Teenager defender Matthew Orr is a product of the Linfield Academy, having joined from Bangor Young Men in 2019 at the age of 12. The Bangor-native pushed up through various Academy teams before breaking into Linfield Swifts’ team in the 2023-24 season aged 16. Prior to that, he played under the management of current teammate Jamie Mulgrew in the under-18s.

 

Another vastly experienced Linfield midfielder, Chris Shields, also coached Orr for a period of time with Linfield u18s, and when asked about the teenager’s progression, Shields stated: “I had a brief stint coaching the u18s; I remember Matty training – he was a sleight kid then, so I had to do a double take when he came into senior training. I was questioning if it was the same person because he had filled out over a couple of years. He’s met everything head on and his skill level at one-on-one defending is one of the best I’ve seen. He’s exceptional.”

 

The versatile defender can play right-back or in the centre of defence. Orr’s senior breakthrough came at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, with his first senior involvement coming in a pre-season friendly away to Moyola Park to mark the official opening of their upgraded facility at Mill Meadow. The Blues won 3-1, with Orr coming on as a second-half substitute to make an immediate impact as he put in a thunderous goal-saving tackle after Chris Johns had saved a penalty.

 

The boyhood Liverpool fan also made a quick impact on his senior debut which came in the second leg of a UEFA Europa Conference League First Round clash with Icelandic team Stjarnan. Orr entered the action in the 65th minute with the Blues drawing 1-1 on the night but trailing 3-1 on aggregate, and the young defender announced himself five minutes after coming on as he rose high to brilliantly dispatch a header from Kirk Millar’s cross, giving Linfield renewed hope. Fitzpatrick then levelled the tie before the Blues suffered late heartbreak to lose 4-3 on aggregate, but Orr made an impression and it was a sign of things to come. He signed a first professional contract with Linfield a few weeks later.

 

Although the defender had to be patient in the early stages of his breakthrough season in 2024-25, he broke into the matchday squad towards the end of September 2024 in the midst of an injury crisis and soon made the shirt his own. Orr’s first start came in a 3-0 win away to Dundela in the League Cup on October 1 2024, and then a big moment on his journey came when he started his first League match the following Saturday, putting in a commendable display against proven Irish League players as the Blues defeated Crusaders 3-2 at Seaview.

 

Following Orr’s strong display at Seaview on October 5, 2024, the defender became a mainstay in the team, only missing a handful of League fixtures, due to International involvement with Northern Ireland u17s & u19s. Orr scored his second goal in Linfield colours on March 7, 2025 – a decisive breakthrough goal with a towering header in the 70th minute to help the Blues overcome Crusaders at Seaview and take a big step towards reclaiming the League title.

 

His stellar form was rewarded when Northern Ireland U21s boss Tommy Wright called up the 17-year-old who made his debut for the U21s in a 1-1 draw against Moldova U21s in Turkey on 20 March, 2025.

 

The highly-rated teenager won his first senior medal when Linfield won the 2024-25 Sports Direct Premiership with six games to spare, and he followed that up by picking up several individual awards at the end of the season.