Matthew Lowton

Matthew "Matt" John Lowton (born 9 June 1989 in Chesterfield, England) is an English footballer who plays for Aston Villa in the Premier League. He can play in a number of defensive positions but is a natural right back.

Sheffield United
Lowton joined Sheffield United aged fifteen after a brief spell with Leeds United and progressed through Sheffield United's youth set up to reserve level, converting from a full-back to a central defensive role in the process.

After spending a spell on loan at Sheffield F.C in 2008, in January 2009 Lowton went out on loan to Sheffield United's Hungarian sister club Ferencváros, along with fellow reserve player Sam Wedgbury, to get first-team experience. He made his début in the Hungarian League Cup the next month, making eighteen appearances before returning to United towards the end of the season.

Back in the Championship, Lowton found himself on the fringes of the first team and duly made his Blades début in the 1–1 draw with Cardiff City at the end of March, coming on as a late substitute before making his full début for the club in the final game of the season.

The following season, Lowton started Sheffield United's opening day fixture, away to Cardiff City, but was issued with a straight red card. Despite this setback, he returned to the first-team picture and was rewarded with a new contract at the end of September. Lowton continued a run of substitute appearances and rewarded United's faith by scoring his first senior goal in mid-October, netting in a 3–3 home draw with Burnley. He played regularly for the remainder of the season, scoring four goals in all, but couldn't prevent the club from slipping to relegation.

With the Blades in League One, Lowton remained a key player and was rewarded with an extended contract in August 2011.

Aston Villa
Lowton completed a move to Aston Villa on 6 July 2012 for an undisclosed fee believed to be £3 million, becoming Paul Lambert's second signing as Villa manager. Following his move to Aston Villa, Lowton stated that he hopes to emulate former Sheffield United player Phil Jagielka in reaching the England squad. He scored his first goal for Villa in a pre-season friendly against Portland Timbers. He made his debut on 18 August 2012, in the Premier League against West Ham United. He made his home debut on 25 August, in a 3–1 defeat to Everton. On 15 September, he scored his first league goal for Aston Villa in a 2–0 home win against Swansea City. On 6 April 2013, Lowton scored his second league goal in a 3–1 win at Stoke City with a "worldy" volley from 35 yards.