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Matthew Dennis (English footballer)

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Matthew Dennis
Personal information
Full name Matthew Timothy Dennis[1]
Date of birth (2002-04-15) 15 April 2002 (age 23)[1]
Place of birth Hammersmith and Fulham, England[1]
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Notts County
Number 19
Youth career
2008–2020 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Norwich City 0 (0)
2021–2022 → Southend United (loan) 27 (7)
2022–2025 Milton Keynes Dons 34 (5)
2023 → Sutton United (loan) 10 (0)
2024–2025 → Rochdale (loan) 4 (0)
2025 Carlisle United 14 (6)
2025– Notts County 0 (0)
International career
2017 England U15 1 (0)
2017 England U16 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:46, 3 May 2025 (UTC)

Matthew Timothy Dennis (born 15 April 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League Two club Notts County. A fast and athletic striker, he has been capped by England up to under-16 level.

Dennis spent 12 years in the Academy system at Arsenal before he joined Norwich City in July 2020. He did not play a first-team game for the club, though he did have a successful spell with Southend United on loan in the National League. In July 2020, he was signed by Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee. He went on to spend time on loan at Sutton United and Rochdale. He left MK Dons in February and signed with Carlisle United, ending the 2024–25 season as the club's top scorer.

Club career

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Arsenal

[edit]

While playing for his local team in a tournament in Mill Hill, Dennis was scouted by Premier League clubs Arsenal and Chelsea. He had trials with both, but chose Arsenal as he supported them.[3] He signed a scholarship with Arsenal in June 2018.[4] In the academy, he went on to progress through various age groups.[5] He later featured regularly for the club's U18 and U23 sides.[5]

Norwich City

[edit]

On 28 July 2020, Dennis signed a two-year deal with Championship club Norwich City following the expiry of his contract with Arsenal.[5] He was placed in the club's development squad under the tuteledge of David Wright.[6] In his first season, he featured for the club's U23 side in the EFL Trophy, scoring twice in four games, whilst scoring five goals in 21 Premier League 2 games.[7][8] On 13 August 2021, Dennis was sent out on loan to National League club Southend United for the duration of the 2021–22 season after impressing manager Phil Brown in six friendly games.[9][10] He was voted Southend's Player of the Month for January, being described as "an integral part to Blues' three-pronged attack in their revival since the turn of the year".[11] His loan spell led to him being tracked by numerous English Football League (EFL) clubs.[12] He went on to make 30 appearances and score eight goals for the Shrimpers before returning to Norwich, who activated a one-year extension in his contract.[13][14] Southend manager Kevin Maher had tried to convince Dennis to come back to Roots Hall on a permanent basis.[15]

Milton Keynes Dons

[edit]

On 4 June 2022, Dennis signed for League One club Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee.[16] He made his debut in the EFL on 30 July as an 82nd-minute substitute in a 1–0 defeat away to Cambridge United.[17] He scored his first goal for the club on 23 August, in a 2–0 EFL Cup second round away win over Watford.[18] He scored a brace against West Ham United U21 in the EFL Trophy, after which he credited head coach Liam Manning for showing faith in him.[19] He scored six goals in 27 appearances for the Dons, featuring more frequently than was initially expected due to injuries to Will Grigg and Mohamed Eisa, though he dropped down the pecking order after new boss Mark Jackson signed Jonathan Leko, Sullay Kaikai and Max Dean in the January transfer window.[20] On 27 January, he joined League Two club Sutton United on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season. He played ten games for Matt Gray's U's, though did not score a goal during his time at Gander Green Lane.[1] Upon returning to Stadium MK, manager Mike Williamson said he needed to show consistency in order to win a first-team place.[21] The club had been relegated in his absence.[22]

New head coach Graham Alexander said that Dennis had to improve his fitness after he spent much of the 2023–24 pre-season out injured.[23] He went on to finish the campaign with five goals in 17 games,[1] including a brace in a 3–1 home win over Crewe Alexandra that saw him named the division's fourth-best performer of the weekend.[24] He made two substitute appearances at the start of the 2024–25 campaign before falling out of first-team contention.[25] On 31 October, Dennis joined National League club Rochdale on loan until January 2025.[26] Dons head coach Scott Lindsey said that Dennis needed to play competitive games and would get the opportunity to do so at Spotland.[27] He played ten games for the Dale, scoring one goal in the FA Trophy.[28][1] Dennis left Milton Keynes Dons on 3 February 2025 after his contract was terminated by mutual consent.[29]

Carlisle United

[edit]

On 11 February 2025, Dennis joined League Two club Carlisle United on a short-term contract until the end of the 2024–25 season.[30] The club were five points behind the relegation zone with 17 games left to play.[31] Manager Mark Hughes said in March that Dennis had "grown into the role" as the Cumbrians focal point in attack.[32] His six goals in 14 games made him the club's top-scorer, which was the lowest top-scorer tally in the club's history.[33] Carlisle were relegated into non-League football and Dennis was offered a new contract to try and keep him at Brunton Park.[34]

Notts County

[edit]

On 4 June 2025, having rejected the contract offer from Carlisle United,[35] Dennis agreed to join League Two side Notts County on a three-year deal.[36]

International career

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Dennis played as a right-back for the England under-15 team against Belgium alongside Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala in 2017.[37] He also won a cap for the under-16 team in a 2–1 win over Romania on 26 August 2017.[38]

Style of play

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Dennis describes himself as a "fast, powerful forward who likes to get in behind".[39]

Career statistics

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As of match played 3 May 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Norwich City U23 2020–21[7] — 4[a] 2 4 2
Southend United (loan) 2021–22[13] National League 27 7 1 0 — 2[b] 1 30 8
Milton Keynes Dons 2022–23[40] League One 18 1 0 0 4 2 5[a] 3 27 6
2023–24[41] League Two 14 4 0 0 0 0 3[a] 1 17 5
2024–25[42] League Two 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Total 34 5 0 0 4 2 8 4 46 11
Sutton United (loan) 2022–23[40] League Two 10 0 — — — 10 0
Rochdale (loan) 2024–25[1] National League 4 0 1 0 — 5[c] 1 10 1
Carlisle United 2024–25[42] League Two 14 6 — — — 14 6
Career total 89 18 2 0 4 2 19 8 114 28
  1. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  3. ^ Three appearances in National League Cup, two appearances and one goal in FA Trophy

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Matthew Dennis at Soccerway. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  2. ^ "Matthew Dennis". 11v11. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Young Gun: Matthew Dennis". Arsenal F.C. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  4. ^ "Released players, young pros, scholars confirmed". Arsenal F.C. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Matthew Dennis signs for Norwich City". Norwich City FC. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  6. ^ Southwell, Connor (28 July 2020). "City sign former Arsenal youngster Matthew Dennis". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Games played by Matthew Dennis in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  8. ^ Lakey, Chris (13 August 2021). "Norwich City youngster goes out on loan". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Matthew Dennis joins Southend United on season-long loan". Norwich City FC. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Dennis Completes Blues Loan Move". Southend United FC. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Dennis Wins January Player Of The Month". Southend United FC. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Dennis was on the radar for many clubs before Dons completed move". Milton Keynes Citizen. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Games played by Matthew Dennis in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  14. ^ Mutch, Michael (25 April 2022). "Southend boss Kevin Maher wants Norwich loanee Matty Dennis beyond loan spell". Norfolk Live. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  15. ^ Phillips, Chris (10 February 2022). "Southend United boss Kevin Maher on the long-term future of Norwich City loanee Matt Dennis". Echo. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Matt Dennis: Milton Keynes Dons sign Norwich City striker". BBC. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Cambridge United 1-0 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Watford 0-2 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Double man Dennis pleased to repay Manning's faith in Dons win". Milton Keynes Citizen. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  20. ^ "Dennis makes loan move to Sutton United for remainder of the season". Milton Keynes Citizen. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  21. ^ Lock, Toby (25 July 2024). "Striker needs to find more consistency to become MK Dons' leading man". Milton Keynes Citizen. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  22. ^ "Burton Albion 0-0 Milton Keynes Dons: Dons drop out of League One after draw with Brewers". BBC Sport. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  23. ^ Lock, Toby (10 August 2023). "Alexander critical of striker's fitness ahead of return from injury". Milton Keynes Citizen. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  24. ^ "Five of the weekend's top performers in Sky Bet League Two". EFL. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  25. ^ Lock, Toby (31 October 2024). "Dons striker Dennis joins Rochdale on loan until the New Year". Milton Keynes Citizen. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  26. ^ "Matthew Dennis Joins On Loan". Rochdale AFC. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  27. ^ Lock, Toby (30 January 2025). "Dennis returns to MK Dons after loan deal with Rochdale ends". Milton Keynes Citizen. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  28. ^ "Matthew Dennis Returns To MK Dons – Rochdale AFC". Rochdale AFC. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  29. ^ "Matt Dennis departs Stadium MK". Milton Keynes Dons FC. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  30. ^ "Matthew Dennis Signs Short-term Deal". Carlisle United FC. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  31. ^ Colman, Jon (11 February 2025). "Carlisle United confirm signing of former MK Dons striker". News and Star. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  32. ^ Colman, Jon (24 March 2025). "Hughes praises Blues striker ahead of clash with former club". News and Star. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  33. ^ Colman, Jon (5 May 2025). "Carlisle United make unwanted club history with top scorer stat". News and Star. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  34. ^ Colman, Jon (16 May 2025). "Carlisle United confirm retained and released list". News and Star. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  35. ^ "MATTY DENNIS TURNS DOWN CONTRACT OFFER". www.carlisleunited.co.uk. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  36. ^ "SIGNING: MATTHEW DENNIS". www.nottscountyfc.co.uk. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  37. ^ "What happened to every player featured in England's 'crazy' U15 squad from 2017". SPORTbible. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  38. ^ "England Matches - Under-16's 2010-20". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  39. ^ "Dennis Becomes a Don". MK Dons FC. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  40. ^ a b "Games played by Matthew Dennis in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  41. ^ "Games played by Matthew Dennis in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  42. ^ a b "Games played by Matthew Dennis in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
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