Matt Lowton

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Played Under

Paul Lambert |

First Squad Appearance

Debut Appearance

First Goal

Saturday, 15 September 2012

Final Appearance

Sunday, 15 May 2016

Southampton (a), Premier League

Final Squad Appearance

Saturday, 16 May 2015

Matt Lowton

Player #850 for Aston Villa, Matthew John Lowton known as Matt Lowton played as a right back for the club in Villa’s 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 Premier League campaigns, making 82 appearances and scoring twice.

Lowton was born in Chesterfield on 9 June 1989.

Paul Lambert had signed Lowton from Sheffield United for £3,380,000 on 6 July 2012 and whilst the bewildering Lambert’s transfer strategy of replacing seasoned professionals with lower league players looked a folly to even those who just gave it a cursory glance, there was one player that just about suggested that even this policy could produce the odd result. That player was Lowton, who in his early games looked assured and a spectacular shot helped him convince.

Yet after a decent first season Lowton - in what was one of Lambert’s many idiosyncrasies - started to disappear from first team view and played less and less even under the boss who had bought and promoted him. Lawton would ultimately check out of Villa as yet another Lambert failure. Poor coaching or a below par player? Either way Lambert’s strategy was not only pointless but also reckless if players weren’t given the opportunity to develop.

Lambert handed Lowton his debut aged 23 in the opening game of the 2012-13 season in Villa’s 0-1 defeat to West Ham United on Saturday, 18 August 2012. From there Lowton was a virtual ever present making 44 appearances in 46 games for Villa, contributing three assists and scoring twice. Lowton’s first strike for Villa came in the 2-0 Premier League win over Swansea City on Saturday, 15 September 2012 with Lowton collecting Barry Bannan’s corner-kick on his chest before hitting a left-foot volley which arrowed into the net. Lowton repeated the trick, only more spectacularly, chesting down a clearance 30 yards out and volleying spectacularly into the top corner in the 3-1 win over Stoke City Saturday, 6 April 2013. A goal which not only entertained but moved Villa out of the relegation places that Lambert had taken them into in the 2012-13 campaign.

For the following season, as became a bizarre trait with Lambert, an ever present, championed player in his first season was used far more sparingly in his second campaign. Lowton began the season in the starting XI for the first four Premier League matches but afterwards made just one league start in 9.

Recalled to the first team for the next six League games during which time Lowton contributed his second assist of the season, Lambert would then start him in just two of the next ten as the bewildering world of management under Lambert took hold. Lowton then made five starts in the last seven games of the campaign with no one any the wiser as to the logic behind Lambert’s team selections.

In total, Lowton had made 20 starts and 5 substitute appearances during the 2013-14 campaign as Villa once again fought against relegation under Lambert. For his part Lowton contributed three assists but unlike the previous campaign could not use his ferocious volleying capability to positive effect.

If Lowton’s 2013-14 was marked by the illogic of Lambert, 2014-15 took things to new levels and on his way to his long overdue sacking, Lambert would hand Lowton just four starts in 28 games before his successor Tim Sherwood reinstated Lowton to the starting line up for five matches in which Villa secured three crucial wins including an FA Cup Quarter Final win and two desperately needed League wins to help Villa avoid certain relegation.

Lowton made his final appearance for Villa aged 25 as a 67’ substitute for Leandro Bacuna in the awful 1-6 defeat at Southampton on Saturday, 16 May 2015 before moving on to Burnley in July 2015 for a fee of £1,260,000.

Lowton had played under Paul Lambert, Scott Marshall & Andy Marshall and Tim Sherwood.