Leslie Lea

Last updated

Leslie Lea
Personal information
Date of birth (1942-10-05) 5 October 1942 (age 80)
Place of birth Manchester, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1960–1967 Blackpool 160 (13)
1967–1970 Cardiff City 76 (7)
1970–1976 Barnsley 205 (32)
Total441(52)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Leslie Lea (born 5 October 1942 in Manchester) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder.

Lea began his professional career with Blackpool in 1960, making his debut in the opening game of the 1960–61 league campaign. He scored his first goal for the club in their fourth league game, a 3–1 defeat at Tottenham on 31 August 1960. He made six other league appearances that term, the last one being on 1 October, meaning he sat out the remaining six months of the season.

He didn't feature at all in 1961–62, but the following season, 1962–63, he featured in half of the league campaign. He also scored two goals, in consecutive games as the season drew to a close: firstly in a 3–2 victory over Arsenal at Bloomfield Road on 27 April 1963, and then in a 3–0 whitewash of Manchester City at Maine Road on 4 May.

In 1963–64, Lea made 30 league starts, scoring a solitary goal (in the final league game of the season).

He continued to be a regular fixture in Ron Suart's teams throughout 1964–65, making another 30 league appearances and scoring twice, both in victories: 4–2 at home to Blackburn Rovers on 24 August 1964, and 3–1 in Blackpool's hosting of Sunderland on 26 September. He also scored in their League Cup second round win against Newcastle three days earlier.

Lea's goals during the 1965–66 league season all came in victories once more: one in a 2–1 scoreline against Sheffield Wednesday on 27 November 1965; both goals in a 2–1 victory at Leeds United on 26 March 1966; and one in a 3–0 win at home over Northampton in the penultimate game of the league season. He scored in the League Cup for the second consecutive season, again in the second round, but this time in a 5–1 victory over Manchester United, with Ray Charnley netting a hat-trick. His goals could not save Blackpool from relegation, however, and they dropped into Division Two at the end of the season, four months after Ron Suart was replaced as manager by Stan Mortensen.

Lea's final appearance for Blackpool came eighteen games into the 1967–68 league calendar, a 2–0 defeat at home to Norwich City. Stan Mortensen, who had brought in Alan Skirton, sold him to Cardiff City for £20,000 on 15 December 1967. [1] He went on to make 76 league appearances for the Bluebirds in three years, scoring seven goals.

He joined Barnsley in August 1970. [2] In six years at Oakwell, he made over 200 league appearances and scored 32 goals.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Mortensen</span> English footballer and football manager

Stanley Harding Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup final, in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final. He was also both the first player to score for England in a FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign and the first England player to score in the tournament proper.

Brian Peterson is a South African professional footballer. He spent six years at Blackpool in the 1950s and 1960s, making over 100 Football League appearances for the club. He played as a forward.

Ronald Suart was an English football player and manager. His only honour was winning the Division Three North championship as manager of Scunthorpe & Lindsey United in 1957–58.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Smith (football forward, born 1889)</span> English footballer and manager

Joseph Smith was an English professional football player and manager. He is eleventh in the list of England's top-flight goal scorers with 243 league goals to his name. He was manager of Blackpool for 23 years and guided them to victory in the 1953 FA Cup Final, the only time they have won the competition since their 1887 inception.

Raymond Ogden Charnley was an English professional footballer. He was a centre forward and was one of the most prolific scorers for Blackpool, with whom he spent ten years, including all but one season in the top flight of English football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Hill (footballer)</span> English footballer

Stephen Hill was an English professional footballer. He played as a forward.

Edward Glyn James is a Welsh former professional footballer. He played as a defender. He spent his entire professional career with Blackpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy McIntosh</span> Scottish footballer and manager (1918–2000)

James McLaughlin McIntosh was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. As a player McIntosh was a fast, strong, stocky forward.

John McPhee was a Scottish professional footballer, who played as a defender.

Ian Moir was a Scottish footballer who played as a midfielder.

Graham Oates is an English former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder.

Graham Edward Rowe is an English former professional footballer. He played as a defender.

The 1946–47 season was Blackpool F.C.'s 39th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing fifth.

The 1952–53 season was Blackpool F.C.'s 45th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing seventh.

The 1966–67 season was Blackpool F.C.'s 59th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division One, then the top tier of English football, finishing bottom. As a result, they were relegated to Division Two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Blackpool F.C. (1887–1962)</span> Aspect of history of English football club

The history of Blackpool Football Club between 1887 and 1962 covers the years from the club's foundation, via a split from another Blackpool-based club; the period of nine years before they gained membership to the Football League; their recovery after losing their League status after only three seasons; and finally their rise into Division One, which was then the top tier of English football. Aside from the League, Blackpool also appeared in three FA Cup Finals in six years, finding success in their third attempt, in 1953. The same year, the club supplied the England team with four players for an international game against Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Dick (footballer)</span> Scottish football player and manager (1921–1960)

George White Dick was a Scottish Guardsman, B.A.O.R. cruiserweight boxing champion, and professional football player and manager.

John Green was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played a total of 250 league games in the English Football League.

Terence Pashley is an English former professional footballer. He played for Burnley, Blackpool and Bury in the 1970s and 1980s, making well over 400 Football League appearances for the three clubs. His position was as a defender, specifically a left full-back. He now works as a coach for Burnley, with the club confirming on 16 October 2012 that he has taken on the role of caretaker manager.

Thomas William Thompson is an English former professional footballer. He spent nine years at Blackpool in the 1960s, making more than 150 Football League appearances for the club. He played as a defender, specifically at full back. He also played briefly for York City. He also represented Great Britain at the 1960 Summer Olympics.

References

  1. ↑ "City History | Player Focus: Les Lea | Cardiff".
  2. ↑ "City History | Player Focus: Les Lea | Cardiff".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.