Lee Thorpe
Encyclopedia
Lee Anthony Thorpe is an English professional footballer who played more than 400 games in the Football League
and currently plays for A.F.C. Fylde
and began his career as a trainee with Blackpool
, turning professional in July 1994. He joined Bangor
on loan in September 1995, scoring once in three games during his loan spell.
After failing to establish himself at Blackpool, he was allowed to leave, joining Lincoln City
on a free transfer in August 1997. He had a successful time at Sincil Bank, scoring 57 times in 192 league games, before moving to Leyton Orient
on a free transfer in May 2002. He joined Grimsby Town
on loan in February 2004, having been placed on the transfer list and told his contract would not be renewed in the summer. He moved to Bristol Rovers
on a free transfer the following month.
In February 2005 he joined Swansea City
, initially on loan, but signing on a free transfer a week later. He played a role in their promontion to Coca Cola league 1 The next season he was loaned out to Peterborough United
in October 2005 and Torquay United
on loan in February 2006. He remained at Torquay on loan for the remainder of the season, playing first under John Cornforth
and then under Ian Atkins
as Torquay successfully fought off relegation to the Conference
.
He signed for Torquay United on a free transfer in May 2006, one of Ian Atkins' first signings after confirming himself as manager for the following season. Although he has played most of his career as a centre-forward, Thorpe also played as a central defender when required at Torquay. He was still under contract when Torquay were relegated to the Conference National
, but left 'by mutual consent' on 27 June 2007. He signed a two-year contract with Brentford
on 3 July 2007. He was sent off on his debut for Brentford after 45 minutes for a serious foul.
After losing his place in the Brentford first eleven under new manager Andy Scott, Thorpe joined Rochdale
on a free transfer on 31 January 2008. He scored his first goal for his new club against his former club in a 2–0 win at Griffin Park
.
He joined Darlington
in 2009, and was released in March 2010, joining Fleetwood Town
completing a move back to the Fylde coast where he began his career at Blackpool.
During his period at Fleetwood, he scored the winning goal in Town's 2-1 win over Alfreton Town in Conference North Play-Off Final 2010.
He was not offered a new contract at the end of the 2010/11 season and was released, along with a number of other players. In July 2011 he agreed to join A.F.C. Fylde
, signing a one-year contract with the club.
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and currently plays for A.F.C. Fylde
A.F.C. Fylde
A.F.C. Fylde is a football club based at Warton in the Borough of Fylde in the English county of Lancashire. The club were known as Kirkham & Wesham F.C. until the end of the 2007-08 season...
Career
Thorpe was born in WolverhamptonWolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and began his career as a trainee with Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, turning professional in July 1994. He joined Bangor
Bangor F.C.
Bangor Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1918, hails from Bangor and plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park. Club colours are gold and royal blue...
on loan in September 1995, scoring once in three games during his loan spell.
After failing to establish himself at Blackpool, he was allowed to leave, joining Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
on a free transfer in August 1997. He had a successful time at Sincil Bank, scoring 57 times in 192 league games, before moving to Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
on a free transfer in May 2002. He joined Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
on loan in February 2004, having been placed on the transfer list and told his contract would not be renewed in the summer. He moved to Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
on a free transfer the following month.
In February 2005 he joined Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
, initially on loan, but signing on a free transfer a week later. He played a role in their promontion to Coca Cola league 1 The next season he was loaned out to Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
in October 2005 and Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
on loan in February 2006. He remained at Torquay on loan for the remainder of the season, playing first under John Cornforth
John Cornforth
Sir John Warcup 'Kappa' Cornforth, AC, CBE, FRS , is an Australian scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975 for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalyzed reactions....
and then under Ian Atkins
Ian Atkins
Ian Leslie Atkins is a former English professional footballer who became a manager later in his career, and now works as a coach with Sunderland. During a 20-year playing career he had eight clubs, including two spells with Sunderland and Birmingham City and playing more than 200 games with his...
as Torquay successfully fought off relegation to the Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
.
He signed for Torquay United on a free transfer in May 2006, one of Ian Atkins' first signings after confirming himself as manager for the following season. Although he has played most of his career as a centre-forward, Thorpe also played as a central defender when required at Torquay. He was still under contract when Torquay were relegated to the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
, but left 'by mutual consent' on 27 June 2007. He signed a two-year contract with Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
on 3 July 2007. He was sent off on his debut for Brentford after 45 minutes for a serious foul.
After losing his place in the Brentford first eleven under new manager Andy Scott, Thorpe joined Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
on a free transfer on 31 January 2008. He scored his first goal for his new club against his former club in a 2–0 win at Griffin Park
Griffin Park
Griffin Park is a football ground situated in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It has been the home ground of League One side Brentford since it was built in 1904. It is known for being the only English league football ground to have a pub on each corner, and is situated in a...
.
He joined Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
in 2009, and was released in March 2010, joining Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town F.C.
Fleetwood Town F.C. is an English football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire. They currently play in the Conference National having been defeated in the Conference National play-off semi-final by AFC Wimbledon in the 2010–11 season.-History:...
completing a move back to the Fylde coast where he began his career at Blackpool.
During his period at Fleetwood, he scored the winning goal in Town's 2-1 win over Alfreton Town in Conference North Play-Off Final 2010.
He was not offered a new contract at the end of the 2010/11 season and was released, along with a number of other players. In July 2011 he agreed to join A.F.C. Fylde
A.F.C. Fylde
A.F.C. Fylde is a football club based at Warton in the Borough of Fylde in the English county of Lancashire. The club were known as Kirkham & Wesham F.C. until the end of the 2007-08 season...
, signing a one-year contract with the club.
As a player
- BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
- Lancashire Senior CupLancashire Senior CupThe Lancashire County Football Association Cup , is a football knockout tournament involving teams from Lancashire, England and surrounding areas. It is a County Cup competition of the Lancashire County Football Association and involves Premier League clubs and Football League clubs...
winner: 19951994-95 in English football-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
, 19961995-96 in English football- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
- Lancashire Senior Cup
- BangorBangor F.C.Bangor Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1918, hails from Bangor and plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park. Club colours are gold and royal blue...
- Steel & Sons CupSteel & Sons CupThe Steel & Sons Cup is an intermediate football competition in Northern Ireland run by the North East Ulster Football Association . The competition culminates in the final which has traditionally been played on Christmas Day...
winner: 1994–95
- Steel & Sons Cup
- Lincoln CityLincoln City F.C.Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
- Lincolnshire Senior CupLincolnshire Senior CupThe Lincolnshire Senior County Cup is a football competition for senior football clubs in Lincolnshire organised by the Lincolnshire FA....
winner: 1997–981997-98 in English footballThe 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
- Lincolnshire Senior Cup
- Grimsby TownGrimsby Town F.C.Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
- Lincolnshire Senior CupLincolnshire Senior CupThe Lincolnshire Senior County Cup is a football competition for senior football clubs in Lincolnshire organised by the Lincolnshire FA....
runner-up: 2003–042003-04 in English footballThe 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
- Lincolnshire Senior Cup
- Swansea CitySwansea City A.F.C.Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
- FAW Premier CupFAW Premier CupThe FAW Premier Cup is a defunct Welsh football cup competition, organised annually by the Football Association of Wales from 1997 to 2008...
winner: 2005, 2006 - Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
winner: 2005–062005-06 in English footballThe 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
- FAW Premier Cup
- Fleetwood TownFleetwood Town F.C.Fleetwood Town F.C. is an English football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire. They currently play in the Conference National having been defeated in the Conference National play-off semi-final by AFC Wimbledon in the 2010–11 season.-History:...
- Conference NorthConference NorthThe Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
play-off winner: 2009–102009–10 in English footballThe 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
- Conference North