Welcome to the Yeltz, Matt Preston 🤝
The club are delighted to announce our fifth summer signing ahead of the 2026/27 season, as experienced centre half Matt Preston, who has over 120 Football League appearances to his name, joins the club following his departure from National League North side Hereford FC last month
The 31 year old started his career in the Walsall academy, before getting his first taste of senior football at step 3 for Barwell in the summer of 2014, following a short spell at Icelandic club ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar. Matt made 12 appearances for the Canaries, until his loan ended in January 2015. He also made his Football League debut that season at the age of 19 against Rochdale.
The centre half continued at the Saddlers until the summer of 2017, making an incredible 40 League One appearances across the 2015/16 & 16/17 campaigns. He also made nine cup appearances across the FA Cup, League Cup & EFL Trophy. The 2017/18 season saw Preston move onto League Two side Swindon Town, where he made 21 league appearances before departing after one season for fellow League Two side Mansfield Town.
At the age of 22, he had the best season of his career too date, scoring three times and featuring in 39 league games on route to the play-offs for the Nottinghamshire side. He also spent the 19/20 season at Mansfield, and made 22 League Two appearances. In October 2020, Preston left for National League Barnet, where he played in 15 league games.
The 2021/22 campaign saw him make six National League North appearances on loan at Russ Penn’s Kidderminster Harriers, before making six National League games for Solihull Moors. That season also saw Matt play the full 120 minutes against West Ham United in that famous FA Cup game at Aggborough.
A month after the biggest game of his career, Matt unfortunately suffered a devastating leg break in a game against Alfreton Town, which saw the game abandoned. After his return to parent club Solihull, Matt didn’t take to the pitch until just over a year after his injury, during a loan move to Brackley Town in March 2023. He made eight NL North appearances for the remainder of the campaign.
The 2023/24 season saw Matt’s return to Kiddy to partner back up with the current Yeltz boss. The centre half made 18 National League appearances, until he departed after one season in July 2024 to join NL North Hereford. He played in a total of 70 step 2 matches for the Bulls, before his two year spell at the club was ended last month to allow his move to the Yeltz, and once again link-up with Russ.
Everyone at the club would like to welcome Matt to the Yeltz 🤝