Matt Robinson (footballer, born 1993)

Matthew James Robinson (born 12 November 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Boreham Wood on loan from National League club Woking. He is also an MC, making music under the name Kamakaze.

Matt Robinson
Personal information
Full name Matthew James Robinson[1]
Date of birth (1993-11-12) 12 November 1993[2]
Place of birth Leicester, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Position(s) Central midfielder[4]
Team information
Current team
 Boreham Wood
(on loan from Woking)
Number 24
Youth career
2010–2012 Leicester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2016 Luton Town 46 (3)
2014 → Kidderminster Harriers (loan) 6 (0)
2015 → Grimsby Town (loan) 7 (1)
2015–2016 → Woking (loan) 26 (2)
2016–2023 Dagenham & Redbridge 234 (21)
2023– Woking 12 (0)
2023– → Boreham Wood (loan) 3 (0)
International career‡
2022 England C 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:29, 18 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:42, 30 March 2022 (UTC)

He played in the Football League for Luton Town and has played for Kidderminster Harriers, Grimsby Town and Woking on loan, before spending seven years at Dagenham & Redbridge. He was also capped at England C level in 2022.

His song "Last Night", featuring Massappeals, was also added to the FIFA 20 soundtrack, leading Kamakaze to become the first person to have a song on FIFA's soundtrack while also previously having featured on FIFA as a football character.[5][6]

Football career

Early career

Born in Leicester, Leicestershire,[7] Robinson began his career in the youth system at Leicester City. He made 43 appearances in the youth team over the course of two seasons, scoring 14 goals, but was not offered a contract and left the club in early 2012.[8]

Luton Town

Robinson went on trial with Conference Premier club Luton Town later in 2012 and impressed manager Paul Buckle enough in pre-season to be offered a two-year professional contract.[8] He made his debut as an 87th-minute substitute in a 2–0 win away to Kidderminster Harriers on 14 August 2012.[9] Robinson made six substitute appearances and started two matches under Buckle, before starting six matches under new manager John Still following his appointment on 26 February 2013.[9][10] He scored his first professional goal on the final day of 2012–13 in a 3–1 win away to Southport and finished the season with 14 appearances and one goal.[9][11] In June 2013, Robinson signed a contract extension until June 2015.[12]

Robinson was primarily an unused substitute for much of the first half of 2013–14, though he did play in Luton's FA Cup and FA Trophy matches.[9] On 26 December 2013, fellow Luton midfielder Jonathan Smith suffered a double leg break during a 2–1 win away to Barnet, promoting Robinson to a more regular place in the team.[13][14] He played in all but one of Luton's matches in the second half of the season, scoring his first goal of 2013–14 in a 3–0 win at home to Chester on 22 March 2014, and this was followed up with a goal in the following match, a 2–1 win away to Grimsby Town.[9][15] 19-year-old Robinson, who played alongside 18-year-old Cameron McGeehan and 20-year-old Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu in a youthful midfield trio, was praised by Still for his performances.[16] He finished the season with 31 appearances and two goals,[9] as Luton won the Conference Premier title and therefore promotion into League Two.[17]

He made his Football League debut in Luton's 1–0 victory away to Carlisle United on the opening day of 2014–15.[18] On 1 October 2014, Robinson signed a three-year contract extension to keep him at Luton until June 2017.[19]

On 31 October 2014, Robinson joined Kidderminster Harriers on a one-month loan.[20] He went on to make six appearances for the Harriers before returning to Luton,[9] declining the chance to stay for a further month to fight for his place at Luton.[21] He made a total of 12 appearances for Luton throughout the season, but was placed on the club's transfer list in May 2015 alongside five other players.[22]

On 21 August 2015, Robinson joined National League club Grimsby Town on a one-month loan.[23]

On 23 October 2015, Robinson joined Woking on a one-month loan after failing to impress at Grimsby Town.[24] He debuted a day later, starting in a 3–0 defeat away to Maidenhead United in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round.[25] On 19 December 2015, Robinson scored his first Woking goal in a 5–1 victory away to Gateshead, in which he poked home a cross from Dan Holman.[26] On 14 January 2016, Robinson's loan at Woking was extended until the end of the season.[27] He completed the loan spell with 31 appearances and two goals.[9]

On 10 May 2016, Luton announced that Robinson had once again been placed on the transfer list.[28][29] However, just one week later, he was released from his contract by mutual consent one year early as part of the reorganisation of the squad by Luton manager Nathan Jones.[30][31] He made 57 appearances and scored three goals since joining the club in 2012.[31]

Dagenham & Redbridge

Robinson signed a two-year contract with newly relegated National League club Dagenham & Redbridge on 7 June 2016.[32]

Woking

On 12 June 2023, following a seven-year spell with Dagenham & Redbridge, Robinson returned to Woking on a two-year deal.[33]

Boreham Wood (loan)

On 29 September 2023, Robinson agreed to join fellow National League side, Boreham Wood on loan until 27 January 2024.[34]

International career

Robinson was called up to the England national C team on 20 October 2016 for an International Challenge Trophy match against the Estonia under-23 team.[35]

Music career

Robinson is an MC, performing under the stage name Kamakaze. He began writing lyrics around age 11-12,[36][37] and has made music such as hip-hop, cloud rap, UK garage, and, most notably, grime.[38][39]

In 2015, Kamakaze released a freestyle on JDZ Media, which by 2019 has reached over 3 million views.[40][41] In 2019, Kamakaze performed a football freestyle on the BBC, and featured on the FIFA 20 Volta soundtrack alongside Leicester producer Massappeals.[42][43] Kamakaze's song "Kam Dog" also featured on the gameplay trailer for FIFA 20 Volta.[44] His song "Last Night", featuring Massappeals, was also added to the FIFA 20 soundtrack, leading Kamakaze to become the first person to have a song on FIFA's soundtrack while also previously having featured on FIFA as a football character.[45][46] Kamakaze was nominated for the award of Best Grime Act at the 2022 MOBO awards.[47]

Personal life

In a March 2021 interview, Robinson revealed he had recently fathered a baby girl.[48]

Career statistics
As of match played 14 October 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Luton Town 2012–13[9] Conference Premier 10120—2[lower-alpha 1]0141
2013–14[9] Conference Premier 27210—3[lower-alpha 1]0312
2014–15[49] League Two 9010101[lower-alpha 2]0120
2015–16[50] League Two 00—000000
Total 463401060573
Kidderminster Harriers (loan) 2014–15[9] Conference Premier 60———60
Grimsby Town (loan) 2015–16[9] National League 71———71
Woking (loan) 2015–16[9] National League 26210—4[lower-alpha 1]0312
Dagenham & Redbridge 2016–17[9] National League 20020—00220
2017–18[9] National League 34000—1[lower-alpha 1]0350
2018–19[9] National League 39120—00411
2019–20[9] National League 33010—1[lower-alpha 1]0350
2020–21[9] National League 26800—1[lower-alpha 1]0278
2021–22[9] National League 40920—1[lower-alpha 1]0439
2022–23[9] National League 42341—2[lower-alpha 1]0484
Total 23421111—6025122
Woking 2023–24[9] National League 120——00120
Boreham Wood (loan) 2023–24[9] National League 3010—0040
Career total 334271711016036828
  1. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  2. Appearance in Football League Trophy

Honours

Luton Town

References
  1. "Club list of registered players: As at 16th May 2015" (PDF). The Football League. p. 74. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
  2. "Matt Robinson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  3. "Matt Robinson: Overview". ESPN. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  4. "Matt Robinson: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  5. "Meet our new Emerging Stars - Hannah Grace, Kamakaze and Lilla Vargen". Brighter Money. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  6. "Meet The Pro Footballer Who Also Features On The FIFA 20 Soundtrack". www.sportbible.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  7. "Matt Robinson". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  8. "Matt Robinson joins Luton after being released by Leicester". BBC Sport. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  9. "M. Robinson: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  10. "John Still: Luton Town appoint Dagenham & Redbridge boss". BBC Sport. 26 February 2013. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  11. Wood, Mark (20 April 2013). "Hatters battle back to beat Southport as they end their season on a high". Luton Today. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  12. "Robinson pens new Hatters deal". Luton Today. 5 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  13. "Barnet 1–2 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 26 December 2013. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  14. "Luton release Arnaud Mendy and confirm Jonathan Smith leg break". BBC Sport. 27 December 2013. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  15. "Grimsby Town 1–2 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  16. Simmonds, Mike (28 March 2014). "Robinson earns praise from Hatters boss". Luton Today. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  17. "Luton Town win Conference Premier and Football League spot". BBC Sport. 15 April 2014. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  18. "Carlisle United 0–1 Luton Town". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  19. "Luton Town's Matt Robinson signs new three-year contract". BBC Sport. 1 October 2014. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  20. "Robinson joins Kidderminster on loan". Luton Town F.C. 31 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  21. Simmonds, Mike (27 November 2014). "Robinson wants to fight for place at Luton". Luton Today. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  22. "Luton Town: Hatters release seven and transfer list six more". Bedfordshire on Sunday. Bedford. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017.
  23. Simmonds, Mike (21 August 2015). "Hatters midfielder heads to Grimsby". Luton Today. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  24. Shaw, Nick (23 October 2015). "Matt Robinson joins on loan from Luton". Woking F.C. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  25. Barnes, Alan (25 October 2015). "Maidenhead United 3–0 Woking". Woking F.C. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  26. "Gateshead 1–5 Woking". BBC Sport. 19 December 2015. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  27. Shaw, Nick (14 January 2016). "Matt Robinson rejoins on loan". Woking F.C. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  28. "Hatters release list published". Luton Town F.C. 10 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  29. "Luton Town: Jake Howells and Alex Lawless among nine released". BBC Sport. 10 May 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  30. "Town release duo". Luton Town F.C. 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  31. Simmonds, Mike (17 May 2016). "Hatters release Justham and Robinson". Luton Today. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  32. "Matt Robinson: Dagenham and Redbridge sign former Luton midfielder". BBC Sport. 7 June 2016. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  33. O'Sullivan, Daniel (12 June 2023). "Matt Robinson Signs". Woking F.C. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  34. O'Sullivan, Daniel (29 September 2023). "Robinson Leaves On Loan". Woking F.C. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  35. Coney, Steven (20 October 2016). "Paul Fairclough names 16-man England C squad for crucial Estonia clash". The Non-League Paper. London. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  36. "Archived copy". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  37. "Fire in the Boots: Kamakaze". VERSUS. 23 July 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  38. "Kamakaze Puts On For Leicester With 'Wavey Shirt Wednesday 2' Project". Complex. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  39. "In Talks With Leicester's Rising Emcee: Kamakaze". Mixtape Madness. 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  40. Kamakaze [Road Rage] | JDZmedia, archived from the original on 10 October 2021, retrieved 4 October 2019
  41. "Exclusive Interview: Kamakaze on juggling pro football with music | R…". archive.is. 4 October 2019. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  42. Arts, Electronic (13 September 2019). "FIFA 20 Soundtrack, featuring Major Lazer, Diplo, Skepta - EA SPORTS Official Site". Electronic Arts Inc. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  43. "90-second freestyle rap on Leicester's Premier League title win". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  44. "EA SPORTS FIFA on Instagram: "'Kam Dog' performed by Kamakaze x Massappeals"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  45. "Meet our new Emerging Stars - Hannah Grace, Kamakaze and Lilla Vargen". Brighter Money. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  46. "Meet The Pro Footballer Who Also Features On The FIFA 20 Soundtrack". www.sportbible.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  47. "MOBOs 2022: Nova Twins, Little Simz and FKA twigs among nominees". www.nme.com. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  48. Kamakaze discusses music, football and how he has adapted to the lock-down conditions positively., archived from the original on 10 October 2021, retrieved 10 October 2021
  49. "Games played by Matt Robinson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  50. "Games played by Matt Robinson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  51. Anderson, John, ed. (2014). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2014–2015. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 636–637. ISBN 978-1-4722-1251-1.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.