Sam Matthews was born in Poole on the 10th of March 1997 and joined AFC Bournemouth at the age of 10 and signed his first senior contract with the club in 2014, on his 17th birthday.
On 31 January 2017, Sam joined National League side Eastleighn loan for the remainder of the season and made his debut for the club in a 1–1 away draw with Guisley. He scored his first goal for the club with a brace in a 3–2 away victory over Torquay United. He finished his loan spell with Eastleigh with 3 goals in 13 appearances. He returned to Eastleigh on 8 August 2017, in a loan deal that would see him stay with the club until January. On the 12th of August 2017, he was substituted on for Mark Yeates in the 81st minute of a 2–2 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge to appear for the first time in his second spell with the club. He gave Eastleigh the lead in a dramatic 3–3 draw with FC Halifax Town to score his first goal on his return to the club and went on to score another goal for the club before his loan spell ended on 9 January 2018. Eastleigh however decided to extend the loan spell until the end of the season. Sam finished the season for the Spitfires with 6 goals in 39 appearances which included a hat-trick on the final day of the season in a 4–1 away victory against Solihull Moors and his performances were rewarded when he was awarded with the Player of the Season award for Eastleigh.
In 2019 Eastleigh boosted their chances of making the National League play-offs by welcoming back fans; favourite Sam Matthews to the Silverlake Stadium. The 22-year-old creative midfielder/winger came back for another loan stay with the Spitfires, this time from League One outfit Bristol Rovers, for the rest of the season. The Poole-born player's silky skills earned him a move to Rovers last July and he has made 24 first-team appearances for the Pirates in league and cup. His previous two successful spells were from AFC Bournemouth.
He is highly-rated by Rovers, but has not had much first-team game time recently in Graham Coughlan’s hard-working, high-pressing side. His creativity, though, looked a massive plus for Eastleigh who, despite their terrific recent run of form, had lacked an attacking spark. Eastleigh boss Ben Strevens said, "It's great to have a player as popular as Sam back at the club. He already has a good relationship with the players, coaching staff and fans, so I’m sure he will be a great addition. He has done really well in previous spells at the club. He adds pace and creativity to our already strong attacking side."
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