Before Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri it was Fulham’s Harvey Elliott, and before Elliott it was Fulham’s Matthew Briggs. For 12 years Briggs held the mantle of youngest Premier League debutant, feeling both the joy of the accomplishment but also its considerable weight.
“I’m proud to have had that title and I wouldn’t take it back for the world,” says the 31-year-old. “But there is a part of me that wishes I’d just progressed slowly up the ranks.”
Briggs was aged 16 years and 65 days when he replaced Moritz Volz in Fulham’s 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough in the final game of the 2006-07 season. On the Saturday he had trained with Lawrie Sanchez’s first-team squad for the first time. On the Sunday he made Premier League history. On the Monday he sat his GCSEs. Success and the trappings of Premier League life beckoned or so the young left-back thought.
“It was so surreal,” reflects Briggs, who now plays semi-professionally for Gosport Borough in the Southern League Premier Division South while working as a fitness and life coach. “As I ran on the pitch the Middlesbrough fans started singing: ‘Who are ye? Who are ye?’ I loved every minute of it.
“The fans were trying to get into my head but I didn’t let it faze me. I did well when I came on, out of position as well in center midfield, and when I looked up after the game I saw my Mum. She had travelled up and was sat in one of the boxes above the tunnel with the directors. As I was walking back in I looked up and saw her in tears. That’s when I realized what I had achieved.
“I had my GCSEs the next day and when I walked into school it was like I was someone else. Everything went silent for a moment, then everyone was running up to me saying: ‘Oh my God, I saw you on Match of the Day last night’ and started asking for my autograph.
“I was baffled by that, these were people I’d seen every single day. Everyone kind of changed towards me. I wasn’t just an ordinary kid who played football any more.”
What happened next took a toll on Briggs’s mental wellbeing. He takes responsibility for a career that serves as a cautionary tale – ultimately making only 13 league appearances for Fulham over seven years – although he believes the guidance he required after stepping into the spotlight was lacking.
He says: “You never intend to change but I think it changed me and the people around me. New acquaintances I made were bigging me up and I admit it changed me a bit because I was so young. I thought I was the bee’s knees basically and got a bit complacent with it all as the years went on.
“I was the youngest Premier League player and I had this big expectation over my shoulders. What was sad about it was I didn’t actually make another first-team appearance until two years later. That affected me quite badly mentally.
“Because I was so young I didn’t feel I had the right to knock on the door and ask why I wasn’t involved any more. When I made my debut I thought I was going to make it, I was going to be the next James Milner, but when it didn’t happen and I was put back in the youth team I was thinking: ‘Did I not do well? Am I not good enough?’ And no one really gave me any information as to why and that affected me quite badly. It knocked my confidence.
“I remember that season, playing for the under-18s, I didn’t feel like myself for half of the season. Have you seen the film Space Jam, when the NBA players lose their powers? I felt like that, like I’d lost my ability. I’d had such a fast progression – I made my reserve team debut at 14 – and all of a sudden it was stagnant. I didn’t have my first loan until I was 19. I played one game for Leyton Orient, got man of the match, and then got called back. Roy Hodgson was manager at the time and wanted me as back-up for Paul Konchesky and then Carlos Salcido.”
A Premier League career may not have materialized but Briggs has had a well-travelled journey that includes spells at Millwall, Colchester United, two clubs in Denmark, representing England from under-16s to under-21s level and an on-going international career with Guyana.
“My grandma was born in Guyana and moved to England,” he says. “She passed away when I was younger and so I thought it would be a good mark of respect for her and I know she would be proud to see my playing for the country where she was born.
“I’ve been able to travel the world, see beautiful places, represent my country on the international stage and play in major tournaments. It’s been amazing.”
Briggs now works as an online fitness coach as well as a focus and mindset coach. He is perfectly qualified to offer advice to Ethan Nwaneri after the Arsenal midfielder made his Premier League debut aged 15 years and 181 days against Brentford last Sunday.
“I feel clubs are much more aware of the psychological impact it has on young players now,” says Briggs. “I feel they look after them a lot better and I’ve no doubt that Ethan was fully deserving of his debut.
“I’d just say don’t let it go to your head, keep training hard, stay focused, look after yourself on and off the pitch and stay disciplined. And, if he does have anything that affects him mentally or he’s worried about anything, talk to somebody. It will be better for him in the long run.
“And just enjoy it. It’s a short-lived career. When I was making my debut I thought it would never end and before I knew it I was 31. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
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