Born in Newcastle upon Tyne,[2] Matthewson had a spell playing for the Byker Youth Club's football team before he was signed by Bolton Wanderers.
He made a quick impression and was senior linesman for the 1970 FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Leeds.
A year later he took charge of a League Cup semi-final between Stoke City and West Ham United and in late 1972 was promoted to the FIFA List of referees.
Matthewson sent Leeds United's Billy Bremner and Liverpool's Kevin Keegan off for fighting, the first time players had been dismissed in a major British club match at Wembley.
[2] Matthewson was portrayed in the 2009 film The Damned United by Peter Quinn, the secretary of Blackburn non-league football club Sporting Athletic.