Oldham Athletic goalkeeper Mat Hudson has enjoyed a season to remember. At the start of the 2025/26 campaign, the Southport-born shot-stopper had just a single EFL appearance to his name – a brief outing as a substitute for Preston North End at Elland Road in 2015. The journey since has been anything but straightforward.
Now firmly back in the spotlight, Hudson sat down with LFE after being named in the EFL League Two Team of the Season to reflect on a remarkable and hard-fought return to prominence.
“I was with Preston from the age of 13 until I was 22, and it was a really great experience,” Hudson told LFE. “I was exposed to some brilliant opportunities coming through the system there and managed to make my debut at 17 too. I came on for Jordan Pickford in that game at Leeds, who’s now England’s number one, so I’ve learnt from some amazing goalkeepers.”
Hudson’s debut would prove to be his one and only appearance for the Lilywhites. He went on to remain with the Lancashire club until 2022 as a backup goalkeeper but found opportunities few and far between.
“I think when you’re a young keeper at a big club in the Championship, you’re not expecting to be playing. You need to go and get some experience on loan and earn your stripes, and I believe that if I’d done that properly at an earlier stage, I’d have been in a better position to push for more games.
“I travelled a lot with the squad, stayed in the hotels and took part in a lot of the matchday routines, which was a really good experience. But it comes to a point where you start thinking, ‘Right, I really need to go and play some football matches now.’”
Hudson left Deepdale upon the expiration of his contract, with both player and club believing it was time for a fresh start.
“A new manager came in and said it would be best for me to go out and try to forge a career elsewhere. It became quite clear that I was never going to play at Preston, so it made sense for me to move on.
“I went on trial with a few EFL teams, including Salford and Rochdale, but for whatever reason I couldn’t earn a contract. I think I assumed that, because I’d been at a Championship club, I’d walk into a full-time club elsewhere relatively easily. It was a bit of a shock to the system when that turned out not to be the case.
“Looking back, I’d had very little experience and only a handful of games under my belt, so it was perhaps a bit naive of me to think that.”
The Preston North End academy graduate eventually signed for National League North outfit Buxton. However, with the Derbyshire-based non-league side operating on a part-time basis, Hudson began to feel the pressure of no longer having a regular, reliable income.
“I was getting paid, but it wasn’t enough to cover my mortgage, bills and support my family. It was panic stations,” he admits. “I’d been earning an income from Preston for years, so as soon as that stopped, I had to think quickly about what I was going to do. I was applying for all sorts of jobs and was very open-minded. I just needed to bring some money in.
“I eventually got in touch with my old primary school headteacher, who was still at the same school, and asked if there were any jobs available. I got an interview and thankfully secured a role as a teaching assistant. I was working in a Year 6 class, primarily on a one-to-one basis with an autistic pupil, supporting him day to day. I would also step in as a supply teacher at times when other staff were absent.
“It really opened my eyes to the outside world, so to speak, and it was an incredibly fulfilling experience.”
Reflecting on that period of his life, Hudson says he would encourage young players coming through to invest time in pursuits beyond football, helping them prepare for transitions or periods of uncertainty like the one he experienced.
“It’s definitely something I should have thought about. You see a lot of players who get released and remain stuck in that football bubble for a long time. Of course, you should always give it your best shot at earning a contract elsewhere, but unfortunately, more often than not, it doesn’t work out.
“I think it’s so important to be open-minded while you are still playing, so that you’re prepared for that next step, whenever it may come. Whether it’s studying for a degree or starting a small business on the side, just have something there that you can fall back on.”
After four months of balancing his role as a teaching assistant, coaching, and his non-league football commitments, an opportunity arose that Hudson could not turn down.
“I got a call from Steve Thompson, who was the assistant manager at Preston when I was there. He’d moved to Oldham Athletic as Head of Recruitment and told me there was a chance for me to go in as a number two goalkeeper. He obviously knew all about me and my character, and I think that’s what made him consider me, along with my ability as a goalkeeper, of course.
“Oldham were in the National League at the time, which meant they were full-time, and I would have to leave my role at the school. Thankfully, the school were brilliant with me and told me that if an opportunity came along to return to full-time football, they would be very happy for me to go and pursue it.
“Like I said, working at the school was amazing, but it also made me realise how much I missed the day-to-day routine of full-time football.”
Hudson joined the Latics midway through the 2022/23 campaign and, by the following season, had cemented himself as the club’s number one.
“I just went in there, got my head down and worked really hard to try to earn the opportunity to impress. When it came, thankfully I managed to take it.”
In his third season at the club, Oldham ended their three-year hiatus from the Football League, beating Southend United 3–2 in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, with Hudson between the sticks.
“I think that day put it all into perspective for me. A couple of years prior, I was working in a school, out of full-time football and just about earning enough to cover my bills. I was really down and out.
“To lift that trophy at Wembley and secure a return to the EFL was an amazing feeling – not just for the club and our supporters, but also on a personal level after everything I’d gone through to get there.”
After the euphoria of promotion at the home of English football, Hudson’s hard work was rewarded further when he signed a new three-year deal at Boundary Park.
“It was a really nice feeling to sign that and know I’ve got that security for my family. I’ve got a young family – a little boy who is 10 months old – so to know you’ve got a solid income for three years, whether you’re playing, out of the team or injured, is reassuring.”
Oldham ended last season in 10th place in League Two – a more than respectable finish on their return to the EFL. Hudson believes the momentum gained from promotion out of the fifth tier was key to their success.
“We were full of confidence going into the new season. Getting promoted can do so much for a club and its fanbase, and there was such a massive feel-good factor around the place.
“We really had no expectations. We just said, ‘Let’s roll with it, have no fear and see how far it takes us.’”
It was a successful season collectively for Micky Mellor’s side, with Hudson a cornerstone of their achievements. The 27-year-old kept the joint-highest number of clean sheets in the league (19), alongside Cambridge United’s Jake Eastwood, and was subsequently named in the EFL League Two Team of the Season.
“That was a really proud moment,” Hudson said. “Winning at Wembley the season before was a great feeling, but this felt extra special.
“It was great to look back at how far I’d come from dropping out of full-time football after leaving Preston – a club I’d been at for so long. The journey back wasn’t easy, and I had to work my way up again, but that’s football, isn’t it?
“Being recognised on that stage has given me so much belief and has left me hungry to come back next year and be even better.”
