Matt Pearson was a defender finding his way in the game when he came to Dale - but it wasn't til he left the club that his career began to move in an upward trajectory.

Position: Right-back

Appearances: 9

Goals: 0

Arrived from: Blackburn Rovers

Left for: Halifax Town

Pearson looked to be developing into a solid right-back option during his brief spell at Rochdale, but in the end he was edged out of a first-team spot by the more consistent Joe Rafferty and the versatile Rhys Bennett.

Having come through the ranks at Blackburn Rovers, Pearson was highly thought of Ewood Park for many years, joining the club aged just 10 years old and remaining there until joining Dale in 2012. He never made a first-team appearance for Rovers, although he did play one FA Trophy game during a very brief loan stint at Lincoln City, which ended abruptly when he was recalled by Blackburn before he could make a National League outing. He also made one appearance for England's U18 team.

Joining on a one-year deal following his release from Blackburn, it seemed as though Pearson's tough-tackling, no-nonsense style had won him favour with boss John Coleman at first and he was selected for his debut in the EFL Cup against Keith Hill's Barnsley, retaining his place for the first league game of the season the following week versus Northampton Town.

Although not the most progressive player, Pearson seemed fairly solid defensively for the most part and appeared to be growing into men's football with some steady performances and with time, started to add some attacking flair to his performances at full-back. He even picked up an impressive assist for Dele Adebola in a 2-0 win over Barnet, where he nutmegged the Bees left-back before driving the ball across goal towards the experienced striker who was lurking at the back post.

A poor showing in a defeat to Burton Albion the following week saw Pearson drop to the bench with Joe Rafferty moving into the starting eleven and the Keighley-born defender would only go on to make a handful of appearances from there, including filling in at left-back in an away win at Gillingham after an injury to Kevin McIntyre.

By the time Keith Hill was appointed Dale boss again in January, Pearson's chances of nailing down a first-team spot on a regular basis appeared to be dead in the water thanks to the improvements made by Joe Rafferty and as a result he found himself finishing the season on loan at Halifax Town, making 17 appearances.

He clearly did enough to convince the Shaymen to offer him a permanent deal at the end of the season as he found himself on Keith Hill's released list. In West Yorkshire he found himself moved into the centre-back position on a more regular basis and ended up becoming a key member of the squad over his two year spell, racking up 84 appearances and 5 goals, prompting John Coleman to sign him for a second time - this time at Accrington Stanley.

While with Halifax, Pearson received further international honours, playing nine times for England C and scoring once in a 2-4 defeat to Hungary.

"He is an aggressive, keen, honest and hard-working player who fits the bill of what we want at this club" said Coleman upon Pearson's arrival at the Crown Ground and that aggression was certainly stand out during his time with the Reds. Again though, he quickly established himself as a key player and for a defender, he also started to develop a keen eye for a goal. He left Stanley in 2017 with no fewer than 11 to his name in 89 league appearances.

His development at Accrington by this point had prompted Barnsley to shell out a reported fee of around £500,000 for his services ahead of the 2017/2018 campaign but he endured a difficult solitary campaign at Oakwell, with injury issues keeping him out of the starting eleven and further problems elsewhere in the squad often forcing him to fill in at his less comfortable position of left-back although, by this point, he was mostly being utilised as a central defender.

After securing promotion from League Two, Luton Town were quick to move for Pearson to take him away from Oakwell and at Kennilworth Road, Pearson would prove to be a fans' favourite as he would miss out on just 8 of a possible 136 league games, helping the club to earn another promotion in his first season and quickly establishing himself at Championship level with a new found assuredness to his game that overrode the aggression that had often caused disciplinary problems in his earlier career.

Still seen as a no-nonsense centre half first and foremost, Pearson was also capable of filling in as a defensive midfielder and at either full-back, leaving him with a spot in the team most weeks during three years at Luton but prior to the 2021/22 campaign, he would leave the club with 10 goals and 136 appearances to his name to move closer to his native Keighley by signing for Huddersfield Town.

After a successful first season in which Pearson featured 38 times and the Terriers upset the odds to finish 3rd in the table, the 2022/23 campaign would prove to be a more difficult one for Pearson as he suffered a broken foot in a pre-season game and was forced to miss out on the majority of the season. When he did return though, the defender played a significant part in Town's dramatic escape from relegation under Neil Warnock and he even managed a remarkable run of four goals in three games from centre back to help the club remain in the Championship where, at the time of writing, Pearson will be preparing for another campaign in 2023/24.

It's fair to say that Matty Pearson was still finding his feet as a young player when joining Dale and perhaps needed to drop a level or two to really begin his progression in men's football but since then, he has established himself as a very dependable centre-back at Championship level as the one of the front-foot, hard as nails defenders that are often lamented as being few and far between in the modern game.

Photo: Action Images

Rochdale Polls