Colchester United are delighted to announce the arrival of Matty Etherington as the U21 Lead Coach ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Etherington joins the Academy coaching staff after Dave Huzzey’s promotion to Ben Garner’s backroom team last week, and has already started preparations with the U21s for the upcoming campaign.
The former Tottenham, West Ham and Stoke City midfielder made almost 300 Premier League appearances across an almost-twenty-year playing career, and brings a wealth of experience with him to the club.
And in addition to his playing credentials, Etherington also has an encouraging back catalogue of coaching experience. He worked with Peterborough’s U18s and U21s, before a stint with the First Team at London Road, and time as Crawley Town’s Head Coach in 2022.
After agreeing to join Colchester ahead of the new season, Matty said he was looking forward to getting to work.
“I’m excited about the season ahead and continuing the really good work that’s already going on here within the academy and hopefully adding something to that.
“You just have to look at the amount of minutes that academy graduates played last season, I think it was top in the EFL. From afar, looking at the Academy and how well it’s done over the years and the players that it’s produced – I worked with a couple at Peterborough in Sammie (Szmodics) and Frankie (Kent).
“It was a good opportunity for me and I’ve got a real hunger to develop players.”
Watch the full interview with Matty on our YouTube channel.
