Lee Erwin (footballer)

Lee Erwin

Erwin With Tractor
Personal information
Full name	Lee Harry Erwin [1]
Date of birth	(1994-03-19) 19 March 1994 (age 29)
Place of birth	Bellshill, Scotland
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [2]
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Ahed
Number	9
Youth career
2006–2012	Motherwell
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2015	Motherwell	34	(5)
2013	→ Arbroath (loan)	11	(8)
2015–2017	Leeds United	11	(0)
2015	→ Bury (loan)	3	(0)
2016–2017	→ Oldham Athletic (loan)	34	(8)
2017–2018	Kilmarnock	35	(5)
2018–2019	Tractor	6	(4)
2019–2020	Ross County	21	(1)
2020–2022	St Mirren	30	(3)
2022	Haka	28	(20)
2022–	Ahed	32	(21)
International career‡
2010–2011	Scotland U17	5	(1)
2012	Scotland U18	2	(0)
2012	Scotland U19	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 September 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 November 2015

Lee Harry Erwin (born 19 March 1994) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Lebanese Premier League club Ahed. He is a Scottish youth international, having played at the under-17, under-18 and under-19 levels.

Erwin has played for various sides in Scotland (namely Motherwell, Arbroath, Kilmarnock, Ross County and St Mirren) and England (Leeds United, Bury and Oldham Athletic). He also played in Iran for Tractor in 2018–19, in Finland for Haka in 2022 and in Lebanon for Ahed in 2022–23.

Club career

Motherwell

Erwin is a product of the Motherwell Academy. ^[3] In the summer of 2012, he signed a three-year contract with the club. ^[4]

On 30 August 2013, Erwin joined Scottish League One club Arbroath on an initial one-month loan deal ^[5] The following day, he scored twice on his debut as Arbroath beat Brechin City 2–1; ^[6] the loan period was twice extended for a further month. ^{[7] [8]} He left the Gayfield Park club having scored eight goals in 11 appearances.

Shortly after returning to Motherwell, Erwin suffered a serious knee injury in a Scottish Youth Cup match against Kilmarnock that looked like it could end his involvement that season, ^[9] although he returned to feature for the under-20s before the end of the season.

On 17 July 2014, Erwin made his senior debut for Motherwell as a substitute in a 2–2 draw against Stjarnan in the UEFA Europa League Second qualifying round first leg after being promoted to the first team by Manager Stuart McCall. ^[10] He scored his first goal for the club on his league debut, a 1–0 win against St Mirren on 9 August 2014. ^[11]

On 29 April 2015, with Erwin's contract set to expire at the end of the 2014–15 season, Motherwell offered him a new three-year deal, however Erwin advised he would be concentrating on helping keep Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership before looking into his own future. ^[12] After becoming a regular starter under new manager Ian Baraclough, who played Erwin as a central striker, ^[13] he ended the 2014–15 season in fine form, scoring five goals in his last nine games of the season. ^[14]

Erwin scored on the 28 May for Motherwell in a 3–1 victory over Rangers at Ibrox in the first leg of the SPFL Premiership relegation/promotion playoff. ^[15] On 31 May, during the second leg against Rangers, Erwin won a penalty which was converted by John Sutton to help Motherwell record a 3–0 win and a 6–1 on aggregate victory to stay in the Premiership. However, after the match, Erwin was involved in an incident when he went to shake Rangers defender Bilel Mohsni's hand, Mohsni refused, which resulted in Erwin pushing Mohsni who reacted by kicking, then punching, Erwin, causing a mass brawl between the players. On 1 June, Police Scotland announced an investigation into the incident at Fir Park. ^[16] After initial reports that Erwin had been sent off after the game, ^[17] the Scottish Football Association revealed that Erwin had only received a yellow card from referee Craig Thomson after the game for his part in the incident. ^[18] He ended the season with six goals in 36 appearances (including the playoff matches) with 22 of the 36 games as a starter, and 14 coming off the bench.

On 2 June, Motherwell confirmed that they had offered Erwin a new three-year contract, ^[19] but it was also reported that he had been offered a contract by Football League Championship club Leeds United, with compensation due to Motherwell should Erwin accept Leeds' offer instead. ^{[20] [21]}

Leeds United

After much speculation, on 10 June 2015 Erwin signed a three-year deal with Football League Championship club Leeds United. ^[22] On 31 July, he was given the number 19 shirt for the upcoming 2015–16 season. ^[23] After being an unused substitute under Uwe Rosler, in October 2015 Erwin moved to Bury on a 28-day loan. ^[24] After playing three games, he returned to Leeds in November 2015, upon expiry of his loan, with new Leeds head coach Steve Evans stating he wanted to give Erwin a bigger opportunity to play. ^[25] He made his Leeds debut on 21 November 2015, against Rotherham United in a controversial 1–0 defeat. ^[26]

On 9 July 2016, Erwin signed for Oldham Athletic on a season-long loan. ^{[27] [28]} He scored his first goal for Oldham in a 3–2 loss against Shrewsbury Town on 3 September 2016. ^[29]

In 40 appearances in all competitions for Oldham Athletic during the 2016–17 season, Erwin scored 10 goals (8 in the league), finishing the club's top goalscorer for the season. ^[30]

Despite scoring four goals in his first two pre-season games back at Leeds United, on 13 July 2017 he and Toumani Diagouraga were deemed surplus to requirements at the club by new head coach Thomas Christiansen and were not named as part of Leeds' travelling squad to Kufstein in Austria. ^[31]

Kilmarnock

Erwin signed a two-year contract with Kilmarnock in July 2017. ^[32] He scored on his debut against Dumbarton on 21 July 2017, in the Scottish League Cup. ^[33]

Tractor

Erwin moved to Iranian football in August 2018, signing with Tractor. ^[34] On 9 November 2018, in Tractor's game against Zob Ahan, Erwin came on after 53 minutes and got the fastest hat-trick in Iran Pro League history in seven minutes. ^[35]

Ross County

On 23 July 2019, Erwin signed for Scottish Premiership side Ross County on a two-year deal. ^[36] He made his debut against Partick Thistle in the Scottish League Cup in a 3–2 defeat. His first goal for the club would come against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership, a late winner in a 1–0 victory.

St Mirren

On 10 September 2020, Erwin signed a two-year contract with Scottish Premiership side St Mirren after the striker was allowed to leave Ross County due to ‘family reasons’. ^[37] On 17 February 2022, St Mirren confirmed that Erwin had left the club after his contract was terminated by mutual consent. ^[38]

Haka

Later that same day, Erwin signed a one-year deal with Haka in Finland. Erwin recorded a successful 2022 season, scoring 20 goals, winning the golden boot. His goals helped Haka qualify for the UEFA Conference League Qualifiers. ^[39]

Ahed

In November 2022, Lebanese Premier League club Ahed announced the signing of Erwin. ^[40]

International career

Erwin has been capped by Scotland at under-17, under-18 and under-19 levels. ^[41]

Personal life

His father, Harry, made 351 appearances in the Scottish Football League, playing for Airdrie, Stenhousemuir, Alloa and East Stirlingshire between 1978 and 1991. ^[42]

Career statistics

As of match played 15 August 2020 ^{[43] [44]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Motherwell	2013–14 [45]	Scottish Premiership	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
	2014–15 [46]	Scottish Premiership	34	5	1	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	1	38	6
	Total		34	5	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	1	38	6
Arbroath (loan)	2013–14 [45]	Scottish League One	11	8	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	11	8
Leeds United	2015–16 [47]	Championship	11	0	1	0	0	0	—		0	0	12	0
	2016–17 [48]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	0	0
	Total		11	0	1	0	0	0	—		0	0	12	0
Bury (loan)	2015–16 [47]	League One	3	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	3	0
Oldham Athletic (loan)	2016–17 [48]	League One	34	8	2	0	2	0	—		2 [lower-alpha 3] </ref>	2	40	10
Kilmarnock	2017–18 [49]	Scottish Premiership	34	5	4	1	2	1	–		–		40	7
	2018–19 [50]	Scottish Premiership	0	0	0	0	4	1	–		–		4	1
	Total		34	5	4	1	6	2	0	0	0	0	44	8
Tractor	2018–19	Persian Gulf Pro League	6	4	0	0	0	0	–		–		6	4
Ross County	2019–20	Scottish Premiership	17	1	1	0	1	0	–		–		19	1
	2020–21		4	0	0	0	0	0	–		–		4	0
	Total		21	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	23	1
Career total			154	31	9	1	9	2	1	0	4	3	177	37

1. Appearance in the Europa League
2. Appearances in the Scottish Premiership play-offs
3. Appearances in the EFL Trophy

Honours

Ahed

• Lebanese Premier League: 2022–23
• Lebanese Federation Cup: 2023
• Lebanese Super Cup runner-up: 2023

Individual

• Veikkausliiga Player of the Year: 2022 ^[51]
• Veikkausliiga Striker of the Year: 2022 ^[51]
• Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2022 ^[52]
• Veikkausliiga Top Score: 2022 (20 goals) ^[53]
• Lebanese Federation Cup top goalscorer: 2023

References

1. "EFL: Retained list: 2015/16" (PDF). English Football League. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
2. "Lee Erwin profile". Motherwell F.C. 4 April 2012. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
3. Stewart, Craig (28 February 2014). "Erwin dreaming of debut". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
4. "Erwin gets Scotland U19s call". Motherwell F.C. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
5. "Erwin joins Arbroath on loan". Motherwell F.C. 30 August 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
6. "Arbroath 2–1 Brechin: Loan striker Lee Erwin at the double in dream debut". The Courier. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
7. Newton, Jennifer (5 October 2013). "Sheerin wants consistency". Arbroath Herald. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
8. "Erwin extends Gayfield stay". Scottish Professional Football League. 29 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
9. "Erwin facing lengthy injury layoff". Motherwell F.C. 4 December 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
10. "Motherwell 2–2 UMF Stjarnan". BBC Sport. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
11. "Motherwell 1–0 St Mirren". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
12. "Exclusive: Motherwell want Lee Erwin to stay". Daily Express. 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 30 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
13. "Motherwell offer Rangers rammy kid Lee Erwin a new deal as FIFTEEN leave". 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
14. "Motherwell 5 St Mirren 0". BBC Sport. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
15. "Rangers 1 Motherwell 3". BBC Sport. 28 May 2015. Archived from the original on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
16. "Motherwell v Rangers: Police investigating ugly scenes involving fans and player Bilel Mohsni". The Independent. 1 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
17. "BBC Sport – Rangers co-operate over 'disgraceful' Fir Park brawl". Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
18. "Motherwell's Lee Erwin was not sent off for his part in the 'Battle of Fir Park' with Bilel Mohsni". Daily Record. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
19. "Motherwell offer Rangers rammy kid Lee Erwin a new deal as fifteen players leave Fir Park". Daily Record. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
20. "Leeds United quietly confident of landing Lee Erwin". Yorkshire Evening Post. 1 June 2015. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
21. "Leeds United: Whites line up alternatives in case Bamba deal falls through". Yorkshire Evening Post. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 8 August 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
22. "Striker Erwin joins from Motherwell". Leeds United A.F.C. 10 June 2015. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
23. "2015/16 squad numbers announced". Leeds United. 31 July 2015. Archived from the original on 3 August 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
24. "Lee Erwin: Bury sign Leeds United striker on 28-day loan". BBC Sport. 9 October 2015. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
25. "Lee Erwin returns to Leeds United from Bury loan". Sky Sports. 5 November 2015. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
26. "Leeds defender Gaetano Berardi has ban reduced to two games after appealing Rotherham red card". TalkSport. 21 November 2015. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
27. "Oldham: Josh Law, Connor Ripley and Lee Erwin sign as Stephen Robinson's first deals". BBC Sport. 9 July 2016. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
28. "Leeds United: Whites decide not to take a risk on defender Ekstrand". Yorkshire Evening Post. 13 July 2016. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
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30. "Oldham Athletic Top Scorers". BBC. 30 May 2017. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
31. "Fringe pair both set to leave Leeds United". BBC. 22 July 2017. Archived from the original on 17 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
32. "Lee Erwin: Kilmarnock sign former Motherwell striker". BBC Sport. 28 July 2017. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
33. Newport, Andy (29 July 2017). "Kilmarnock 3–0 Dumbarton: Lee Erwin nets as Killie progress". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
34. "Lee Erwin leaves Kilmarnock for John Toshack's Tractor in Iran". BBC Sport. 13 August 2018. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
35. https://90tv.ir/news/با-عبور-از-آرش-برهانی-لی-اروین-رکورد-تاریخ-لیگ-برتر-را-شکست ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
36. "Ross County sign goalkeeper Jack Ruddy on a six-month deal". BBC Sport. 23 July 2019. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
37. "Lee Erwin: St Mirren sign striker after Ross County exit 'for family reasons'". BBC Sport. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
38. "Lee Erwin leaves by mutual consent". St Mirren FC. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
39. "FC HAKA LÖYSI HYÖKKÄÄJÄN – "HÄN TÄYTTÄÄ KAIKKI PROFIILIHYÖKKÄÄJÄN VAATIMUKSET"" (Press release) (in Finnish). Haka. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
40. "لي إروين في العهد.. مبلغٌ مبالغٌ فيه". lebanonfg.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
41. "Lee Erwin player profile". Scottish Football Association. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
42. Harry Erwin at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
43. Lee Erwin at Soccerbase
44. Lee Erwin at Soccerway
45. "Games played by Lee Erwin in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
46. "Games played by Lee Erwin in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
47. "Games played by Lee Erwin in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
48. "Games played by Lee Erwin in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
49. "Games played by Lee Erwin in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
50. "Games played by Lee Erwin in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
51. Liimatta, Ville (1 December 2023). "Vuoden 2022 Captain's Ball: Kaikki voittajat ja palkitut kootusti". SuomiFutis (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
52. "Perinteinen Koplajoukkue nimetty - jalkapallotoimittajien valinnat kauden parhaiksi". www.veikkausliiga.com (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
53. "Suomen Palloliitto". Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2024.

External links

• Lee Erwin at Soccerbase