Matthew Green programme article
Posted : 18th September 2021
‘Look at Linfield’ this week catches up with summer signing Matt Green. The 34 year-old English striker penned a one-year deal with the champions in August after leaving Grimsby Town, bringing an end to his 16 years in the English Football League system. Now, settling nicely into his new surroundings in Belfast, the Bath native said Linfield are a club that matched his ambitions.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be here and to be part of a good team and a massive club who have won so many titles. I could have stayed in the Football League but I wanted to try something new and I was very much taken away by the stadium here. I wanted to win things and to play for a club that’s highly ambitious, so Linfield was the perfect fit.
“Any club that demands success is one you want to be part of and I want to try and be part of a successful team this season. Every club wants success. They all start out the season for success, but achieving it is a totally different thing. The pressure should be there because the fans come out in their numbers and the reason why they do is because they know they’ve a team that are hungry for success year in, year out. There’s no doubt they want to be entertained and I think they got that in Portadown last week.”
The experienced striker – who once hit 40 goals in a season for Mansfield Town and also netted Cup goals against Liverpool and Chelsea – was playing in empty stadiums last season with Grimsby in League Two and says it made the atmosphere in last week’s game against Portadown all the more special.
“I was playing in empty stadiums last season, so there was no atmosphere. It really wasn’t the best time to be a professional footballer but it made the atmosphere at Portadown last week more special. The fans make you want to work harder, to run around more and to go and score goals.”
Matt made his Linfield debut on the opening day as a second half substitute against Crusaders at Windsor Park, and then he came off the bench against Portadown last week to score his first Linfield goal just minutes after coming on. The striker was well placed to fire in Kirk Millar’s cross from close range to make it 2-2 and that laid the foundations for the Blues to complete a great away comeback victory, courtesy of a stunning late winner from the in-form Christy Manzinga. He then made his first start during the week in a 4-0 League Cup win over Ballyclare Comrades and added another goal.
“To come on for 25 minutes last week and to nick a goal and help the team to victory was a perfect start for me. You can see I am still not 100% as sharp as I should be, as seen when I fell over the ball against Portadown! I think that goal will settle me down a bit now and with more minutes in the tank in the Cup against Ballyclare on Tuesday, I am getting sharper as the games come and go.
“I am incredibly excited to play alongside Kirk Millar as his deliveries are exceptional! I could have had at least another goal against Portadown. There was one which came across the goal but I didn’t see it until the last second, and the other one where I fell over the ball, but I feel that with a bit more sharpness, I’ll be hitting the back of the net in those scenarios.
“My last goal was towards the end of last season for Grimsby but I didn’t play as much as I wanted to there. I had five different managers and the club was in a bit of disarray. Thankfully, Linfield is a very settled club and that feeling of scoring never gets old.”
The Blues’ number 77 believes he already has a fair idea of what to expect in the Irish League and states that he’s particularly excited for the tough challenge against Coleraine at Windsor Park today.
“I have watched most of the teams at this level and I know pretty much every week is going to be a tough dogfight. The thing about this league is that no-one gives up as every team fights to the bitter end. That resilience as a group is already installed in us and hopefully, I can help the group moving forward.
“I can’t wait to go back to Windsor Park. It’s a fantastic stadium with great facilities and hopefully, things will open up even more and we can get the stadium filled up as much as possible. I’m looking forward to hopefully playing as many games as I can this season.
“Coleraine is a big game but as a player, you see every game as a platform. Coleraine are always up there and are a team that we will highly respect. At the same time, the gaffer will get us organised and ready for whatever is thrown at us. We showed our versatility against Portadown; we can play into feet and we can also get in behind and stretch teams. Hopefully, if we can put that all together, we can build a good run of form.”
A warm Windsor welcome to Matt and everyone associated with Linfield FC will hope that last week’s important goal at Shamrock Park will be the first of many in the blue shirt.