Lee Tomlin

Lee Tomlin

Tomlin playing for Bristol City in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Lee Marc Tomlin [1]
Date of birth	(1989-01-12) 12 January 1989 (age 35) [2]
Place of birth	Leicester, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [2]
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Ilkeston Town (player/coach)
Youth career
1996–2005	Leicester City
2005	Rushden & Diamonds
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2010	Rushden & Diamonds	156	(27)
2007	→ Brackley Town (loan)	2	(0)
2010–2014	Peterborough United	135	(32)
2014–2015	Middlesbrough	56	(11)
2015–2016	AFC Bournemouth	6	(0)
2016	→ Bristol City (loan)	18	(6)
2016–2017	Bristol City	38	(6)
2017–2021	Cardiff City	51	(10)
2018	→ Nottingham Forest (loan)	15	(4)
2019	→ Peterborough United (loan)	19	(2)
2022	Walsall	5	(0)
2022	Doncaster Rovers	9	(1)
2022–2023	Ilkeston Town	10	(3)
2023–	Harborough Town	0	(0)
International career
2009	England C	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 August 2023 (UTC)

Lee Marc Tomlin (born 12 January 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Harborough Town F.C.

Early life

Tomlin was born in Leicester, Leicestershire. ^[2] He started his career with the youth system of Leicester City in 1996 before joining Rushden & Diamonds's youth system in 2005. ^[3] In October 2005, he became Rushden's youngest ever first-team player when he came on as a substitute for Drewe Broughton in the 74th minute. ^[4] Throughout the rest of the season he made several more substitute appearances, but his first start came in November 2005, in an FA Cup first round replay against Halifax Town. He made 21 appearances in League Two in the 2005–06 season. ^[5]

Club career

Early career

Before the 2006–07 season, Tomlin attracted the attention of several big clubs and he earned a trial with Liverpool. ^[6] Throughout the season, he made more starts and became more of a regular in the Rushden starting eleven. ^[7] He scored his first goal for the club against Weymouth, the match after Paul Hart was sacked, in the 21st minute.^{[ citation needed ]} He immediately followed this with another goal, this time against Altrincham in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round.^{[ citation needed ]} He scored six goals during the season, playing as a forward and on both wings.^{[ citation needed ]} Tomlin joined Southern League Premier Division club Brackley Town in October 2007 on a one-month loan, ^[8] making two appearances. ^[9]

Tomlin switched to left midfield for the 2009–10 season, under his influential manager Justin Edinburgh whom he credited for his development and achieving his move to the Football League.^{[ citation needed ]} Following the end of the season a six-figure bid for Tomlin was rejected from another Blue Square Bet Premier club believed to be Crawley Town and Rushden confirmed he would be offered a new contract. ^[10]

Peterborough United

Tomlin playing for Peterborough United in 2012

Tomlin signed for League One club Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee on 6 August 2010. ^[11] He went on to assist the team gain promotion with a hard working display against Huddersfield Town at Old Trafford, which The Posh won 3–0.^{[ citation needed ]}

He continued to develop his reputation at Championship level and on 20 August 2011, he scored his first professional hat-trick in a game against Ipswich Town, helping Peterborough to a 7–1 win. ^[12]

Tomlin beat five defenders to score in Peterborough's last game of the 2012–13 season, away to Crystal Palace, but a 3–2 defeat confirmed their relegation back to League One. ^[13]

Middlesbrough

On 31 January 2014, Tomlin signed for Middlesbrough on loan for the remainder of the 2013–14 season with a view to a permanent move.^{[ citation needed ]} On 18 February, it was announced that he had signed permanently on a three-and-a-half-year contract.^{[ citation needed ]} Tomlin made his debut on 22 February in a 0–0 draw against Leeds United, coming on as a substitute for Kei Kamara.^{[ citation needed ]}

In the 2014-15 season, Tomlin made 29 starts and a further 10 substitute appearances in the league as Middlesbrough competed at the top of the table. After a run of fine performances, most notable in Middlesbrough's 2–0 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup, Tomlin was named Championship Player of the Month for January 2015.^{[ citation needed ]} The club ended up finishing 4th in the league to qualify for the Championship Playoffs. Tomlin started in both legs of the semi final against Brentford, and scored the first of three goals in a 3-0 second leg home win which took the aggregate score to 5-1, and saw Middlesbrough progress to the final. Ultimately Middlesbrough lost the final 2-0 to Norwich City at Wembley. Across the season Tomlin made a total of 48 appearances in league and cup competitions, scoring 9 goals.

AFC Bournemouth

On 4 August 2015, Tomlin signed for Premier League newcomers AFC Bournemouth on a three-year deal for a fee of around £3.5 million. ^[14] He made his debut against Liverpool, coming on for Joshua King.^{[ citation needed ]} He scored his only goal for Bournemouth in the 2015–16 season, a penalty against Birmingham City in the FA Cup.^{[ citation needed ]}

Bristol City

Tomlin signed for Championship club, Bristol City on a season-long loan, on 27 January 2016. ^[15] He later made his debut in a goalless draw against Birmingham City on 30 January.^{[ citation needed ]} Tomlin went onto score 6 goals in 18 appearances, including goals in a 6–0 win over Bolton Wanderers and a 4–0 win over Huddersfield Town.^{[ citation needed ]}

During the summer, Tomlin opened talks with Bristol City and took part in a medical on 4 July. ^[16]

Cardiff City

On 13 July 2017, Tomlin joined Championship rivals Cardiff City on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, ^[17] making his debut for the club on the opening day of the 2017–18 season during a 1–0 victory over Burton Albion. ^[18]

On 31 January 2018, Tomlin joined Nottingham Forest on loan in a swap deal with Jamie Ward moving to Cardiff on loan in return. ^[19] He scored his first goal for Forest in a 1–1 draw with Reading on 20 February 2018. ^[20]

On 18 December 2018, it was announced that Tomlin was training with Peterborough United and would return to the club on loan from 1 January 2019 until the end of the season. ^[21] However, the move was delayed due to paperwork issues. ^[22] The transfer was eventually completed on 8 January. ^[23]

Tomlin signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract with Cardiff on 10 January 2020. ^[24]

Tomlin left the club by mutual consent on 4 October 2021. ^[25]

Walsall

On 25 February 2022, Tomlin signed for EFL League Two club Walsall on a short-term deal until the end of the 2021–22 season. ^[26] Tomlin made five appearances with the club, four of which off the bench, before being released at the end of the season. ^[27]

Doncaster Rovers and retirement

After playing for Doncaster Rovers in summer 2022, Tomlin retired due to injury in October 2022. ^[28]

Ilkeston Town

On 1 December 2022, Tomlin came out of his retirement to join Ilkeston Town as player-coach. ^[29]

International career

Tomlin was capped twice by the England national C team in 2009. ^[30]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rushden & Diamonds	2005–06 [5]	League Two	21	0	3	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	26	0
	2006–07 [7]	Conference National	25	4	3	1	—		2 [lower-alpha 2]	1	30	6
	2007–08 [31]	Conference Premier	34	1	1	0	—		7 [lower-alpha 3]	3	42	4
	2008–09 [32]	Conference Premier	41	8	1	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 2]	0	45	8
	2009–10 [33]	Conference Premier	35	14	3	1	—		4 [lower-alpha 4]	0	42	15
	Total		156	27	11	2	0	0	18	4	185	33
Brackley Town (loan)	2007–08 [9]	SL Premier Division	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
Peterborough United	2010–11 [34]	League One	37	8	4	3	2	0	4 [lower-alpha 5]	0	47	11
	2011–12 [35]	Championship	37	8	1	0	2	1	—		40	9
	2012–13 [36]	Championship	42	11	0	0	2	2	—		44	13
	2013–14 [37]	League One	19	5	2	0	3	5	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	25	10
	Total		135	32	7	3	9	8	5	0	156	43
Middlesbrough	2013–14 [37]	Championship	14	4	—		—		—		14	4
	2014–15 [38]	Championship	42	7	3	0	2	2	3 [lower-alpha 6]	1	50	10
	Total		56	11	3	0	2	2	3	1	64	14
AFC Bournemouth	2015–16 [39]	Premier League	6	0	1	1	3	0	—		10	1
Bristol City (loan)	2015–16 [39]	Championship	18	6	—		—		—		18	6
Bristol City	2016–17 [40]	Championship	38	6	1	0	3	1	—		42	7
	Total		56	12	1	0	3	1	—		60	13
Cardiff City	2017–18 [41]	Championship	13	1	1	0	2	0	—		16	1
	2018–19 [42]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2019–20 [43]	Championship	33	8	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 7]	1	36	9
	2020–21 [44]	Championship	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
	2021–22 [45]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		51	10	2	0	2	0	1	0	56	10
Nottingham Forest (loan)	2017–18 [41]	Championship	15	4	—		—		—		15	4
Peterborough United (loan)	2018–19 [42]	League One	19	2	—		—		2 [lower-alpha 8]	0	21	2
Walsall	2021–22 [45]	League Two	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Doncaster Rovers	2022–23	League Two	9	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	10	1
Career total			510	99	25	6	20	11	30	6	585	122

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Appearances in FA Trophy
3. Three appearances and three goals in FA Trophy, four appearances in Conference League Cup
4. Two appearances in FA Trophy, two in Conference Premier play-offs
5. One appearance in Football League Trophy, three in League One play-offs
6. Appearances in Championship play-offs
7. Appearances in Championship play-offs
8. Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Peterborough United

• Football League One play-offs: 2011 ^[46]

Cardiff City

• EFL Championship runner-up: 2017–18 ^[47]

Individual

• Football League Championship Player of the Month: January 2015 ^[48]

References

1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Cardiff City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 12. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2006). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2006–07. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 406. ISBN   978-1-84596-111-4.
3. "Career history". Up The Posh!. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
4. "Posh swoop for Lee Tomlin". Peterborough Today. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
5. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
6. "Rushden teenager in Anfield trial". BBC Sport. 2 April 2006. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
7. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2007). Non-League Club Directory 2008. Kingsbridge: Tony Williams Publications. pp. 136–137. ISBN   978-1-869833-57-2.
8. "Tomlin joins Brackley on loan". BBC Sport. 15 October 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
9. "Player profiles: Lee Tomlin". Aylesbury United F.C. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
10. "Rushden & Diamonds to offer Lee Tomlin new deal". BBC Sport. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
11. "Posh swoop for highly-rated Tomlin". Peterborough United F.C. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
12. "Peterborough 7–1 Ipswich". BBC Sport. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
13. Bevan, Chris (4 May 2013). "Crystal Palace 3–2 Peterborough". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
14. "Lee Tomlin signs for AFC Bournemouth from Middlesbrough". AFC Bournemouth. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016.
15. "Lee Tomlin: Bristol City sign Bournemouth midfielder on loan". BBC Sport. 27 January 2016.
16. "Bristol City: Bournemouth's Lee Tomlin to have medical at Ashton Gate". BBC Sport. 4 July 2016.
17. "Lee Tomlin signs for the Bluebirds". Cardiff City FC. 13 July 2017.
18. "Burton Albion 0–1 Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
19. Taylor, Paul (31 January 2018). "Another deal done: Lee Tomlin joins Nottingham Forest on loan, as Jamie Ward heads to Cardiff". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
20. "Nottingham Forest 1–1 Reading". BBC Sport. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
21. Swann, Alan (18 December 2018). "Lee Tomlin is back at Peterborough United". Peterborough Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
22. Vickers, Anthony (4 January 2019). "Peterborough race against time to sign former Boro playmaker Lee Tomlin before Riverside cup clash". Gazette Live. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
23. "Lee Tomlin: Peterborough United re-sign Cardiff City forward on loan". BBC Sport. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
24. "Lee Tomlin signs new Cardiff City contract". Cardiff City. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
25. "Lee Tomlin departs". Cardiff City. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
26. "Lee Tomlin joins the Saddlers". saddlers.co.uk. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
27. "Retained and Released list confirmed". saddlers.co.uk. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
28. "Doncaster forward Tomlin retires due to injury". BBC Sport.
29. "Lee Tomlin signs for the Robins". ilkestontownfc.co.uk. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
30. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2012). Non-League Club Directory 2013. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 1003, 1005, 1010. ISBN   978-1-869833-77-0.
31. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2008). Non-League Club Directory 2009. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 124–125. ISBN   978-1-869833-59-6.
32. Williams, Tony; Wright, James, eds. (2009). Non-League Club Directory 2010. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 132–133. ISBN   978-1-869833-66-4.
33. Williams, Tony; Wright, James, eds. (2010). Non-League Club Directory 2011. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 136–137. ISBN   978-1-869833-68-8.
34. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
35. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
36. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
37. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
38. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
39. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
40. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
41. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
42. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
43. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
44. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
45. "Games played by Lee Tomlin in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
46. Begley, Emlyn (29 May 2011). "Huddersfield 0–3 Peterborough". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
47. Anderson, John, ed. (2018). Football Yearbook 2018–2019. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 106–107. ISBN   978-1-4722-6106-9.
48. "Lee Tomlin named Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month". The Football League. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2018.

External links

• Lee Tomlin at Soccerbase