Biography
Goalkeeper Matt Duke was in his late 20s when he joined Hull City from Conference National side Burton Albion in July 2004 and for the next seven years he performed a vital second keeper role to Boaz Myhill. He made his debut in August 2004 when replacing Myhill late in a victory over Oldham Athletic and for the next four seasons he performed a support role, filling in occasionally as the Tigers ascended to the Championship and then the Premier League under Phil Brown. He kept himself fresh with a couple of loan spells – in August 2005 he joined League Two side Stockport County and made 3 appearances, then in January 2006 he spent a month on loan at another League Two side Wycombe Wanderers, where he made 5 starts.
During the 2007/08 season, which he had started as first choice keeper in four games, Matt was diagnosed with testicular cancer that was operated on in January 2008. He returned to football three months later and commenced a number of fund-raising efforts for the Everyman cancer charity. With Hull City promoted via the play-offs ahead of the 2008/09 season Duke became a top flight keeper when he made his Premier League debut against West Ham United in January 2009. With Myhill’s form faltering Duke was given a run of ten first team starts, his longest in the City first team to date. He had two further shorter spells as first choice keeper in the 2009/10 season as the Tigers tumbled to the foot of the Premier League table and Duke was new manager Nigel Pearson’s first choice keeper for the first three months of the 2010/11 season. He left the Tigers in June 2011 after seven years of yeoman service.
Matthew Duke came to football through the non-league game at Alfreton Town. He was signed by League Division 1 side Sheffield United, his hometown club, in August 1999 but spent only one season at Bramall Lane making no senior appearances and ending the 1999/00 season with a brief loan spell at League Division 2 side Bury, which also yielded no senior appearances. In the summer of 2000 he joined Conference National side Burton Albion and was regular first goalkeeper for the Brewers for four seasons, making nearly 150 appearances and winning a player of the season award at the end of the 2002/03 season. It was this form that attracted the attention of Peter Taylor’s Tigers.
Duke joined League Two side Bradford City in August 2011 after an extended trial spell at Derby County did not yield a contract offer. His two seasons with the Bantams saw plenty of highs and lows – after starting the 2011/12 season as first choice keeper then lost his place in November 2011 and spent February and March 2012 on loan at League Two rivals Northampton Town, where he made 9 appearances. Matt returned to the Bradford first team in March 2012 and kept his place for most of the 2012/13 season as the Bantams reached the League Two play-offs, defeating Northampton Town in the Wembley final with Duke sat on the bench. Bradford also had an unlikely run to the League Cup final that season, defeating Premier League sides Aston Villa and Arsenal in earlier rounds before losing 0-5 to Swansea City, another Premier League side, in the Wembley final – Matt was first choice keeper for that match but was red carded after 56 minutes. He left Bradford City at the end of the 2012/13 season having made 52 appearances.
In July 2013 he joined League Two side Northampton Town, the team his Bradford side had defeated at Wembley two months earlier, and he was a first team ever-present during the 2013/14 season – after one further season at Sixfields Duke left in June 2015 having made 92 appearances. He returned to Alfreton Town in July 2015 and stayed for eighteen months before leaving in February 2017 to end his career at Conference National side Chesterfield.
At Chesterfield Duke began to work as goalkeeping coach, in 2018 he was appointed goalkeeping coach for the Sheffield United academy and soon rose to fulfil that same role for the Blades’ first team, assisting the club when they won promotion to the Premier League in May 2023.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 16 June 1977, Sheffield
Hull City First Game: 21 August 2004, Oldham Athletic H (League 1), 27 years, 66 days old
Hull City Final Game: 7 May 2011, Bristol City A (Championship), 33 years, 325 days old
Clubs
Alfreton Town (1996-1999), Sheffield United (1999-2000), Bury (2000, loan), Burton Albion (2000-2004), Hull City (2004-2011), Stockport County (2005, loan), Wycombe Wanderers (2006, loan), Derby County (2011, loan), Bradford City (2011-2013), Northampton Town (2012, loan), Northampton Town (2013-2015), Alfreton Town (2015-2017), Chesterfield (2017)
Hull City Record
Career: 59 apps, 0 goals
Matt Duke| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004/05 | 1 (1) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 2005/06 | 1 (1) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2006/07 | 0 (1) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007/08 | 3 (0) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2008/09 | 10 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2009/10 | 11 (0) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2010/11 | 20 (1) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |