Matt Penney

Matt Penney

Penney playing for Sheffield Wednesday in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Matthew Luke Penney [1]
Date of birth	(1998-02-11) 11 February 1998 (age 27) [2]
Place of birth	Chesterfield, England
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.72 m) [3]
Position(s)	Full back, midfielder
Team information
Current team	Altrincham
Number	42
Youth career
2006–2016	Sheffield Wednesday
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2021	Sheffield Wednesday	28	(0)
2017	→ Bradford City (loan)	1	(0)
2018	→ Mansfield Town (loan)	2	(0)
2019–2020	→ FC St. Pauli (loan)	17	(1)
2021–2023	Ipswich Town	22	(1)
2022–2023	→ Motherwell (loan)	16	(0)
2023	→ Charlton Athletic (loan)	5	(0)
2024–2025	Rochdale	1	(0)
2025–	Altrincham	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:03, 19 February 2025 (UTC)

Matthew Luke Penney (born 11 February 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a full back or midfielder for National League club Altrincham.

Penney joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2006, progressing through the club's academy to make his senior debut in August 2018. During his time at Sheffield Wednesday, he spent time out on loan at Bradford City, Mansfield Town and FC St. Pauli. He signed for Ipswich Town in June 2021 and whilst there he had loan spells with Motherwell and Charlton Athletic. Since November 2024 he has been playing for Rochdale.

Career

Sheffield Wednesday

Born in Chesterfield, ^[3] Penney began his career with Sheffield Wednesday at the age of eight years old, progressing through the club's academy and turning professional in October 2015. ^[4]

He signed on loan for Bradford City on transfer deadline day, 31 January 2017, alongside Charlie Wyke, Jacob Hanson and Kevin Toner. ^[5] He made his professional debut on 30 April 2017, appearing as a substitute in the last game of the regular 2016–17 season against Rochdale. ^[6]

Penney signed on loan for Mansfield Town on transfer deadline day, 31 January 2018. ^[7] He made his debut on 10 February against Swindon Town. Penny made 2 substitute appearances during his loan spell with Mansfield. ^[8]

He made his first-team debut for Sheffield Wednesday on 16 August 2018, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 win against Sunderland in the EFL Cup. ^[9] He made his league debut in the following match on 19 August against Brentford. He made 17 appearances during his first full season in the Sheffield Wednesday first-team. ^[9]

In August 2019 he moved on loan to German side FC St. Pauli. ^[10] He was sent-off on his St. Pauli debut on 26 August 2019 against Holstein Kiel. He scored his first senior goal on 22 February 2020, netting the second goal in a 2–0 win against Hamburger SV in the Hamburg derby. He made 18 appearances during his time on loan with St. Pauli, scoring once. ^[3]

On 4 June 2020, he signed a new one-year contract at Sheffield Wednesday, keeping him with the club until the end of the 2020–21 season. ^[11] He made his first appearance of the 2020–21 season on 5 September against Walsall. Penny made 15 appearances in all competitions during the season. ^[12]

On 20 May 2021 it was announced that he would leave Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract. ^[13]

Ipswich Town

On 29 June 2021, Penney joined Ipswich Town on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal with the option of an additional years' extension. ^{[14] [15]}

On 25 August 2022, Penney joined Scottish Premiership side Motherwell on a six-month loan deal. ^[16] he returned to Ipswich in January 2023 after the expiry of his loan. ^[17]

Charlton Athletic (loan)

On 21 January 2023, Penney joined Charlton Athletic on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season. ^[18]

Rochdale

In November 2024, after a season without a club, he signed for National League side Rochdale on non-contract forms. ^[19] He departed the club in January 2025. ^[20]

Altrincham

On 18 February 2025, Penney joined Altrincham. ^[21]

Style of play

Primarily an attacking full back, Penney can also play as a wing back and as a midfielder. ^[7]

Career statistics

As of 24 December 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sheffield Wednesday	2016–17 [6]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2017–18 [8]		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2018–19 [9]		16	0	0	0	1	0	—		17	0
	2019–20 [22]		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2020–21 [12]		12	0	1	0	2	0	—		15	0
	Total		28	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	32	0
Bradford City (loan)	2016–17 [6]	League One	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Mansfield Town (loan)	2017–18 [8]	League Two	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
St. Pauli (loan)	2019–20 [3]	2. Bundesliga	17	1	1	0	—		—		18	1
Ipswich Town	2021–22 [23]	League One	22	1	2	0	0	0	2 [a]	0	26	1
	2022–23 [24]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		22	1	2	0	30	0	2	0	26	1
Motherwell (loan)	2022–23 [24]	Scottish Premiership	16	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	18	0
Charlton Athletic (loan)	2022–23 [24]	League One	5	0	—		—		—		5	0
Rochdale (loan)	2024–25 [3]	National League	1	0	0	0	0	0	1 [b]	0	2	0
Career total			91	2	4	0	5	0	3	0	103	2

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Appearance in the National League Cup

References

1. "EFL Released and Retained List 2017–18" (PDF). English Football League. p. 37. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
2. "Matt Penney". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
3. Matt Penney at Soccerway. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
4. "Academy duo sign professional contracts". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
5. "Bradford City sign Charlie Wyke, Jacob Hanson, Kevin Toner and Matthew Penney". BBC Sport. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
6. "Games played by Matt Penney in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
7. "Mansfield sign midfielder Matt Penney and striker Ricky Miller". BBC Sport. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
8. "Games played by Matt Penney in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
9. "Games played by Matt Penney in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
10. "Matt Penney: Sheffield Wednesday defender joins German side St Pauli on loan". BBC Sport. 22 August 2019.
11. "Matt Penney extends Owls contract for 2020/21". Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
12. "Games played by Matt Penney in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
13. "Owls confirm 2020/21 retained list". www.swfc.co.uk.
14. Watson, Stuart (29 June 2021). "Penney becomes Town's sixth summer signing". East Anglian Daily Times . Retrieved 29 June 2021.
15. "Ipswich sign Wednesday's Penney" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
16. "Well add left-back Penney on loan". BBC Sport. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
17. "Penney back at Ipswich after Motherwell loan" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
18. "DONE DEAL : MATT PENNEY IS AN ADDICK". Charlton Athletic Official Site. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
19. "Goalkeeper Joins Dale On Loan – Rochdale AFC". rochdaleafc.co.uk.
20. "Henry & Penney Depart". rochdaleafc.co.uk. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
21. "Matt Penney arrives and is on the bench this evening". altrinchamfc.com. 18 February 2025. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
22. "Games played by Matt Penney in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
23. "Games played by Matt Penney in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
24. "Games played by Matt Penney in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 August 2022.