Matthew Michael Reilly (22 March 1874 – 9 December 1954)[2] was an Irish international goalkeeper who played most of his career with Portsmouth in the Southern League.
[1] In the 1896 Amateur Cup final, played against Bishop Auckland, Reilly was voted "Man of the Match" when he kept the score down to a 1–0 defeat.
By now, Reilly's military career was over and in July 1899,[5] he was snapped up by manager Frank Brettell and joined Portsmouth who had been founded a year earlier and were elected as members of an expanded Southern League for the 1899–1900 season.
During Reilly's five seasons at Fratton Park, Portsmouth were one of the dominant teams in the Southern League, winning the championship in 1901–02, and never finishing outside the top four.
In the event, the game was far more difficult than expected, with England only managing a 2–0 victory,[7] with goals from Charlie Sagar and Harry Johnson, who were also both making their international debut.
He made an inauspicious start in a 3–0 defeat at Stoke[3] and lost his place mid-season to Albert Iremonger (who was the tallest player in the league at the time, measuring 6 ft 6 in[10]).