Matt Gadsby

Matt Gadsby

Personal information
Full name	Matthew John Gadsby
Date of birth	6 September 1979(1979-09-06)
Place of birth	Sutton Coldfield, England
Date of death	9 September 2006(2006-09-09) (aged 27)
Place of death	Harrogate, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position	Defender
Youth career
1996–1998	Walsall
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–2002	Walsall	37	(0)
2002–2003	Mansfield Town	20	(0)
2003–2004	Kidderminster Harriers	32	(2)
2004–2006	Forest Green Rovers	66	(3)
2006	Hinckley United	7	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Matthew John Gadsby (6 September 1979 – 9 September 2006) was an English professional footballer. Born in Sutton Coldfield, he played for Walsall, Mansfield Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Forest Green and Hinckley United as a defender and midfielder.

Playing career

He signed for Hinckley United in 2006 from Football Conference side Forest Green Rovers.

Gadsby had previously played at clubs including Walsall, where he graduated from the youth team and played in the Division Two Play-off final of 2001, when Walsall defeated Reading 3–2. After being released by Walsall, he signed for Mansfield Town.

Death

Gadsby collapsed on the pitch on 9 September 2006, playing for Hinckley United in a Conference North game against Harrogate Town. Despite efforts by paramedics to revive him,^[1] he died soon afterwards in Harrogate District Hospital, three days after his 27th birthday. Medical tests revealed that Gadsby died from a heart condition known as Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, an inherited condition that affects the muscle of the right ventricle of the heart.^[2]

Hinckley United’s next game away at Moor Green was postponed after his death. The club, after consultation with the Football Conference, also decided to withdraw the number five shirt worn by Gadsby for the remainder of the season. It was replaced by the number 18 shirt in the starting line-up.

A remembrance area was set up at the Marston's Stadium by the turnstiles, and a memorial game was played on 29 October 2006, at the Newton Regis recreational ground, between Tamworth Sunday league team Newton Thistle and a Leicester City old stars side.^[3]

See also

• List of footballers who died while playing

References

1. ^ "Shock at star player's death". icBirmingham.co.uk. 11 September 2006. http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=17723437&method=full&siteid=50002&headline=shock-at-star-player-s-death-name_page.html. Retrieved 2007-11-26. 
2. ^ "Cause of Death". CIDG. http://www.cidg.org/webcontent/default.aspx?tabid=173. Retrieved 2006-10-31. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ "Match staged in memory of player". BBC News. 27 October 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/6090458.stm. Retrieved 2006-10-31. 

External links

• Hinckley United Independent Memorial Page
• Soccerbase.com
• BBC News Coverage
• BBC News Memorial match

Persondata
Name	Gadsby, Matt
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	6 September 1979
Place of birth	Sutton Coldfield, England
Date of death	9 September 2006
Place of death	Harrogate, England