Matthew Bell (born 3 January 1992) is a former footballer who played as a midfielder.
Bell came through the youth team at Port Vale and has played for Mansfield Town, Stafford Rangers, Leek Town, Solihull Moors, Kidsgrove Athletic, Nantwich Town and Hanley Town. He represented the British Virgin Islands at international level.
Club career Bell came through the youth team at Port Vale and turned professional with the League Two club under Micky Adams in April 2010. However, he failed to make a first-team appearance at Vale Park and was released in May 2011.
He signed a one-year contract with Conference National club Mansfield Town in June 2011. Manager Paul Cox stated that "He has a lovely left foot, is tenacious, has high fitness levels and can play at left-back, left-midfield and even in central midfield". He was loaned out to Northern Premier League side Stafford Rangers in December 2011 and Leek Town in March 2012.
He signed with Kidsgrove Athletic in February 2015. He joined Nantwich Town in May 2015. He helped the "Dabbers" to reach the semi-finals of the FA Trophy in 2015–16, scoring 12 goals in all competitions, and then to qualify for the Northern Premier League play-offs the following season, scoring eight goals from 51 appearances. This season also saw him collect the Players Player of the Year award for his performances. He lifted the Cheshire Senior Cup after scoring in a 3–0 win over Stockport Town in the 2018 final. He also played and scored in the 2019 final, a 5–2 victory over Cammell Laird 1907. He also helped the "Dabbers" to reach the 2018–19 play-offs, where they were beaten by Warrington Town in the semi-finals.
Bell re-joined Leek Town in October 2019, ending his Nantwich Town record with 31 goals from 199 competitive appearances. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2019–20 Northern Premier League Division One South East season was formally abandoned on 26 March 2020, with all results from the season being expunged. He scored five goals from eleven games in the 2020–21 season, which was also curtailed early due to the pandemic on 24 February 2021. He made 13 appearances at the start of the 2021–22 season, scoring one goal, before he re-signed with Nantwich Town on 12 December. He played 18 times for Nantwich in the second half of the season. He joined Hanley Town in 2023. He made 23 appearances across the 2022–23 and 2023–24 campaigns.
International career Bell was called up to the British Virgin Islands squad and made his debut on 26 March 2015 in a 3–2 defeat to Dominica at Windsor Park in the first round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played in the reverse fixture three days later, a 0–0 draw which eliminated the British Virgin Islands from the competition.
Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupLeague Cup OtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalPort Vale2009–10League Two00000000002010–11League Two0000000000Total0000000000Mansfield Town2011–12Conference National1000—0010Solihull Moors2011–12Conference North4000—0040Leek Town (loan)2011–12Northern Premier League Division One South120000000120Leek Town2012–13Northern Premier League Division One South3923020304722013–14Northern Premier League Division One South4132010705132014–15Northern Premier League Division One South235511052348Total115101014015214413Nantwich Town2017–18Northern Premier League Premier Division37810247102018–19Northern Premier League Premier Division32151372Leek Town2019–20Northern Premier League Division One South East1620020202022020–21Northern Premier League Division One South East742100201152021–22Northern Premier League Division One West121100000131Total357312040448Nantwich Town2021–22Northern Premier League Premier Division1700000101802022–23Northern Premier League Premier Division130100020160Total300100030340Hanley Town2022–23Northern Premier League Division One West90000000902023–24Northern Premier League Division One West80300030140Total170300030230
Honours Nantwich Town Cheshire Senior Cup: 2018, 2019
References