Matt Donohue refereeing at Edgeley Park.

Matt Donohue to make EFL debut

Manchester FA referee Matt Donohue takes the next step on his officiating career this Saturday, when he will oversee his first game in the English Football League (EFL).

It has been quite the rapid rise for Donohue, who will be the man in the middle as Colchester United host Port Vale at the Weston Homes Community Stadium in Sky Bet League Two.

The Southend-native, who originally moved up to the North West over 10 years ago for his degree, began his refereeing journey with us, officiating local games in the Greater Manchester area.

A full-time teacher at Greswell Primary School in Denton, Donohue juggled inspiring young minds with refereeing National League matches last term.

This summer, he was rewarded following two successive promotions after spending one season at Level 2B (National League North) and a further solitary campaign at Level B (Vanarama National) last season.

His achievements have seen him promoted to the National List of Referees for this season, a brilliant feat.

Matt’s efforts at Non-League level, both regional and national, haven’t gone un-noticed, and he has since been invited to join the elite referees in the county, operating in the top-four tiers of the English football pyramid during the 2018/19 season.

He was the fourth official at the DW Stadium last Saturday Wigan Athletic kicked-off their Championship campaign with a 3-2 home victory over Sheffield Wednesday.

Manchester FA’s Referee Development Officer, Tom Elliott, said of Donohue: “Matt’s rise to the EFL is testament to his desire and attitude to succeed as a referee.

“He has done very well during such a short space of time, and he is a credit to himself and all of us at Manchester FA.

“It has been great to watch his career development, from refereeing at non-league level to getting his first EFL game, we are all proud of him and hopefully he will inspire others to take up refereeing in Greater Manchester.”

Everyone at Manchester FA wishes Matt the best of luck for his EFL debut in Essex!

Fancy getting involved with refereeing at Manchester FA this season? For more information, click here: http://www.manchesterfa.com/referees