 Lita playing forSisaket in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leroy Halirou Bohari Lita[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-12-28)28 December 1984 (age 40) | ||
| Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Barwell Sunderland Academy (professional development phase coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2001 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2005 | Bristol City | 85 | (31) |
| 2005–2009 | Reading | 83 | (20) |
| 2008 | →Charlton Athletic (loan) | 8 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | →Norwich City (loan) | 16 | (7) |
| 2009–2011 | Middlesbrough | 78 | (20) |
| 2011–2014 | Swansea City | 18 | (2) |
| 2012 | →Birmingham City (loan) | 10 | (3) |
| 2013 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 17 | (6) |
| 2013 | →Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 5 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Barnsley | 19 | (2) |
| 2015 | →Notts County (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | AO Chania | 11 | (1) |
| 2016 | Yeovil Town | 8 | (1) |
| 2017 | Sisaket | 21 | (5) |
| 2018 | Margate | 3 | (0) |
| 2019 | Salisbury | 3 | (2) |
| 2019–2020 | Chelmsford City | 12 | (1) |
| 2020–2022 | Nuneaton Borough | 21 | (5) |
| 2022 | Stratford Town | 11 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | Hednesford Town | 29 | (17) |
| 2023 | Ilkeston Town | 18 | (16) |
| 2023–2024 | Nuneaton Borough | 22 | (6) |
| 2024 | Coalville Town | 6 | (1) |
| 2024– | Barwell | 8 | (3) |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2007 | England U21 | 9 | (6) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12:33, 2 August 2024 (UTC) | |||
Leroy Halirou Bohari Lita (born 28 December 1984) is an Englishfootball player and coach who currently plays as aforward forSouthern League Premier Division Central clubBarwell and is professional development phase coach at theSunderland Academy.
Lita was a product of theChelseayouth system but never made a first-team appearance for the club; in 2002, he moved toBristol City and later representedReading, where his form helped him earn a place with theEngland under-21 side. He later played forMiddlesbrough,Swansea City,Barnsley,Yeovil Town, in Greece forAO Chania and in Thailand forSisaket, with loan spells atCharlton Athletic,Norwich City,Birmingham City,Sheffield Wednesday,Brighton & Hove Albion andNotts County. He then moved intonon-league football.
Born inKinshasa,[2] Lita made his debut for Bristol City at the start of the2002–03 season, and his first goal followed when he scored a late winner againstPort Vale in September 2002.[3][4] Lita signed his first professional contract forBristol City at the age of 18 at the start of the2003–04 season, after being discovered by scout Roger Barton.[5] AfterBrian Tinnion had taken over fromDanny Wilson as manager at the start of the2004–05 season that Lita really established himself in the first team. That year he scored 29 goals in all competitions for club and one U21 international goal taking his tally to 30 for the season.
Lita moved toReading of theChampionship on 13 July 2005 for a then club record fee of £1 million.[6]
Lita scored on his debut at home toPlymouth Argyle with a fine header to equalise, but Reading lost 2–1, however they only lost one more league game during the entire season. Lita made it three goals in his first three games as he scored two well taken goals in Reading's 3–0 win away atPreston. He scored in home wins againstSwansea City in theLeague Cup andBurnley in the league, before scoring an overhead kick in the 3–2 win at home toCrystal Palace. He then endured a barren spell in front of goal, but he ended it with a goal in a 3–0 win atIpswich, a result which took Reading to the top of the Championship.
He then suffered an injury that kept him out for 6 weeks, but on his return againstWest Bromwich Albion in the third round of theFA Cup, he produced a high quality display, netting a superb hat trick that included a spectacular second goal with a dipping shot from 25 yards, after a series of one touch passes from the Royals. He found the net in a 4–0 win at home toNorwich City, and followed it up in the next game with two excellent finishes in a 4–3 away win atCrewe Alexandra. He scored for the third league game in a row with a tap in during a 2–0 victory at home toSouthampton. He came on as a substitute to score the winner in a 2–1 win at home to Preston but his2005–06 season ended early in the next game at Burnley when he sustained a broken ankle after landing awkwardly, but Reading still won the Championship title andpromotion to thePremier League with a record total of 106 points.
Lita had a promising start to life in the Premiership, in which he netted the winner at home toMiddlesbrough on the opening day, a game in which Reading came from 2–0 down to win, 3–2. He ended a goal drought by scoring in a 2–2 draw againstChelsea atStamford Bridge, the first of ten goals in twelve games,[7] as he scored away atManchester United in a 3–2 defeat, and scored again in the 6–0 home win over West Ham. He also scored three goals in two games in the FA Cup against Burnley and twice against Birmingham City. His next goal came at home to Wigan in a 3–2 win, and in the next game he scored two late goals in a 2–0 win away atManchester City. Both goals came from through balls; for the first Lita hit a powerful first time shot from the edge of the box, across the keeper and into the top corner. The second was a finish when through one on one. He would have had a hat trick, but had a goal wrongly disallowed in the first half. Leroy scored again against Manchester United, as he pulled one back in a 3–2 home defeat in the FA Cup.
Lita had suffered some niggling injuries and found himself behind in formKevin Doyle andDave Kitson for parts of the season. On 13 April 2007, Lita was banned for three games for allegedlyheadbuttingTalal El Karkouri ofCharlton Athletic on 9 April, a charge disputed by both the player and Reading's manager,Steve Coppell. However, Reading still managed to finish eighth in their first ever top division campaign, just missing out on aUEFA Cup place. Following the end of that season speculation surrounding the future of Lita increased as he continued to be linked with several premier league clubs. However the striker said in July that he wanted to stay at Reading "I'm happy here. This is an important year for me and the club and I just want to play and be successful." In a freak occurrence just prior to the start of the2007–08 season, Lita was faced with a month of downtime after damaging a leg muscle as he stretched in bed upon waking.[8] Coppell told theBBC: "Leroy is in a great deal of pain. It's a point of laughter but a serious business for him because he's going to be out for three or four weeks." Lita found himself largely out of favour in the 2007–08 season, and spent much of it either left out or injured, he also had a loan spell at Charlton Athletic. He only scored one goal in the Premier League that season, it came on the final day against already relegatedDerby County with a diving header in a 4–0 away win. But Reading found themselves joining Derby, as they were relegated on goal difference.
On 5 March 2008, Lita joined Charlton Athletic on a one-month loan deal, after finding his first team opportunities limited at Reading during the 2007–08 season.[9] The loan was later extended to the end of the season,[10] but he was called back from the loan on 19 April for the last three games of the season.[11]
Lita then went toNorwich City for a month-long loan on 1 October. He scored four goals in his initial six game spell including a hat-trick againstWolverhampton Wanderers in a 5–2 victory. Reading and Norwich agreed to extend the loan for another six games until 7 December. Following Norwich's 2–0 win over local rivals Ipswich, it was announced on 8 December that Lita would sign a further third month on loan. Lita went on to score seven goals for Norwich, and in a season which ultimately ended up with relegation, Lita was City's top scorer.
Lita returned to Reading and played in the third round FA Cup tie defeat atCardiff City.[12]
He then made his first league appearance since August, coming on as a sub, to score a goal against Watford at home on 9 January 2009, to make it 4–0. Later, in the same week Lita announced that he had changed for the better, and that he would stay with Reading for the promotion push.[13]
Sheffield United had a seven figure sum accepted by Reading for Lita on 13 January 2009, but the club later withdrew from proceedings after they were not willing to pay the £1.2 million signing-on fee being requested by Lita. On 15 May, Lita,Michael Duberry,Marcus Hahnemann and club captainGraeme Murty were told that their contracts would not be renewed.
On 3 August 2009, it was announced that he would joinMiddlesbrough on a free transfer.[14] He made his debut for Middlesbrough on 7 August 2009 in a 0–0 draw withSheffield United, but had limited opportunities to score.[15] Lita scored his first goal for Middlesbrough againstDoncaster Rovers, in a 2–0 win for the Boro. He received a yellow card for removing his shirt in his subsequent celebration.[16] He scored his second goal when returning to his old club Reading in Middlesbrough's 2–0 win on 3 October 2009. His third goal for Middlesbrough came on 21 November 2009 againstNottingham Forest off a rebound off aJulio Arca shot. On 5 December 2009, Lita scored two goals in a 5–1 win against QPR, Middlesbrough's first win under new manager Gordon Strachan. Lita again received a yellow card for his goal celebration. On 26 December 2009, Lita received a red card for an elbow during the win against Scunthorpe, which was the first of his career.
Lita's first goal of the 2010–11 season came on 18 September 2010 against old club Reading and his second followed on 27 November with a headed goal in a 2–2 draw with Hull.[17][18] On 28 December, Lita's 26th birthday, he scored two goals against Preston in a 3–1 win for Middlesbrough – his first being an individual effort, scoring after a weaving run from the halfway line.[19] Lita scored twice against the club where he began his career, Bristol City, in Middlesbrough's 4–0 away victory on 15 January 2011.[20] He was yellow-carded for his celebration following his first goal, after being subjected to abuse from the home fans. Lita later took the unusual step of using the Bristol City website to apologising to their fans for his actions.[21]
On 27 July 2011, newly promoted Premier League sideSwansea City had a fee of £1.75 million accepted by Middlesbrough for Lita's services.[22] He completed his medical the following week and signed a three-year contract. He made his Swansea debut againstManchester City as a substitute. Lita scored his first Swansea City goal on 17 September 2011 againstWest Bromwich Albion scoring a header in a 3–0 win.[23]
On 6 September 2012, Lita agreed to joinBirmingham City on a three-month emergency loan, the move to be completed when the loan transfer window opened two days later.[24] He scored his first goal for the club on his second appearance, touching in aPaul Caddis cross to open the scoring at home toBolton Wanderers.[25] After ten league games in which he scored three goals, Lita's loan was terminated on 12 November to allow him to return to his owning club to complete his recovery from a thigh injury.[26]
Lita made his debut on 26 January 2013, scoring the winning goal against Charlton Athletic after coming on as a substitute for Kieran Lee in the 54th minute. He went on to score his second goal in as many games, through a first half volley in a 3–1 home victory againstBrighton & Hove Albion.Leroy scored against Crystal Palace on 23 February to take his tally for Sheffield Wednesday to 3 goals. He uses a trademark celebration when he scores goals for Wednesday, using his fingers to make an "M" which stands for massive. Lita scored his fourth goal of the season forSheffield Wednesday from a well placed penalty to add to the 3–2 victory againstBlackburn Rovers on 6 April. He has also helped them stave off the relegation with a second goal in a 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough, Lita's former club.
On 16 October 2013, Lita signed for Brighton on loan until 1 January 2014.[27] Lita made his début as a substitute in the 0–0 draw against Yeovil on 19 October 2013. Lita scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 away win atDoncaster Rovers. By the end of his loan spell with the Seagulls, Lita had made 5 appearances, scoring 1 goal.[28]
After his departure from Swansea City, Lita signed a one-year deal atLeague One sideBarnsley on 9 August 2014.[29]
Lita joinedNotts County on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season in March 2015.[30]
In August 2015, Lita signed for GreekFootball League sideAO Chania.[31]
On 5 March 2016, Lita joinedLeague Two sideYeovil Town on a short-term deal until the end of the season.[32] He was released at the end of the 2015–16 season.[33]
On 7 January 2017, Lita joinedThai League T1 sideSisaket.[34]
In September 2018 Lita joined English non-league clubMargate.[35]
At the age of 34, Lita announced his retirement from professional football in August 2019.[36] He joinedHaverhill Rovers as a coach at the end of the month,[37] before signing a short-term deal withSouthern League clubSalisbury in late September.[38] On 8 November, Lita signed a short-term deal forNational League South clubChelmsford City;[39] he left at the end of the season having made 14 appearances in all competitions.[40] He then spent 18 months with Southern League clubNuneaton Borough before joining division rivalsStratford Town in January 2022.[41][42]
On 24 March 2022, Lita signed forSouthern League Premier Division Central sideHednesford Town.[43] He scored a hattrick on his debut againstStourbridge.[44] and finished the season with six goals from six appearances, before signing a new deal with the club for the 2022–23 campaign.[45]
After Hednesford parted company with manager Keenen Meakin-Richards and his backroom staff, on 27 August 2022,[46] Lita was announced as caretaker manager[47] before being appointed player-coach after the club appointedSteve Burr as manager on 12 September 2022.[48] On 1 October 2022, Lita scored a four-minute hat-trick as Hednesford beatAFC Rushden & Diamonds 5–0 for their first win of the season.[49] In January 2023, Lita joined Southern League Premier Division Central clubIlkeston Town.[50]
On 1 August 2023, Lita re-signed for Nuneaton Borough.[51] He left the club on 8 January 2024,[52] and the following day he and former Borough captainScott McManus joined another Southern League Premier Central club,Coalville Town.[53] After two months and eight appearances, he was released to continue his tour of the Premier Central withBarwell.[54][55] He finished the season with three goals from six appearances,[56] and re-signed for the 2024–25 season.[57]
Lita turned down the chance to play forDR Congo in favour of pursuing an international career with England, despite having previously stated he wished to represent the country of his birth.[58] He scored on his debut forEngland U21 with a goal againstthe Netherlands U21 in a 2–1 loss on 8 February 2005, coming on as a second-half substitute.[59] He had to wait over a year to make his second appearance, again as a substitute, in a 3–1 win over Norway on 28 February 2006.[60] Following excellent goal-scoring form in the Premier League, Lita was awarded with a furthercap as a substitute in the 2–2 draw with Spain on 6 February 2007, scoring his second goal in three international appearances.
Lita was eligible to compete in the2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship,[61] and was called up to the squad.[62]
In the first group game against theCzech Republic, England were awarded a penalty in the 88th minute which Lita subsequently dragged wide condemning England to a scoreless draw.[63] However, he then scored for England in each of their next three games; a 2–2 draw againstItaly, a 2–0 win overSerbia, and a 1–1 (13–12) penalty shoot-out loss to the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
He was named in theUEFA Dream Team for the tournament.[64]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bristol City | 2002–03[65] | Second Division | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 2003–04[66] | Second Division | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 31 | 5 | |
| 2004–05[67] | League One | 44 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3[b] | 2 | 51 | 29 | |
| Total | 85 | 31 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 100 | 38 | ||
| Reading | 2005–06[68] | Championship | 26 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 32 | 15 | |
| 2006–07[7] | Premier League | 33 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | — | 38 | 14 | ||
| 2007–08[69] | Premier League | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 18 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09[70] | Championship | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| Total | 83 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 5 | — | 100 | 32 | |||
| Charlton Athletic (loan) | 2007–08[69] | Championship | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | |||
| Norwich City (loan) | 2008–09[70] | Championship | 16 | 7 | — | — | — | 16 | 7 | |||
| Middlesbrough | 2009–10[71] | Championship | 40 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 41 | 8 | |
| 2010–11[17] | Championship | 38 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 41 | 12 | ||
| Total | 78 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 82 | 20 | |||
| Swansea City | 2011–12[72] | Premier League | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | |
| 2012–13[73] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14[74] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2012–13[73] | Championship | 10 | 3 | — | — | — | 10 | 3 | |||
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2012–13[73] | Championship | 17 | 6 | — | — | — | 17 | 6 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 2013–14[74] | Championship | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| Barnsley | 2014–15[75] | League One | 19 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 |
| Notts County (loan) | 2014–15[75] | League One | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| AO Chania | 2015–16[76] | Football League | 11 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | |
| Yeovil Town | 2015–16[77] | League Two | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| Sisaket | 2017[76] | Thai Premier League | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 5 | ||
| Margate | 2018–19[78] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Salisbury | 2019–20[56] | Southern League Premier Division South | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
| Chelmsford City | 2019–20[76][56] | National League South | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 1 | 14 | 2 | |
| Nuneaton Borough | 2020–21[56] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 3[e] | 1 | 14 | 6 | |
| 2021–22[56] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[f] | 1 | 19 | 2 | ||
| Total | 21 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | 8 | 2 | 33 | 8 | |||
| Hednesford Town | 2021–22[56] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | |||
| 2022–23[56] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 23 | 11 | 1 | 1 | — | 4[g] | 1 | 28 | 12 | ||
| Total | 29 | 17 | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | 34 | 18 | |||
| Ilkeston Town | 2022–23[56] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 18 | 16 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 18 | 16 | ||
| Nuneaton Borough | 2023–24[56] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 6[h] | 6 | 29 | 12 | |
| Coalville Town | 2023–24[56] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 6 | 1 | — | — | 2[i] | 1 | 8 | 2 | ||
| Barwell | 2023–24[56] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 507 | 151 | 33 | 14 | 16 | 7 | 31 | 13 | 587 | 184 | ||
Reading
Individual
