Former Sheffield Wednesday, Bradford City and Ipswich Town man finds new club after over a year as free agent
Former Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City defender Matt Penney has dropped into non-league football with Rochdale.
A product of Wednesday’s academy, the 26-year-old ascended the youth ranks at Hillsborough before making 32 first-team appearances.
He left the Owls in 2021 and joined Ipswich Town, but left after two seasons at Portman Road. After nearly 18 months as a free agent, the left-back has now secured a return to the game.
He has agreed non-contract terms with National League outfit Rochdale, on the fifth rung of the English football ladder.
It marks a first venture into the non-league pyramid for Penney, who was loaned to Bradford, Mansfield Town and St Pauli while cutting his teeth in S6.
He was a bit-part player for Ipswich, who loaned him to Motherwell and Charlton Athletic before allowing him to seek pastures new.
Notts County and Leyton Orient both ran the rule over Penney in the summer, giving him an opportunity to impress as a trialist.
However, neither took Penney on board for the 2024/25 season. He has now been parachuted into a promotion push, with Rochdale sixth in the National League table.