower Championship play-off final against Swansea City, 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
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
and he also completed the full 90 minutes.
Leicester City
On 7 July 2011, Mills signed a four year contract with Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
for an undisclosed fee, and was later confirmed as club captain for the 2011–12 season. Although officially undisclosed, the transfer deal was estimated to be worth an initial ₤5,000,000, with additional clauses meaning the fee could in the future rise past the ₤5.5 million mark. If this was to occur, Mills would become the most expensive player in Leicester City history, and his importance to the club was soon underlined when he was selected by BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The station broadcasts from studios in Leicester on 104.9 FM, on DAB, and via the BBC iPlayer.-History:...
's Ian Stringer as the club's key player for the 2011–12 season.
On 16 October, Mills was sent off in the 55th minute of the 2–0 defeat at Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
for a two-footed tackle on Morgaro Gomis
Morgaro Gomis
Morgaro Gomis is a Senegal international footballer who plays for English Football League Championship club Birmingham City....
.
Family
His youngest brother, JosephJoseph Mills
Joseph Nathan Mills is an English footballer who plays for Reading. He is the younger brother of Leicester City defender Matthew Mills and can play at either left back or left midfield.-Southampton:...
, was a trainee at Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, and made his first team debut in 2008. He now plays for Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
. His other brothers, Jon-Paul and Jamie both play for Hellenic Football League
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League is an English football league covering an area including the English counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Buckinghamshire, southern Herefordshire, western Greater London, and northern Wiltshire. There is also one team from Hampshire.The league...
side Witney United
Witney United F.C.
Witney United FC was formed by a group of Witney Town supporters. Intent on bring senior football back to the town the group registered Witney United FC with the Oxfordshire Football Association in 2001....
.
External links
- Matthew Mills profile at readingfc.co.uk