Courtney Leon Pitt (born 17 December 1981) is an English retired
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
.
He previously played for
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
,
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
,
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
,
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
,
Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
The club is known as 'the ...
,
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
,
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...
,
Weymouth and
AFC Telford United
AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United F.C., founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. They are currently members of the and play at ...
.
Career
Pitt began his career with
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Chelsea, progressing through the youth ranks at
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to:
* Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England
** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066
* Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge
* Stamford Bridge (stadium), in ...
. Pitt joined
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to:
Military
Airborne divisions
*1st Parachute Division (Germany)
*1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom)
* 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine)
* 1st Guards Airborne Division
Armoured divisions
*1st Armoure ...
side
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
on a three-year contract on 16 June 2001 when his former Chelsea coach
Graham Rix
Graham Cyril Rix (born 23 October 1957) is an English former professional football player who later became a coach and manager.
Rix played for Arsenal for thirteen years, then Brentford (on loan), Caen, Le Havre, Dundee and Chelsea. He also w ...
took over as manager at
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a association football, football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is the home of Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth Football Club. Fratton Park's location on Portsea Island is unique in English professional football, as it ...
, turning down the offer of a new three-year contract at Chelsea.
Pitt made the switch for a tribunal set
fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contrad ...
of £200,000 plus add-ons,
and he finished his first season with the club,
2001–02, with 41 appearances and three goals.
He made his debut for Pompey on the opening day of the season, in a 2–2 draw at
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
and he went on to become a regular member of Portsmouth's squad, making a total of 39 League appearances during the course of the season (10 of those appearances coming as a substitute). He scored three goals during the campaign, all towards the end of the season, in a 3–0 home win over
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
, a 1–1 draw at
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
and a 3–1 loss at
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
.
However, Rix left the club, and
Harry Redknapp
Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United F.C., West Ham United, Portsmouth F.C., ...
took over as boss of Pompey. He then brought in a number of new players, including Luton's home grown starlet
Matthew Taylor, and this pushed Pitt out of the first-team squad. He failed to make an appearance during the entire
2002–03 season under Redknapp as Portsmouth gained promotion to the Premier League as Division One champions. He came to
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
for a trial towards the end of the season, and he was snapped up on
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
just two days after
Mick Harford
Michael Gordon Harford (born 12 February 1959) is an English football manager and former professional player. He is the chief recruitment officer at Luton Town, a club where he has spent a large portion of both his playing and non-playing career ...
returned to
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road, known affectionately as The Kenny, is a association football, football stadium in the area of Bury Park, Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town F.C., Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The sta ...
as director of football and first-team coach – he had seemingly impressed Harford during his trial and was recommended to
Mike Newell.
Pitt made his debut for
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
on the opening day of the
2003–04 season in a 3–1 home victory over
Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town F.C., Ket ...
and he went on to feature in a further five matches for the Hatters, netting his first – and only – goal for the club with a free-kick in a 4–1 home win over
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil, a town in Somerset, England, with a council named Yeovil Town
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town W.F.C., an English women's football team affiliated with Yeovil T ...
in the
League Cup first round.
He helped the side to a 2–1 win at
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...
and a 3–2 home win over
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
They were founded in 190 ...
, but, unfortunately, he sustained an Achilles tendon injury and it meant he would be forced to miss two weeks of action. Manager Mike Newell therefore decided it would be silly to extend his loan spell, and he returned to his club, Portsmouth.
However, on his return to Fratton Park, Pitt worked extremely hard to regain his fitness and he recovered from the Achilles tendon injury in a matter of a fortnight and satisfied that he was now fit to resume action, manager
Mike Newell re-signed Pitt on loan for a second month. His second loan spell with the club wasn't quite as successful as his first – although he did help the Hatters to a couple of home wins.
He featured as a substitute in a 1–1 home draw with
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
and in a 4–4 draw after extra-time at Premiership
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Their home ground is ...
in the League Cup second round that only saw the Hatters lose in a
penalty shootout
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
.
Returning to the starting line-up in the following match, a 3–0 loss at
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
, Pitt remained in the team for the next five matches on the left-hand side of midfield as the side continued their good home form with 3–1 victories over both
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
and
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 188 ...
, but also saw their away form cost them with a 2–2 draw at
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
and losses at
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has dive ...
(4–2) and
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
(6–3).
In late October, following the heavy loss at Bournemouth, manager
Mike Newell decided to allow Pitt to return to Portsmouth. With the club under a transfer embargo, Newell could not sign any new players unless he allowed one of his two loan players – Pitt or
Gary McSheffrey
Gary McSheffrey (born 13 August 1982) is an English football manager and former player who is U-21 head coach at Sheffield United.
As a player he was a striker and left winger who made more than 450 appearances in the Football League and Pr ...
– to return to their respective clubs. Wanting to sign an experienced goalkeeper, Newell took the decision to allow Pitt to return to Portsmouth with his thanks for his efforts during his time at Kenilworth Road. Pitt then enjoyed a brief loan spell with
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
.
He linked up with his former manager Rix for a third time at
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
for an undisclosed fee on 25 March 2004.
However, Pitt failed to make an impact at the
Kassam Stadium
The Kassam Stadium (also known as Grenoble Road) is the home of Oxford United F.C., and is named after the ground's owner and former chairman of the football club, Firoz Kassam.
The Kassam Stadium was built whilst Oxford United played in Di ...
, and after eight appearances for the U's, he was released at the end of the
2003–04 season and began the search for a new club. After a spell with
Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
The club is known as 'the ...
, he signed for
Conference National
The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
side
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
prior to the start of the
2005–06 season.
In May 2008, Pitt was one of five players released by manager
Jimmy Quinn following the
2008 Conference National play-off final loss to
Exeter City
Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
but was brought back to the club by
Gary Brabin
Gary Brabin (born 9 December 1970) is an English former professional footballer, coach and manager who is the assistant manager at club Oldham Athletic and the sporting director at club The New Saints.
A midfielder with a 12-year career in t ...
, Quinn's successor, on 8 July 2008. He joined
Conference Premier
The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National Leagues and step 1 of the National Le ...
club
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...
on loan until the end of the
2009–10 season on 22 January 2010.
He made his debut as a 75th-minute substitute in a 1–0 defeat at
Ebbsfleet United
Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. The club compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1946 from the merger ...
on 13 February, nearly scoring an equaliser for York but was denied by
goalkeeper
In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
Lance Cronin
Lance Cronin (born 11 September 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made seven international appearances for the England C national team. In 2016 he was assistant manager at Whitehawk, the last club ...
.
He scored his first goal with the winner in a 1–0 victory over
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system.
The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
on 16 March.
He was to be released by Cambridge following the expiration of his contract on 30 June.
He came on as a substitute on 73 minutes in the
2010 Conference National play-off final at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
on 16 May, which was lost 3–1 to Oxford.
He finished the season with 12 appearances and one goal for York.
Pitt turned out as a triallist for
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
in their 3–2
friendly win at
AFC Sudbury
Amalgamated Football Club Sudbury is a association football, football club based in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. The club was formed in 1999 by the merger of Sudbury Town F.C., Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanderers F.C., Sudbury Wanderers, the proc ...
on 20 July 2010.
On 17 September he joined
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven a ...
Premier Division side
Weymouth on non-contract terms,
before being released by the club on 7 October.
On 19 November Pitt joined
Conference North
The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 o ...
side
AFC Telford United
AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United F.C., founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. They are currently members of the and play at ...
on non-contract terms after a successful trial with the club.
He finished the season having made four appearances for Telford and was invited back to the club for a pre-season trial, ahead of their first Conference season.
He stayed with the club until January 2012 when he left by mutual consent.
On 25 February, Courtney made his debut for
Chasetown
Chasetown is a village in the town of Burntwood in Staffordshire, England. It is split between the civil parishes of Burntwood and Hammerwich.
History
Chasetown developed in the mid 19th century as a coal mining village. At first the village ...
against
Stocksbridge Park Steels
Stocksbridge Park Steels Football Club is an English association football club based in Stocksbridge, South Yorkshire. They currently compete in the . The club was formed in 1986 after a merger between two clubs, and uses a yellow and blue hom ...
in the
Northern Premier League Premier Division
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English football league system.
Geographically, the league c ...
.
He joined
Stafford Rangers
Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Division One West.
The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts. Stafford Rangers' rivals include ...
in July 2012 ahead of the 2012/13 season. On 25 October Pitt left Stafford Rangers by mutual consent.
Style of play
Former
York City FC Manager
Martin Foyle
Martin John Foyle (born 2 May 1963) is an English former professional footballer and manager who is the Head of Recruitment at club Carlisle United. In his 20-year playing career, he played 533 League games, scoring 155 goals. As a manager, h ...
described Pitt as a player who "can take people on, is great at set-pieces and can provide an outlet on that left side".
Career statistics
Footnotes
:A. The "League" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
and
Football Conference
The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...
.
:B. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
and
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt, Courtney
1981 births
Living people
Footballers from the City of Westminster
People from Paddington
English men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Chelsea F.C. players
Portsmouth F.C. players
Luton Town F.C. players
Coventry City F.C. players
Oxford United F.C. players
Boston United F.C. players
Cambridge United F.C. players
York City F.C. players
Weymouth F.C. players
AFC Telford United players
Chasetown F.C. players
Stafford Rangers F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Southern Football League players
Northern Football League players
Black British sportsmen
21st-century English sportsmen