Next Generation: Matthew PenningtonThis week on evertonfc.com, we are profiling the five Academy graduates who made their Premier League debuts in 2015/16.
With a whole host of talent in the youth system at Finch Farm, we have spoken to the people who have worked closest with the quintet to find out more about their development as individuals - both on and off the pitch.
After putting the paths of Jonjoe Kenny, Tom Davies and Kieran Dowell under the microscope, today we focus on a youngster who enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with the first team by featuring in three competitions in 2015/16…
MATTHEW PENNINGTONPosition: Defender
Place of Birth: Warrington, 19.6 miles from Goodison Park.
Date of Birth: 6 October 1994.
On that day in history…
Mike Walker was left rallying his Everton troops after a League Cup exit at the hands of Portsmouth the previous night.
‘Saturday Night’ by Whigfield was top of the UK Chart.
‘The Specialist’, featuring Sylvester Stallone was the main hit at the cinema, while 'The Lion King' was one day from being released in the UK.
Date of first-team debut: 26 August 2015 (v Barnsley at Oakwell)
A STAR IN THE CLASSROOMAfter being spotted by Everton’s Head of Academy Recruitment, Martin Waldron, while playing for Warrington Schoolboys, Pennington joined the Blues just before moving up to his local St Gregory's Catholic High School.
Andy Carey, the school’s Head of PE, spotted Pennington’s natural talent for sports early on, but explains his outstanding ability in academic subjects was also quickly noticed by other teachers.
Many children may grow up with a dream of becoming a professional footballer or a doctor, but rarely will one of those professions be a realistic possibility at the end of school, let alone both.
However, at 16, both were still genuine options for Pennington, who had excelled through the Academy while achieving 10 A* grades in his GCSEs.
“He was a great lad to have around - really positive but unassuming and mature beyond his years,” Carey told evertonfc.com. “But it wasn’t just our department who enjoyed teaching Matty and he could have gone on to achieve anything that he wanted to in terms of a career.
“He was never one of those kids who got carried away with being involved with a Premier League Academy. Everybody in the school knew about him and what he did for Everton, but he kept it very low key and didn’t want any fuss. In fact, for quite a long time we didn’t even know he was with Everton. It was only at the end of his first year at parents evening when his mum happened to mention it in passing that we found out about it. It’s unusual in a way because you get kids coming up to high school who like to claim or boast that they were on so and so’s books.
“He was always one of those kids who was very good at everything we did in PE. He was athletic and very fit so he excelled in pretty much every sport he played."
Carey also describes how Pennington’s twin sister, who also gained all A* grades from her GCSEs, added an extra competitive edge to school work.
He added: “His parents were extremely supportive and his twin sister was into sports as well. It was quite funny because when you spoke to their parents, you’d find out how competitive they were and how they were always competing with each other to get the best mark in different subjects! Whatever he got she’d try and better and vice-versa.
“It sounds like a cliché but you could not wish it to happen to a nicer lad. I watched his interview on Match of the Day after his Premier League debut and I thought it summed him up perfectly. He mentioned his family and friends early on, he was clearly delighted but still very focused and had his feet on the ground. The way he has conducted himself from when he was in school to now has been exemplary and I’m absolutely delighted to see him get a chance with Everton.”
FANS PAY FOR MATTY’S RETURNPennington gained his first taste of senior action aged 19 when he was loaned to Tranmere Rovers in January 2014.
He made nine appearances for Ronnie Moore’s relegation-threatened outfit, before being recalled to strengthen the Toffees’ Under-21 side.
Then, with relegation from League One a distinct possibility, a Tranmere Rovers supporters’ trust took action by helping raise the funds needed to secure the services of Pennington for a second temporary spell.
The move was sealed in March, with Pennington impressing in eight more appearances for the club.
Speaking after the spell, manager Moore praised the performances of his loan star, despite Rovers’ relegation to the fourth tier. He said: “Matty developed really well. The lads on loan come in as boys and go away as men.
"It can be frightening. It is a culture shock because they realise they're playing for their livings here. It's not 'you have 50 passes and then we have 50 passes'. This is the real world and Matty adjusted very well to everything we’ve asked of him.”
‘THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH CHARACTERS LIKE HIM’A five-month loan spell with Coventry City during the 2014/15 campaign followed - and it was another successful stint.
Such was his impact, he was unanimously voted the club’s Young Player of the Year by the Sky Blues’ management and coaching staff after his efforts helped guide the club to safety in League One.
Former boss Steven Pressley, a defender himself, said: “Matty immediately impressed me with his all-round attitude to the game. He has what I would describe as an old-school approach in his ways and his personality because he is as honest as the day is long.
“I saw qualities in him that I could work with from the word go. He’s the sort of boy you want at your club because he works so hard and you know that he will constantly push himself to the absolute maximum. I don’t think there are enough characters like Matty in the game anymore. He is a smashing kid, not just with his attitude but his performances for me were brilliant as well. I would have loved to take him back if I’d stayed at Coventry longer and I’ve also enquired a number of times about taking him on loan again since joining Fleetwood, such was the impression he made on me.
“The award was thoroughly deserved for many reasons. I always remember a day that I think sums up Matty perfectly. Our young players were playing away in a cup competition, so I asked my younger professionals to do some of their duties, things like collecting equipment and general preparation. Of course, without even directly asking Matty, he was the first one to get stuck in. I said to the rest of my young players on the back of it that I expect them to behave exactly like he did if they ever go out on loan.
“He’s very intelligent. He takes in football information very well and he’s the type of lad that any football manager would love to work with. I think he’s a very good player as well. He’s a good reader of the game. There are certain attributes that you need to have as a player. If you’re a defender, you need to be able to sense danger - and Matty has that. There are many aspects of the game that you can help with as a coach but when it comes to a central defender, they must have the ability to sense danger.
“I haven’t been surprised with how well he’s settled in at Everton. He’s slowly but surely making his mark and I’m really pleased for him.”
THE PERFECT JOURNEYPennington, now 21, made his second senior outing for the Toffees in the FA Cup third round victory over Dagenham & Redbridge in January.
He then enjoyed a brief loan spell with Walsall, lasting five games, before being recalled for the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United due to injuries and suspensions.
A Premier League bow against Bournemouth followed, with two more starts in the next two games against Leicester City and Sunderland.
David Unsworth, who worked with Pennington closely with the Under-21s, then handed Pennington another start on the final day of the 2015/16 season as he took temporary charge of the first team.
A DIFFERENT PATH AFTER FOOTBALL?It seems a long way away, but Mike Dickinson, Everton’s former Head of Education and Welfare, is convinced the route Pennington will take when his playing career is over.
Management? Coaching? Punditry?
The answer would be no to all of the above.
“Matty wanted to be a doctor - he said it to me years ago and I really am sure he’ll become one once his football days are over,” said Dickinson. “His twin sister is currently at university studying medicine and I think he’ll follow that path eventually.
“After his GCSEs, he got two A’s in his A Levels in Maths and Chemistry. He started to do an A Level in Physics as well but he had to put that on hold because he went on loan to Coventry and his training schedule clashed with when he’d have to be in college.
“Then he went on to get his professional contract which he was thrilled about and a decision was taken to concentrate solely on the football - but I’ve no doubt he’ll one day go back to his studies and ambition of becoming a doctor. I think if and when he’s established as a first-team regular, he’ll pick it up again, race off again and get an A. He doesn’t muck about and do things by half measures, as you can see on the pitch."
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