Stuart Andrew Lovell (born 9 January 1972 in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

) is an Australian professional footballer, who played as a

striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...

early in his career, before reverting to a midfield role later in his career.

Playing career

Born in Australia, Lovell spent his childhood in Reading.Stuart Lovell
Reading F.C. He joined the local professional team and was part of the Reading team that narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League in the 1994–95 season. He had a penalty kick saved in the playoff final against Bolton Wanderers when Reading were leading 2–0; they eventually lost 4–3 after

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only ...

. After damaging a cruciate ligament in 1997 and almost having his career ended as a result, Lovell moved to Scottish club Hibernian in 1998, ultimately prolonging his career by nearly a decade. Hibs were in the First Division at the time and he was part of the team who won promotion back to the

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Football League (SFL). It was abolished in 2013, when t ...

by winning the First Division. He was capped twice by Australia and was a Hibs first team regular as they finished a creditable third in the SPL and reached the 2000-01 Scottish Cup Final. In the summer of 2001, Lovell surprisingly left Hibs to sign for SPL newcomers Livingston, who he helped to finish third in their first season in the SPL. He subsequently skippered the club to their only major trophy to date, the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in exist ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. Livingston defeated Hibs 2–0 in the final. Lovell retired after a 15-month spell with Dumfries club Queen of the South, where he also had a spell as caretaker

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Post playing career

Lovell has since done media work, appearing on Setanta Sports and Sky Sports, and writing a column for the '' Edinburgh Evening News''. He has also served as a representative of PFA Scotland. As of 2022, Lovell is a Network Programme Manager for Street Soccer.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Club

Reading *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

: 1993–94 Hibernian * Scottish Football League First Division: 1998–99 Livingston *

: 2003–04

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovell, Stuart 1972 births Australia international soccer players Australian expatriate soccer players Australian people of English descent Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Scotland Association football utility players Hibernian F.C. players Living people Livingston F.C. players Soccer players from Sydney Queen of the South F.C. players Reading F.C. players Scottish Premier League players Scottish Football League players English Football League players Association football midfielders Association football forwards Australian soccer players