The £1m Wolves signing who failed to make single appearance eying more FA Cup history after 'riddled' Molineux career

The 16-year-old returned to school the next day - having made a handful of appearances for the Manchester based side.

Months after those heroics at Old Trafford, Matheson, who later went on to play for England under 18s, made the big jump from League One to the Premier League.

Wolves shelled out £1m for the defender, who had made his debut for Rochdale at the age of just 15.

Matheson was bucking the trend in the England set up, alongside youngsters from the big clubs, prompting a scramble for his signature.

The defender is now preparing to cause a shock in the FA Cup on Monday, as his Macclesfield side prepare to welcome Brentford on Monday evening.

And he has been reflecting on a career that almost ended through injury - and why he describes his Wolves career as 'riddled', and a step backwards his career.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Matheson, now 23, said: "It was a dream come true,"

"I had been in and around it going away with England - it would be your Manchester City boys, Manchester United, Chelsea, and then me from Rochdale.

"I was getting around £400 a month from Rochdale on my scholarship and £250 of that was going on public transport to get me to training. 

"Then I sign for Wolves and they've got three drivers who can take me to and from Manchester every day. The difference was astronomical."

When most youngsters go through the ranks and graduate to the first team, Matheson went in the other direction.

Having played 30 senior games for Rochdale, he then found himself in the Wolves under 23 side and he failed to make a senior appearance for the club.

He added: "In that sense, for me in my personal career, it almost felt like I'd taken a step backwards.

"A lot of the under-23s were trying to get out on loan into a first team. I'd gone from doing that to not doing that," added the 23-year-old.

"My three-and-a-half years at Wolves was riddled.

"It was a torrid time, I never really kicked on in the way that I'd hoped."

Loan spells in the England and Scotland came to nothing and he was eventually released at the end of the 2022/23 season - having been hampered by injuries.

He was told that he may never play again after a severe, high grade hamstring tear, which led to him looking at what he could do away from the game.

He has recently graduated alongside other professionals such as goalkeeper Tim Krul, as they received a diploma in sports directorship from the PFA business school.

However, he has continued part time at the Silkmen, with the hope of putting his name into FA Cup lights once again.