Lee Trundle
Encyclopedia
Lee Christopher Trundle (born 10 October 1976 in Liverpool
, Merseyside
) is an English
footballer who currently plays for Neath.
, Stalybridge Celtic, Southport
, Bamber Bridge
and Chorley
before joining Welsh Premier League club Rhyl
in 2000.
to play for Wrexham
where he played 78 games (plus a further 24 as substitute) in all competitions and scored 30 goals in a little over two years. A goalscoring account which was started by a bicycle kick to start a second half comeback from 2–0 which culminated in a 3–2 victory for Wrexham against Walsall
on 24 February 2001.
. He instantly became a North Bank favourite with his goalscoring exploits and extraordinary tricks, scoring on his debut at the Vetch
against Bury, and neeting his first hattrick for the club in the following game at Cheltenham, becoming the third Swansea player to score a hattrick in three consecutive league matches. Trundle scored 78 goals in 146 appearances for Swansea, making it by far the most prolific period of his career.
In his time at Swansea, Trundle became a minor celebrity in the game, with his extrovert displays of skill (or "showboating") bringing him to national attention via the Soccer AM
television show on Sky Sports
. Tim Lovejoy
revealed in his autobiography that Trundle himself regularly contacted the show with footage of himself in action.
In October 2005, he was the subject of a £750,000 transfer bid by Sheffield Wednesday
which Swansea rejected. Days later, he signed an image rights contract with his club, offering a portion of revenues from merchandise featuring his image. He was believed to be the first player outside the Premier League to do so.
before he officially completed the deal, scoring and providing an assist in a 2–2 draw at Ashton Gate. It is believed Bristol City made four offers for the striker. Their final offer of £1,000,000 was accepted after Trundle handed in a transfer request. Trundle scored his first goals, a brace, for Bristol City against Scunthorpe
on 25 August 2007.
on a one month loan on 9 January 2009 and was allocated the number 35 shirt. Fromer Swansea teammate Andy Robinson
played a big part in recommending Leeds to Trundle. He made his debut for Leeds as a second half substitute in the 2–0 loss to Carlisle United
at Elland Road
. He scored his only goal for the club on his first starting appearance, in a 2–0 win at Brighton
on 17 January. Leeds extended Trundle's stay at Elland Road
for a further month, but his loan expired on 10 March 2009 and he returned to Bristol City
he has failed to play a full 90 minutes. Trundle has made no secret that he wants to earn a permanent deal and wants to end his career at Swansea City.
.
, for whom he qualifies through his grandfather.
|1995-96
||rowspan="1"|Burscough
||rowspan="1"|North West Counties Football League First Division
||10||5||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||5
|-
|1995-96||rowspan="2"|Chorley
||rowspan="2"|Northern Premier League
|31||8||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||31||8
|-
|1996-97||35||13||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||13
|-
|1997-98||rowspan="2"|Stalybridge Celtic
||rowspan="1"|Conference National
|28||10||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||28||10
|-
|1998-99||rowspan="1"|Northern Premier League
|24||15||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||24||15
|-
|1998-99||rowspan="2"|Southport
||rowspan="2"|Conference National
|29||6||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||6
|-
|1999-00||9||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||9||2
|-
|1999-00||rowspan="1"|Bamber Bridge F.C.
(loan)||rowspan="1"|Northern Premier League
||10||11||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||11
|-
|-
|2000-2001||rowspan="1"|Rhyl F.C.
||rowspan="1"|League of Wales
||18||15||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||18||15
|-
|-
|2000-2001||rowspan="3"|Wrexham F.C.||rowspan="2"|Football League Second Division
||14||8||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||14||8
|-
|2001-2002||36||8||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||38||10
|-
|2002-2003||rowspan="3"|Football League Third Division
/Football League Two
||44||11||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||50||12
|-
|2003-2004||rowspan="4"|Swansea City A.F.C.
||31||17||5||5||1||0||colspan="2"|-||38||22
|-
|2004-2005||42||22||5||1||1||0||colspan="2"|-||50||23
|-
|2005-2006||rowspan="2"|Football League One
||39||20||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||46||21
|-
|2006-2007||34||19||3||1||1||0||colspan="2"|-||39||20
|-
|2007-2008||rowspan="2"|Bristol City
||rowspan="2"|Football League Championship
||38||6||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||41||6
|-
|2008-2009||19||2||colspan="2"|-||2||0||colspan="2"|-||21||2
|-
|2008-2009||rowspan="1"|Leeds United (loan)||rowspan="1"|Football League One
||10||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||1
|-
|2009-2010
||rowspan="1"|Swansea City
(loan)||rowspan="1"|Football League Championship
||20||5||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||21||5
|-
|-
|2010-2011
||rowspan="2"|Neath||rowspan="2"|Welsh Premier League||29||18||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||32||18
|-
|2011-2012
||4||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||1||6||2
|-
503||189||17||7||9||0||colspan="2"|-||544||200
51||34||1||0||2||0||2||1||56||35
554||223||18||7||11||0||2||1||600||235
fan since he was a child. In March 2007, Trundle moved in with but was not engaged to pop singer and Atomic Kitten
star Liz McClarnon
. The couple split in November 2007.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer who currently plays for Neath.
Career
Trundle was a late entrant into professional and league football, playing for non-league teams BurscoughBurscough
Burscough is a village and civil parish within West Lancashire in North West England, to the north of both Ormskirk and Skelmersdale.-Growth:...
, Stalybridge Celtic, Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
, Bamber Bridge
Bamber Bridge F.C.
Bamber Bridge F.C. are an English football club based in Bamber Bridge, near Preston, Lancashire. They currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One North and are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association. They play their home games at the QED Stadium in Bamber Bridge...
and Chorley
Chorley F.C.
Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they...
before joining Welsh Premier League club Rhyl
Rhyl F.C.
Rhyl Football Club is a Welsh football club, playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1882 and the team plays its home matches at Belle Vue, Rhyl, which can accommodate 3,000 spectators.- History :Few clubs in the Welsh Premier League have as distinguished a past as Rhyl's...
in 2000.
Wrexham
Within six months, he had been snapped up by Brian FlynnBrian Flynn
Brian Flynn, is a Welsh football manager and former Welsh international player.On 13 September 2010 Flynn was confirmed caretaker manager of the Wales national football team after John Toshack stepped down...
to play for Wrexham
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...
where he played 78 games (plus a further 24 as substitute) in all competitions and scored 30 goals in a little over two years. A goalscoring account which was started by a bicycle kick to start a second half comeback from 2–0 which culminated in a 3–2 victory for Wrexham against Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
on 24 February 2001.
Swansea City
In the summer 2003 of, Trundle received a free transfer and moved south to link up with Flynn who had now become manager of 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...
. He instantly became a North Bank favourite with his goalscoring exploits and extraordinary tricks, scoring on his debut at the Vetch
Vetch Field
The Vetch Field was a multi-purpose stadium in Swansea, Wales. It was used mostly for football matches and was the home ground of Swansea City until the Liberty Stadium opened in 2005. Opened in 1912, the ground held around 12,000 at the time of its closure, but upwards of 30,000 at its peak...
against Bury, and neeting his first hattrick for the club in the following game at Cheltenham, becoming the third Swansea player to score a hattrick in three consecutive league matches. Trundle scored 78 goals in 146 appearances for Swansea, making it by far the most prolific period of his career.
In his time at Swansea, Trundle became a minor celebrity in the game, with his extrovert displays of skill (or "showboating") bringing him to national attention via the Soccer AM
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
television show on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. Tim Lovejoy
Tim Lovejoy
Timothy Paul Lovejoy is a British television presenter most famous for hosting Saturday morning football programme Soccer AM alongside Helen Chamberlain for over a decade.- Career :...
revealed in his autobiography that Trundle himself regularly contacted the show with footage of himself in action.
In October 2005, he was the subject of a £750,000 transfer bid by Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
which Swansea rejected. Days later, he signed an image rights contract with his club, offering a portion of revenues from merchandise featuring his image. He was believed to be the first player outside the Premier League to do so.
Bristol City
Despite the best efforts of Swansea City, Trundle agreed to sign for Bristol City on 27 July 2007, although the deal was not officially completed until 30 July due to an administrative error. He was given permission by Swansea and the Welsh FA to play in Bristol City's pre-season friendly against Yeovil TownYeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
before he officially completed the deal, scoring and providing an assist in a 2–2 draw at Ashton Gate. It is believed Bristol City made four offers for the striker. Their final offer of £1,000,000 was accepted after Trundle handed in a transfer request. Trundle scored his first goals, a brace, for Bristol City against Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
on 25 August 2007.
Leeds United
Trundle joined Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
on a one month loan on 9 January 2009 and was allocated the number 35 shirt. Fromer Swansea teammate Andy Robinson
Andy Robinson (footballer)
Andrew Mark "Andy" Robinson is a professional football player, who plays for Tranmere Rovers. He plays as a Winger and is comfortable playing on either side of the pitch.-Early career:...
played a big part in recommending Leeds to Trundle. He made his debut for Leeds as a second half substitute in the 2–0 loss to Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
. He scored his only goal for the club on his first starting appearance, in a 2–0 win at Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
on 17 January. Leeds extended Trundle's stay at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
for a further month, but his loan expired on 10 March 2009 and he returned to Bristol City
Return to Swansea
On 27 August 2009, Trundle joined his former club Swansea City on loan until 1 January 2010 and this was later this was extended till the end of the season. Trundle played 20 league games and scored 5 goals in just two starts. Since Trundle rejoined SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
he has failed to play a full 90 minutes. Trundle has made no secret that he wants to earn a permanent deal and wants to end his career at Swansea City.
Neath
In July 2010, Trundle returned to the Welsh Premier League with Neath, making his debut for the club on the opening day of the 2010–11 season in a 2–1 defeat to Bangor CityBangor City F.C.
Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....
.
International career
Trundle had revealed in 2006 that he was determined to force his way into the international scene by earning a call up for Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
, for whom he qualifies through his grandfather.
Career statistics
|-|1995-96
North West Counties Football League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in North west of England. As of 2011, the league covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Southern Cumbria, Northern Staffordshire, the High Peak area of Derbyshire, and the far west of West Yorkshire. In the past, the...
||rowspan="1"|Burscough
Burscough F.C.
Burscough F.C. is an English football club based in Burscough, Lancashire. The club are members of the Northern Premier League Premier Division and groundshare with Skelmersdale United...
||rowspan="1"|North West Counties Football League First Division
North West Counties Football League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in North west of England. As of 2011, the league covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Southern Cumbria, Northern Staffordshire, the High Peak area of Derbyshire, and the far west of West Yorkshire. In the past, the...
||10||5||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||5
|-
|1995-96||rowspan="2"|Chorley
Chorley F.C.
Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they...
||rowspan="2"|Northern Premier League
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...
|31||8||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||31||8
|-
|1996-97||35||13||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||13
|-
|1997-98||rowspan="2"|Stalybridge Celtic
Stalybridge Celtic F.C.
Stalybridge Celtic are an English full time professional football club from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester in North West England. The club, which plays its home matches at Bower Fold, is currently in the Conference North in the sixth tier of the English football league system...
||rowspan="1"|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...
|28||10||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||28||10
|-
|1998-99||rowspan="1"|Northern Premier League
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...
|24||15||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||24||15
|-
|1998-99||rowspan="2"|Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
||rowspan="2"|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...
|29||6||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||6
|-
|1999-00||9||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||9||2
|-
|1999-00||rowspan="1"|Bamber Bridge F.C.
Bamber Bridge F.C.
Bamber Bridge F.C. are an English football club based in Bamber Bridge, near Preston, Lancashire. They currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One North and are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association. They play their home games at the QED Stadium in Bamber Bridge...
(loan)||rowspan="1"|Northern Premier League
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...
||10||11||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||11
|-
|-
|2000-2001||rowspan="1"|Rhyl F.C.
Rhyl F.C.
Rhyl Football Club is a Welsh football club, playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1882 and the team plays its home matches at Belle Vue, Rhyl, which can accommodate 3,000 spectators.- History :Few clubs in the Welsh Premier League have as distinguished a past as Rhyl's...
||rowspan="1"|League of Wales
League of Wales
The Welsh Premier League is the national football league for Wales. It has both Professional and Semi-Professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2002, the league was known as the League of Wales, but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal...
||18||15||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||18||15
|-
|-
|2000-2001||rowspan="3"|Wrexham F.C.||rowspan="2"|Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||14||8||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||14||8
|-
|2001-2002||36||8||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||38||10
|-
|2002-2003||rowspan="3"|Football League Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
/Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||44||11||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||50||12
|-
|2003-2004||rowspan="4"|Swansea City A.F.C.
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...
||31||17||5||5||1||0||colspan="2"|-||38||22
|-
|2004-2005||42||22||5||1||1||0||colspan="2"|-||50||23
|-
|2005-2006||rowspan="2"|Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||39||20||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||46||21
|-
|2006-2007||34||19||3||1||1||0||colspan="2"|-||39||20
|-
|2007-2008||rowspan="2"|Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
||rowspan="2"|Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||38||6||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||41||6
|-
|2008-2009||19||2||colspan="2"|-||2||0||colspan="2"|-||21||2
|-
|2008-2009||rowspan="1"|Leeds United (loan)||rowspan="1"|Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||10||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||10||1
|-
|2009-2010
2009–10 Football League Championship
The Football League Championship season 2009–10 is the sixth season of the league under its current title and eighteenth season under its current league division format...
||rowspan="1"|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...
(loan)||rowspan="1"|Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||20||5||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||21||5
|-
|-
|2010-2011
2010–11 Welsh Premier League
The 2010–11 Welsh Premier League was the 19th season of the Welsh Premier League since its establishment in 1992 as the League of Wales. It was reduced to a size of 12 teams from this season following a unanimous decision by the Premier League clubs in June 2009. The league season began on 13...
||rowspan="2"|Neath||rowspan="2"|Welsh Premier League||29||18||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||32||18
|-
|2011-2012
2011–12 Welsh Premier League
The 2011–12 Welsh Premier League season will be the 20th season of the Welsh Premier League, the highest football league of Wales since its establishment in 1992. Its begin and end dates are yet to be determined...
||4||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||2||1||6||2
|-
503||189||17||7||9||0||colspan="2"|-||544||200
51||34||1||0||2||0||2||1||56||35
554||223||18||7||11||0||2||1||600||235
Personal life
Trundle has been an avid EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
fan since he was a child. In March 2007, Trundle moved in with but was not engaged to pop singer and Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten were an English girl group from Liverpool, first established in 1997. Created by Andy McCluskey, the final line-up, and most commercially successful, consisted of Natasha Hamilton, Liz McClarnon, and Jenny Frost...
star Liz McClarnon
Liz McClarnon
Elizabeth Margaret "Liz" McClarnon is an English pop singer, dancer and television presenter. She was a member of the group Atomic Kitten and originated the role of Paulette in the first UK tour of Legally Blonde the musical....
. The couple split in November 2007.