Matthews played for Hackney and Middlesex Schools and joined West Ham United as a youth.
[2][3] Matthews would have to wait 2+1⁄2 years for his league debut, a Second Division encounter against Blackburn Rovers on 17 March 1956.
[2][3] After nine league appearances for West Ham, his final game for the club came in the Essex Professional Cup, in a 3–1 win over Chelmsford City on 26 November 1956.
[3] He joined Aldershot in July 1957 and scored 20 goals in 62 appearances, before moving to Gillingham in August 1962.
[4] Matthews then moved to non-league Ashford Town where he was captain before injury curtailed his playing career.