Although born in Liverpool, Matthew was brought up in the Norfolk town of Wroxham. Described by Keith Webb as a "tenacious full back", Matthew has represented England at under16 level. Despite making 19 appearances for the Reserves in 1999/2000, Matthew was released by Norwich in Thursday 27th April 2000 as Bryan Hamilton rebuilt the club in his own image. In the summer of 2000, he signed for hometown team, Wroxham of the Jewson Eastern League. After an unsuccessful trial with Luton in the spring of 2001 and Yeovil in July 2001, Matthew moved to fellow Jewson leaguers Diss Town the following month. He was transfer-listed in December 2001 but has obviously resolved any differences as he remained with Diss until December 2005 when he signed for Norwich United.