The boy's injuries could have been a lot worse except for the courage of sister Nikki, 15, who saw his distress and ripped his prized Boro shirt off to save him from severe burns.
The youngster said that a boy threw a firework at him behind his home in Routledge Road, Tilery, which he ducked to miss, but that a second one hit him.
His furious mum Alison, who wants fireworks banned, said: "It is absolutely disgraceful.
"There have been lads aged between 16-17 going around here throwing fireworks at children, and I knew one of the kids was going to get hurt," she added.
Trading standards chiefs and retailers warned that sales of powerful and often dangerous fireworks are rising as Bonfire Night approaches.
Jeti Desai, of G2 Fireworks, on Borough Road, Middlesbrough, said that rockets being let off every night in the area have not all come from registered stores.
"A lot of illegal fireworks are being sold from private houses," he said.
"People have fireworks in their sitting rooms and are selling to anybody. There is no control over who can get them or whether they know how to use them.
"You do not know what you are buying because they are under the counter goods and children are able to get them too."
In Teesside, there are between 60 and 70 licensed premises where fireworks can be bought. By law, they cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 18.
Middlesbrough Council's trading standards officer, John Wells, said: "We have heard the allegations and believe people are selling fireworks illegally. It is a problem and we will be taking measures to deal with it.
"Fireworks should not be in the hands of children. They are explosive devices that can cause physical injuries and all sorts of other damage."
The incident with Matthew is the second serious firework injury case to be reported in the past four days.
As reported in yesterday's Gazette, 59-year-old Joe White had the top of the middle finger of his left hand blown off by a firework thrown by a youth as he worked in his Seaton Carew garden on Sunday.
And around 100 students had to be evacuated from Middlesbrough College after a firework was thrown through a window on Tuesday night.
Over the years, a number of other people have reported being injured through the misuse of fireworks.
Last year Karen Clark, from Hardwick, almost lost an eye after a firework was thrown at her when she was in her garden.
And in 2000, 15-year-old Robert Douglass was badly scarred after a firework he was holding exploded in his face.
In the Langburgh area, extra community police teams are already on patrol to deal with the problem of youths using fireworks.
A force spokeswoman said: "Our main problem is the number of children setting off fireworks and misusing them, and the patrols will prevent that.
"We are also visiting retailers, to ensure they abide by the law with regard to selling fireworks to under 18s."
