Matt Lockwood

Matthew Dominic Lockwood (born 17 October 1976) is an English former footballer and former head coach of the Montserrat national football team.

He played for Leyton Orient, Nottingham Forest and Dundee among other clubs.

Lockwood was known for his attacking qualities from left back and his goal scoring abilities.

Born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Lockwood was a trainee with hometown club Southend United before signing a professional contract with Queens Park Rangers on 2 May 1995.

Lockwood was part of the highly successful QPR reserve team that won the Avon Combination league in the 95/96 season.

When his teammate, Ian Holloway, was appointed Player/Manager at Bristol Rovers, Lockwood was one of his first signings.

He went on to make 76 appearances until the end of the 1997–98 season.

After completing his contract at Bristol Rovers, Lockwood moved on a free transfer to Leyton Orient, where he became an integral part of the first team.

Lockwood was named PFA Team of the Year in the 1999–00 season and 2000–01 season.

These performances attracted the attention of many Premier League clubs, but although Leyton Orient received offers in the region of £500,000, they did not accept any.

Later, when Lockwood caught the attention of Championship clubs including Millwall, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace, Orient offered him an improved contract, and he stayed at The Matchroom Stadium.

Lockwood signed an improved two-year deal at the end of the season.

During the 2001–02 season, Lockwood suffered a significant spleen injury during a match against York City in August 2001 when he collided with the opposition player.

His injury was initially life-threatening after his condition quickly deteriorated, and it took some months to recover.

He made his first return appearance against Crystal Palace reserves, saying: "It was great to be back, and the management felt I did well and are pleased with my progress ... The injury does not play on my mind, and I am just trying to forget it now."

In 2006, Lockwood was named as the 47th best player outside of the Premier League in a study by FourFourTwo magazine.

The study named Lockwood as the best player at left back and the fourth-best player in League Two.

Lockwood was Leyton Orient's second-leading goal-scorer in the 2006–07 season, including an 11-minute hat-trick in a game at Brisbane Road vs. Gillingham, which secured a 3–3 draw after the O's had been 3–0 down with 13 minutes remaining.

He scored 11 goals from left-back that season.

He was named in PFA League One Team of the Year for 2006–07.

In July 2007, Lockwood signed for League One giants Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed fee.

He signed a two-year contract with the club.

Orient manager Martin Ling said, "He's been very close to signing for top-flight teams in the past, and I think he felt at this stage of his career it was too good an opportunity to turn down."

Lockwood made his debut on the opening day of the season, in the 0–0 draw at home to Bournemouth.

Still, an ankle injury kept him sidelined for the season's first three months.

In the 2007–08 campaign, Lockwood featured 11 times.

He helped Forest gain automatic promotion, finishing second in the league, as Forest were promoted from League One to the Championship.

At the end of the season, Colchester United, who had just been relegated from the Championship, had their £100k move for Lockwood accepted.

Forest were reluctant to let Lockwood leave but agreed to sell due to the player's desire for guaranteed first team football.

He signed for an undisclosed fee for Colchester United in June 2008.

On the opening game of the season, Lockwood made his debut in a 4–2 loss against Hartlepool United.

He only made three appearances in the first half of the season due to an injury he suffered in August, leaving him sidelined 3 months.

During this time, Colchester changed managers, and once Lockwood got fit, he found his first-team opportunities limited due to the new manager signing another left-back without even seeing Lockwood kick a ball.

By January, Lockwood made his recovery from his knee problem and returned to training.

Towards the end of the season, he would make two more appearances.

Colchester announced that his contract would not be renewed when it expires at the following season's end.

Before his release, Lockwood says he couldn't wait to leave the club.

After leaving the club, he was linked with a return to Colchester, under new manager John Ward, but he refused, describing his time there as a 'nightmare'.

Lockwood joined Barnet on loan in February 2009.

After the move, Lockwood explained he decided to join Barnet to build up his match fitness after 3 months out injured.