He has been watching Coventry City since he was 10, becoming a season ticket holder and then taking over as the full-time fans’ drummer.
Disaster struck when the club travelled to Swansea on 21 March, a game Coventry won 3-0.
Matthews was drumming to a Matty Grimes chant, set to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries, when the Sky Blues got a penalty.
“We scored and I looked down at the drum and there was a hole,” he said. “And I’ve still no idea how it happened.”
The fans have had the original drum for some years and it is covered in stickers from its experiences in the stands. When not in use, it is kept in a storeroom at the home ground.
“It’s really nice for people to come and put stickers on and stuff. it gives it that bit of personality that is more than the drum itself,” Matthews said.
“It’s something the fans have adopted.”