Matthew Connelly, born on 2 March 2003, is a Scottish professional footballer who currently plays in the goalkeeper position for Motherwell FC. Despite being relatively young at 21 years of age, Connelly possesses a strong presence between the sticks, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall (1.8m) and tipping the scales at 11 stone (70kg). His current squad number at Motherwell is 31.
The young goalkeeper's current contract at Motherwell is winding down, with its expiration date set for 6 January 2025. This suggests that the club and the player may currently be in discussions about a possible contract extension, or the player could potentially be weighing up a move elsewhere.
Connelly has had quite a bit of experience in the Scottish football system. His professional journey started at Motherwell, from where he moved to Falkirk in the Championship on loan in October 2020. Recall from Falkirk arrived in January 2021, steering Connelly back to the Premiership with Motherwell, where unfortunately no first-team appearances were made for the 2024- 2025 season.
Opportunities to develop further saw him venture the loan route again; this time to Gretna in the Lowland League in July 2021. His tenure at Gretna was short-lived, returning to Motherwell in October 2021, a season for which he again made no first team appearances.
Yet another loan spell awaited Connelly in January 2023, this time at Stranraer in the League Two. He successfully debuted with the team, making five first team appearances throughout the season 2022-2023. In June 2023, upon the completion of his loan, Connelly returned to Motherwell.
The pattern of loans continued with Connelly transferring to East Kilbride in the Lowland League in December 2023. He was recalled to his parent club, Motherwell, in June 2024. In the season 2024 - 2025, Connelly falling into a familiar situation, made no first team appearances for Motherwell.
In August 2024, the loan carousel took Connelly back to East Kilbride. After a short stint, he returned to Motherwell in November 2024. In the ongoing 2024 - 2025 season at Motherwell, Connelly is yet to make an appearance in the first team.
Although not having made any mark with a breakthrough at his parent club, Motherwell, Matthew Connelly’s journey through the Scottish tiers of football emphasises his growth and pursuit for more promising opportunities.
