Matthew Wicks is a retired English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 professional footballer. Wicks was viewed as "one of the most promising players of his generation" but never lived up to his hope.

Club career

Wicks began his career with youth contracts at both Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 and Manchester United

Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

 However; he failed to make a league appearance for either team. After being released by Arsenal in 1998, Wicks signed for Crewe Alexandra

Crewe Alexandra F.C.

Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...

, where he made 6 league appearances. Wicks later signed for Peterborough United

Peterborough United F.C.

Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...

, making a total of 31 league appearances. While at Peterborough, Wicks spent a loan spell with Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.

Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....

, and later signed for Brighton on a permanent deal. In his two spells at Brighton, he made 26 league appearances. After leaving Brighton, Wicks signed for Hull City

Hull City A.F.C.

Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

, where he made 14 league appearances. After leaving Hull in July 2002, Wicks moved to Australia to play with the Newcastle United Jets, but never appeared for the club and retired from football in August 2003.

Personal life

Wicks is the son of fellow footballer Steve Wicks

Steve Wicks

Steve Wicks is an English former professional footballer. He was a tall, solid imposing player who played as a centre half. He most notably played for Chelsea, Derby County and Queens Park Rangers in the 1970s and 1980s...

 and grandson of former Chelsea FC chairman Brian Mears

Brian Mears

Joseph Brian Mears was a chairman of Chelsea Football Club. He was the son of Joe Mears, also a chairman of Chelsea, and grandson of Joseph Mears, co-founder of the club. He was born in Richmond, Surrey, and educated at Malvern College. In 1950 he emigrated to Canada where he began working life...

.

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