 Lee withBirmingham City in 2013 pre-season | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Oliver Robert Lee[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1991-07-11)11 July 1991 (age 34)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Hornchurch, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.81 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Norwich City (Under 21's Coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2009 | West Ham United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2012 | West Ham United | 0 | (0) |
| 2011 | →Dagenham & Redbridge (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2011 | →Dagenham & Redbridge (loan) | 16 | (3) |
| 2012 | →Gillingham (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Barnet | 11 | (0) |
| 2013 | →Birmingham City (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Birmingham City | 16 | (1) |
| 2015 | →Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 15 | (2) |
| 2015–2018 | Luton Town | 105 | (10) |
| 2018–2021 | Heart of Midlothian | 41 | (4) |
| 2019–2020 | →Gillingham (loan) | 28 | (4) |
| 2021 | →Gillingham (loan) | 25 | (5) |
| 2021–2023 | Gillingham | 38 | (1) |
| Total | 307 | (30) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:53, 22 February 2023 (UTC) | |||
Oliver Robert Lee (born 11 July 1991) is an English former professionalfootballer and coach who played as amidfielder. He is Under 21's Coach atNorwich City.
Lee started his career as a youth player withWest Ham United, with whom he turned professional in 2009. He made his debut in theFootball League during the first of twoloan spells atDagenham & Redbridge in 2011, and also played on loan toLeague Two clubGillingham in 2012. He never made a senior appearance for West Ham, and moved on toBarnet in July 2012. After nine months and thirteen appearances, he signed forChampionship clubBirmingham City on loan. Despite not having playedfirst-team football for Birmingham, the loan was converted to a permanent transfer in May 2013. He played 20 matches in2013–14 but none the following season, and after a spell on loan at League TwoPlymouth Argyle in 2015, he was released. In August 2015, Lee signed for League Two clubLuton Town on a short-term contract, which was later extended until the end of2016–17.
Lee began his football career as a youth team player withWest Ham United, for whom he signed professionally in 2009.[3]
He captained the under-18 team, playedreserve team football, and was an unusedsubstitute for aLeague Cup match with West Ham before signingon loan forLeague One clubDagenham & Redbridge in March 2011.[3] He made his debut in their 2–1 away defeat toExeter City on 2 April.[4] His loan was extended until the end of the season,[5] during which time he played in five league matches, all defeats, as the club failed to avoidrelegation toLeague Two.[6]
In August 2011, Lee returned to Dagenham on a one-month loan to cover for injuries.[7] The loan was later extended for a further two months.[6] He made sixteen appearances in League Two and one in theFootball League Trophy, and scored three goals, all in the league.[8] His first senior goal, in the 73rd minute of a 2–1 defeat at home toMorecambe on 17 September, was a 25-yard (23 m)free kick into the top corner of the net, which managerJohn Still described as "a bit of a fluke".[9]
After a two-weektrial in February 2012, Lee joined League Two clubGillingham on loan for a month.[10] He made his debut on 21 February in a goalless draw at home toRotherham United,[11] and played eight matches in all during his loan spell, which was extended for a second month.[12]
West Ham released Lee when his contract expired at the end of2011–12.[13]
Mark Robson signed Lee for League Two clubBarnet on 3 July 2012.[14] He played regularly at the start of the season, but increasingly infrequently after the arrival ofEdgar Davids as joint head coach, and not at all after Robson left the club.[15][16]
Lee joined up withChampionship clubBirmingham City on trial in February 2013,[17] and signed on loan on 21 March.[18] He made no first-team appearances during his loan spell, but he was an unused substitute on the final day of the season, and captained theunder-21 development team.[19]
Lee signed a permanent one-year contract with Birmingham City in May 2013, with the option of a further year, and no transfer fee was involved.[20]
He took part in pre-season friendlies with the first team, scoring againstAlfreton Town,[19] and made his competitive debut as a late substitute in the League Cup on 6 August, just seconds beforePlymouth Argyle's equaliser took the match intoextra time.[21] WithTom Adeyemi unavailable andCallum Reilly unfit to start, both because of illness, Lee made his first appearance in the Championship atLeeds United on 20 October and played the full 90 minutes as Birmingham lost 4–0.[22] He andPeter Løvenkrands entered the League Cup fourth-round match againstStoke City as 79th-minute substitutes with Birmingham 3–1 down. Lee's 85th-minute free kick led to Løvenkrands pulling a goal back, and after the same player's equaliser took the match into extra time, Lee himself scored his first competitive goal for Birmingham, from outside the penalty area in the 118th minute to make the score 4–4, and converted his penalty in theshootout, which Birmingham lost.[23] He scored his first league goal for Birmingham, with a volleyed finish afterNikola Žigić headed the ball down, on 15 February 2014 in a 2–1 defeat at home toHuddersfield Town,[24] and finished the season with 20 appearances, of which 16 were in Championship matches.[25]
Having failed to set foot on the field for the first team in 2014–15, Lee joined League Two club Plymouth Argyle in January 2015 on a month's loan.[26][27] He went straight into the starting eleven, and came close to scoring an equaliser from a free kick as Plymouth lost 1–0 at home toLuton Town.[28] He played seven matches during the month, scored once, a stoppage-time header with Argyle already 3–1 down atHartlepool United, and wassent off in the last of the seven for a foul on Exeter City'sTom Nichols. Despite the consequent three-match suspension, Lee's loan was extended to the end of the season.[29] He made a further eight appearances for Argyle, but was forced to miss the end of the regular season, when Argyle qualified for theplay-offs, because of a groin injury.[30]
Birmingham confirmed he would be released when his contract expired at the end of the season.[31]
Lee signed for League Two club Luton Town on a short-term contract on 21 August 2015 which included performance-based options to lengthen his stay.[32] He signed an extended contract until June 2017 on 22 September 2015.[33] Lee helped Luton win promotion to League One in 2017–18.[34] On 18 November 2017 he scored a goal from his own half during a 7–0 victory overCambridge United; the 65-yard strike[35] was voted the Mitre Goal of the Season at the 2018 EFL Awards.[36]
Lee signed a pre-contract agreement withScottish Premiership clubHeart of Midlothian in May 2018, and joined the club on a three-year contract upon the expiry of his contract with Luton.[34] He scored in the 11th minute of his debut in a 2–1 away victory overCove Rangers in theScottish League Cup on 18 July 2018.[37]
On 29 August 2019, Lee rejoined Gillingham, now in League One, on loan until 27 January 2020.[38] The loan was extended until the end of the season on 9 January 2020.[39]
Lee returned to Hearts on 3 May 2020,[40] and played regularly for them during the first part of the 2020–21 season. Lee scored in the penalty shoot-out as Hearts were defeated by Celtic in the2020 Scottish Cup Final.[41]
Lee rejoined Gillingham for a third loan spell in January 2021.[42]
Lee was in the Hearts team which won the Scottish Championship in the2020–21 season.
In June 2021, Lee signed a permanent contract with Gillingham.[43]
He retired from professional football in February 2023 due to struggles withpsoriatic arthritis[44] andRaynaud syndrome.[45]
Lee was appointed Under 21's Coach atNorwich City after a short spell as U-18's coach atIpswich Town.
Lee was born inHornchurch, London,[46] the son of former Newcastle andEngland midfielderRob Lee.[3] His younger brother,Elliot, also became a professional footballer.[47] Lee attendedBrentwood School inBrentwood, Essex, and played for theIndependent Schools Football Association (ISFA) under-16 representative team.[48]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| West Ham United | 2009–10[49] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010–11[50] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12[8] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Dagenham & Redbridge (loan) | 2010–11[50] | League One | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12[8] | League Two | 15 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 16 | 3 | ||
| Total | 20 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 3 | |||
| Gillingham (loan) | 2011–12[8][11] | League Two | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Barnet | 2012–13[15] | League Two | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2012–13[15] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Birmingham City | 2013–14[25] | Championship | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 20 | 2 | |
| 2014–15[26] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 20 | 2 | |||
| Plymouth Argyle (loan) | 2014–15[26] | League Two | 15 | 2 | — | — | — | 15 | 2 | |||
| Luton Town | 2015–16[51] | League Two | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 39 | 3 |
| 2016–17[52] | League Two | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | 41 | 1 | |
| 2017–18[53] | League Two | 38 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 43 | 7 | |
| Total | 105 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 123 | 11 | ||
| Heart of Midlothian | 2018–19[54] | Scottish Premiership | 31 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 3 | — | 41 | 6 | |
| 2019–20[55] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21[55] | Scottish Championship | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | 15 | 3 | ||
| Total | 41 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 5 | — | 58 | 9 | |||
| Gillingham (loan) | 2019–20[56] | League One | 28 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | 2[e] | 0 | 34 | 6 | |
| 2020–21[57] | League One | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 25 | 5 | ||
| Gillingham | 2021–22[58] | League One | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| 2022–23[59] | League Two | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 91 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 105 | 12 | ||
| Career total | 307 | 30 | 20 | 3 | 23 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 363 | 39 | ||
Heart of Midlothian
Luton Town
