Matty Pattison

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Personal information
Matty Pattison
Full name	Matthew Joseph Pattison
Date of birth	October 27, 1986 (age 20)
Place of birth	Johannesburg, South Africa
Height	1.73m
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Newcastle United
Number	35
Youth clubs
2000–05	Newcastle United
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2005–present	Newcastle United	9 (0)
National team²
2006–present	South Africa	0 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:02, 24 August 2006 (UTC). ² National team caps and goals correct as of 15:02, 24 August 2006 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Matthew Pattison (born October 27, 1986 in Johannesburg) is an Anglo-South African professional footballer, who currently plays for Newcastle United as a midfielder.

Pattison began playing football at an early age, learning his trade at amateur Johannesburg-based outfit Alberton F.C. He and his family then moved to England in 1997, when he was eleven years old. He joined the Newcastle United Academy three years later at the age of fourteen.

He got his first taste of senior football in a pre-season friendly match against Celtic in August 2004. Unfortunately, Pattison was put on the sideline for the whole 2004-2005 season with two knee ligament injuries that threatened to end his career before it had really begun.

However, he showed his resilience and made his competitive first team debut on February 25, 2006 in a Premiership match against Everton, coming on as a substitute. Pattison made his first start for the club later in the same season against West Bromwich Albion, before being substituted after 80 minutes. Pattison was later named man of the match for the impressive contribution he made during the 3-0 win.

In the 2006-2007 season, Pattison has made appearances of the bench quite a few times and got around 30 minutes against Manchester United in October.

Matty Pattison received his first call up for the South African senior soccer team (Bafana Bafana) on November 1, 2006 to represent his country against Egypt on November 15, 2006 in the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge.

Although there was an injury-struck and suspended midfield, Matty Pattison didn't play a full 90 minutes against Birmingham City in the FA Cup 3rd Round which took place on Saturday 6 January 2007, and resulted in a 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle. Pattison will be hoping he can impress manager Glenn Roeder and assistant Nigel Pearson.

Pattison recently received rave reviews from reserve-team coach Lee Clark for his solid performances in the middle of the park for the reserve team, making his first-team chances look increasingly healthier.