| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Brian Barnes-Homer[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 January 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | ? | (?) |
| 2004 | Syracuse Salty Dogs | ? | (?) |
| 2004 | Virginia Beach Mariners | ? | (?) |
| 2004 | Aldershot Town | 2 | (0) |
| 2005 | Hednesford Town | 1 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Bromsgrove Rovers | 19 | (3) |
| 2006 | Tividale | ? | (?) |
| 2006–2007 | Willenhall Town | 33 | (14) |
| 2007 | Wycombe Wanderers | 1 | (0) |
| 2007–2010 | Kidderminster Harriers | 100 | (35) |
| 2009 | → Luton Town (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| 2010–2012 | Luton Town | 66 | (19) |
| 2011–2012 | → Rochdale (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009– | England C | 5 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:37, 03 October 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Matthew Brian Barnes-Homer (born 25 January 1986) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for most recently Luton Town before having his contract terminated by mutual consent.
Barnes-Homer started his career as a youth player at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he spent three years. He went on to have short spells at three clubs in the lower leagues of the United States of America football pyramid during 2004, before returning to England with Aldershot Town. He then played for various non-league clubs in his local West Midlands region between 2005 and 2007 until League Two side Wycombe Wanderers signed him on a short-term contract in March 2007. He was released shorty afterwards, where he joined Conference National side Kidderminster Harriers. After a lean first season at the club, Barnes-Homer established himself as top scorer in the next campaign with 21 goals, averaging almost one goal for every two games.
A similar goal return during 2009–10 prompted interest from former Football League club Luton Town, who signed him in January 2010. He finished the 2010–11 season as Luton's top scorer with 19 goals.
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Born in Birmingham, West Midlands, Barnes-Homer began his career as a 15-year old trainee at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but was released three years later at the end of the 2003–04 season.[2] He went to the United States where he played for Rochester Rhinos, Syracuse Salty Dogs and Virginia Beach Mariners, before heading back to England to join Aldershot Town in 2004, where he made two appearances.[3] He then joined Hednesford Town, where he made one substitute appearance, and was signed by Bromsgrove Rovers in April 2005 after impressing in Bromsgrove's reserve side.[3]
Barnes-Homer had a short spell at Tividale[4] before he joined Willenhall Town in August 2008 and scored a hat-trick on his debut against Stourbridge.[5] After impressive performances for Willenhall, he joined League Two club Wycombe Wanderers in March 2007 after a successful trial.[6][7] However, he was one of several players released at the end of the 2006–07 season after Wycombe failed to reach the League Two play-offs.[8]
He joined Conference side Kidderminster Harriers in July 2007 after featuring in pre-season games.[2] After scoring 6 league goals during the 2007–08 season, he signed a new one-year contract in April 2008.[9]
Barnes-Homer scored 21 goals the next season, ending the campaign as highest goalscorer at the club as Kidderminster finished narrowly outside the play-offs. He signed a new two-year contract with the club in June 2009.[10]
Barnes-Homer began the 2009–10 season for Kidderminster as he had finished the last, with a return of roughly one goal in every two games.[7] His goalscoring form did not go unnoticed and, on 26 November 2009, Barnes-Homer joined Luton Town, initially on a one-month loan deal. On 13 January 2010 the transfer led to a permanent two-and-a-half-year-contract, for which Luton paid Kidderminster a five-figure fee, believed to be around £75,000.[11][12]
Barnes-Homer made a below-average start to his Luton career, with just three goals in 20 league games. Luton manager Richard Money cited the fact that Barnes-Homer had lost his stepfather mid-season as reason for his poor form.[13] Money believed that in the following season, Luton fans would see the real Matthew Barnes-Homer and that he would be akin to a brand new signing.[13] This faith from the manager paid off, as Barnes-Homer scored five goals in the opening three games of the 2010–11 season, including a hat-trick away against Kettering Town. He fell out of favour with new Luton manager Gary Brabin towards the end of the season, being used primarily as a substitute, including in the club's play-off final defeat to AFC Wimbledon. Barnes-Homer ended the season as Luton's top scorer with 19 goals, 16 of which game in the league.
He started Luton's first game of the 2011–12 season, though was substituted after an hour. On 25 August 2011, Barnes-Homer joined League One side Rochdale on loan until January 2012.[14]
Barnes-Homer was named in the England C squad that played Poland under-23's on 17 November 2009. He scored the winning goal on his debut in a 2–1 victory.[15] On 9 February 2011, Barnes-Homer scored the winning goal in a 1–0 win against Belgium under-23's that put England C into the final of the International Challenge Trophy.[16]