Stuart "Archie" Lovell is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n professional footballer, who played as a striker

Striker

Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

 early in his career, before reverting to a midfield role

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 later in his career.

Born in Australia, Lovell spent his childhood in Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

. He joined the local professional team

Reading F.C.

Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...

 and was part of the Reading team that narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League in the 1994–95 season

1994-95 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...

. He had a penalty kick

Penalty kick

A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

 saved in the playoff

Football League Championship play-offs

The Football League Championship play-offs are a series of playoff matches contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the Football League Championship table. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, with the return fixtures following...

 final against Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

 when Reading were leading 2–0; they eventually lost 4–3 after extra time.

After damaging a cruciate ligament

Cruciate ligament

Cruciate ligaments are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee...

 in 1997 and almost having his career ended as a result, Lovell moved to Scottish club Hibernian

Hibernian F.C.

Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...

 in 1998, ultimately prolonging his career by nearly a decade.

Hibs were in the First Division

Scottish Football League First Division

The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....

 at the time and he was part of the team who won promotion

Promotion and relegation

In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 back to the Scottish Premier League

Scottish Premier League

The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

 by winning the First Division

Scottish First Division 1998-99

The 1998–99 Scottish First Division was won by Hibernian who bounced straight back up to the Scottish Premier League after relegation the previous season and finished an amazing 23 points ahead of nearest challengers Falkirk. Hamilton Academical and Stranraer were relegated to the Second Division...

. He was capped twice by Australia

Australia national football (soccer) team

The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...

 and was a Hibs first team regular as they finished a creditable third in the SPL

Scottish Premier League 2000-01

The 2000–01 Scottish Premier League was the third season of the Scottish Premier League. It began in on 29 July 2000.Celtic finished the season as league champions by a 15-point margin over neighbouring Rangers, also winning both of the domestic cups in their first season under the management...

 and reached the Scottish Cup Final

Scottish Cup 2000-01

The 2000–01 Scottish Cup was the 116th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition, also known for sponsorship reasons as the Tennent's Scottish Cup...

 during the 2000/01 season

2000-01 in Scottish football

The 2000–01 season was the 104th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2000–01 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic, 15 points clear of Rangers who finished second. Both teams earned a place in the UEFA Champions League. Hibernian and Kilmarnock...

.

He was surprisingly released by Hibs at the end of that season to make way for record signing Ulises de la Cruz

Ulises de la Cruz

Ulises Hernán de la Cruz Bernardo is a Ecuadorian footballer currently with LDU Quito.De la Cruz has set up a charity, Friends of FundeCruz, in his home village to fund a number of projects serving the local community....

. Lovell signed for SPL newcomers Livingston

Livingston F.C.

Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...

, who he helped to finish third in their first season in the SPL

Scottish Premier League 2001-02

The 2001–02 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic.As league champions, Celtic qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Runners-up Rangers and third-placed Livingston qualified for the UEFA Cup, as did fourth-placed Aberdeen, who took the final UEFA Cup place due to Rangers beating Celtic...

. He was subsequently appointed Livingston's captain, and in this role he skippered the club to their only major trophy win to date, the Scottish League Cup

Scottish League Cup

The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...

 in 2004

Scottish League Cup 2003-04

The 2003–04 Scottish League Cup was the 58th staging of the Scotland's second most prestigious football knockout competition, also known for sponsorship reasons as the CIS Insurance Cup....

. Ironically for Lovell, Livingston defeated Hibs 2–0 in the final.

Lovell retired after a 15 month spell with Dumfries

Dumfries

Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...

 club Queen of the South

Queen of the South F.C.

Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...

, where he also had a spell as caretaker manager. Lovell has since done media work, appearing on Setanta Sports

Setanta Sports

Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...

 and 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...

, and writing a column for the Edinburgh Evening News

Edinburgh Evening News

The Edinburgh Evening News is a local newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is published daily . It has a circulation of 68,000 and is owned by Johnston Press, which also owns The Scotsman and many regional titles throughout the UK.Much of the copy contained in the Evening News concerns local...

. He has also served as a representative of PFA Scotland.

External links