Matthew Rhys Gillam (born 4 October 1998) is an English footballer who plays for Northern Premier League side Glossop North End.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Matthew Rhys Gillam[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-10-04) 4 October 1998 (age 24)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Bexley, England | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Atherton Collieries | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 0000–2016 | Rochdale | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2020 | Rochdale | 20 | (2) |
| 2016 | → Stalybridge Celtic (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Cork City (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Guiseley | 6 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Atherton Collieries | 33 | (7) |
| 2022– | Glossop North End | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:19, 31 March 2022 (UTC) | |||
Gillam was born in Bexley, Kent but moved with his family to Congleton, Cheshire, when he was only a few months old.[3] He first started playing for a local junior side, where he was quickly scouted by Port Vale and signed up for their Academy system.[3] At the age of 12 he was spotted by Manchester City scouts and spent three months there before joining the Stoke City Academy.[3] He was not offered a scholarship by Stoke, so he subsequently moved to Rochdale where they did offer him one.[3]
He signed his first professional contract with Rochdale during the summer of 2016, after the youngster came through the youth ranks at the Crown Oil Arena.[4] His first appearance for the club came on 9 November 2016 in the EFL Trophy, with a 2-1 win over Hartlepool.[5] He marked the occasion with a debut goal.
At the end of the 2017-2018 season, Gillam's contract was due to expire in the summer. On 25 May 2018, the 19 year old signed a new two-year deal with Rochdale.[6] In February 2019, following a week long trial, Gillam signed a short term loan contract with Cork City until July.[7]
On 14 August 2020, following on from his release from Rochdale, he signed for National League North side Guiseley following a recommendation from his former Rochdale teammate, Brad Wade.[3] The season was curtailed due to Covid-19 and Gillam only went on to make nine appearances for the club.
On 28 August 2021, he dropped down a division to sign for Northern Premier League Premier Division side Atherton Collieries,[8] where he would contribute seven goals and four assists over 33 competitive appearances, before signing for Glossop North End on 6 June 2022.[9]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rochdale | 2016–17[10] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2017–18[10] | League One | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2018–19[10] | League One | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2019–20[10] | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 32 | 5 | ||
| Stalybridge Celtic (loan) | 2016–17[10] | National League North | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Cork City | 2019[10] | LOI Premier Division | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Guiseley | 2020–21[10][11] | National League North | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Atherton Collieries | 2021–22[12][13] | NPL Premier Division | 24 | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | 5[lower-alpha 2] | 1 | 33 | 7 | |
| Career total | 55 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 79 | 12 | ||