Lee Benjamin Minshull (born 11 November 1985) is an English former professional

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 ...

Career

Born in

Chatham, Kent Chatham ( ) is a town within the Medway unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. In 2020 it had a population of 80,596. Th ...

, Minshull played for Charlton Athletic School of Excellence as a youngster. He began his senior career with

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...

before moving to

Tonbridge Angels Tonbridge Angels Football Club is a professional association football club based in Tonbridge, Kent, England. The team competes in the National League South, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded as Tonb ...

in 2009. He played 40 times in the 2009–10 season; scoring 17 goals, making him the club's second top scorer for that season. In 2010, he left Tonbridge to join

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 ...

side

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...

. He made his

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

debut for Wimbledon on 6 August 2011, in a 3–2 defeat to

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...

. In January 2012, Minshull joined Newport County on loan. On 12 May 2012, he played for Newport in the FA Trophy 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 ...

which Newport lost 2–0 to York City. In May 2012 Minshull was released by Wimbledon at the end of his contract and subsequently joined Newport County on a permanent contract. In the 2012–13 season he was part of the Newport team that finished 3rd in the league, reaching the Conference Premier play-offs. Newport County won the playoff final versus Wrexham at

2–0 to return to the Football League after a 25-year absence with promotion to

Football League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English Football League (EFL ...

. Minshull was released by Newport in May 2015 at the end of his contract. On 27 May 2015, he joined

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

club

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

. Following two seasons at the club, in which he became a fans' favourite, Minshull left Bromley to pursue a part-time career in football. On 16 May 2018, following a spell at

Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon ...

, Minshull joined Concord Rangers on a one-year deal. In June 2020, Minshull announced his retirement from football, continuing on with Concord Rangers in the role of assistant manager. In 2021, Minshull achieved possibly his biggest accolade in his illustrious career. He was seen in the rose and crown surrounded by pork scratchings having just drunk 31 Stella’s in 2 hours. Something never seen before in this fine establishment. You can now find a hand drawn portrait of Lee behind the bar, something his father, Glen, is sincerely proud of.

Career statistics

Personal life

Minshull is in a relationship with Kelcie, the daughter of international referee Ian John-Lewis. Minshull put his full-time career as a quantity surveyor on hold to play full-time football for

after their promotion to

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 ...

in 2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Minshull, Lee 1985 births Living people Footballers from Chatham, Kent English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Sittingbourne F.C. players Ramsgate F.C. players Deal Town F.C. players Tonbridge Angels F.C. players AFC Wimbledon players Newport County A.F.C. players Bromley F.C. players Leatherhead F.C. players Concord Rangers F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Isthmian League players 21st-century English sportsmen