Matt Gray (footballer, born 1981)

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Matt Gray
Personal information
Full name Matthew Gray [1]
Date of birth (1981-09-16) 16 September 1981 (age 44)
Place of birth London, England
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Eastbourne Borough (manager)
Youth career
Tottenham Hotspur
Cardiff City
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2001–2002 Barnet
2002–2005 Hayes
2005–2007 Havant & Waterlooville 12 (0)
Managerial career
2019–2023 Sutton United
2025– Eastbourne Borough
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Matthew Gray (born 16 September 1981) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the National League South club Eastbourne Borough.

Contents

Playing career

A youth product of Tottenham Hotspur and Cardiff City, Gray had an unassuming senior career in the National League. He began his senior career at Barnet, with stints at Hayes, and Havant & Waterlooville where he was appointed the captain. He ended his playing career at 25, due to various injuries. [2] [3]

Coaching career

Sutton United

After retiring as a footballer, Gray began coaching. His first stints were as the assistant manager at Eastleigh. He was also the assistant with EFL League Two clubs Aldershot Town and Crawley Town. [4] In December 2018, he was appointed as one of the coaches at Sutton United. [5]

On 22 April 2019, the long-term Sutton United manager Paul Doswell stepped down. Matt Gray was appointed interim manager for the last matchday that season in the National League alongside Ian Baird, and Micky Stephens. [6] On 1 May 2019, he was formally appointed as the manager for the team. [5] In the 2020–21 season, his second with Sutton United, Gray led the team to promotion into the English Football League for the first time in their 123-year history. [7] He was named the National League manager of the year for the 2020–21 season. [8]

In their first League Two season, Sutton finished 8th, missing out on the play-offs by one point, [9] but also reaching the 2022 EFL Trophy final at Wembley Stadium, losing 4–2 after extra time against Rotherham United. [10] Sutton finished 14th at the end of the 2022–23 season. [11] The following season, on 19 December 2023, Gray was sacked from his role, with the club six points from safety following an 8–0 defeat at Stockport County. [12]

Eastbourne Borough

On 23 May 2025, Gray was appointed head coach of National League South side Eastbourne Borough. [13]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 20 September 2025 [14]
Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamFromToRecord
PWDLWin %
Sutton United 1 May 201919 December 2023226905878039.82
Eastbourne Borough 23 May 2025Present9045000.00
Total235906283038.30

Honours

Manager

Sutton United

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Where are they now? - Former Spurs players". www.mehstg.com.
  2. ↑ "hawks.net : Matt Gray player profile". www.havantandwaterlooville.net.
  3. ↑ "hawks.net : Matt Gray player appearances". www.havantandwaterlooville.net.
  4. ↑ "Matt Gray Departs | Aldershot Town FC". 18 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Matt Gray appointed manager". www.suttonunited.net.
  6. ↑ "Club announcement". www.suttonunited.net.
  7. ↑ "Continuity key for Sutton 'community' in EFL" – via www.bbc.com.
  8. ↑ "Sutton United boss Matt Gray named as National League Manager of the Year". 11 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "Scores, Results & Fixtures". 7 May 2022.
  10. ↑ "Rotherham United 4–2 Sutton United". BBC Sport. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  11. ↑ "Sutton United on the Football Club History Database". Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  12. ↑ "Sutton United: Manager Matt Gray sacked by League Two strugglers". BBC Sport. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Matt Gray Appointed First Team Manager". ebfc.co.uk. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  14. ↑ "Managers: Matt Gray". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  15. ↑ Chris Peddy (3 April 2022). "Rotherham beat Sutton after extra time to win EFL Trophy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  16. ↑ Osborn, Oliver (29 November 2012). "Amazing Gray! U's boss Wins Manager of the Year Award". The Vanarama National League. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
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