Leon Townley

Leon Townley
Personal information
Full name Leon Townley[1]
Date of birth (1976-02-16) 16 February 1976
Place of birth Loughton, England
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Defender
Youth career
1992–1997 Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–1999 Brentford 16 (2)
1999 → Slough Town (loan) 7 (2)
1999–2001 Slough Town 58 (1)
2001–2002 Aldershot Town 43 (1)
2002 St Albans City 16 (0)
2002 → Windsor & Eton (loan) 0 (0)
2002–2004 Windsor & Eton 3 (0)
2004–2005 Boreham Wood 2 (1)
2005 Hitchin Town 6 (0)
Teams managed
2008–2009 Debden Sports (reserves)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Leon Townley (born 16 February 1976) is a retired English professional football defender. He is best remembered for his spell with Brentford in the Football League between 1997 and 1999. After his release, he dropped into non-league football and retired from senior football in 2005.

Career

Tottenham Hotspur

Growing up in Loughton, Essex, England, Townley began his career as a trainee at Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in 1992.[2] He signed professional terms at the age of 18 in 1994.[2] Townley received his maiden call into the first team for Spurs' 1995 Intertoto Cup campaign,[3] though he failed to make an appearance and was an unused substitute for an infamous 8–0 defeat to Cologne.[4] Townley left in 1997 after failing to break into the first team.[5]

Brentford

Townley signed for Division Two side Brentford on 18 September 1997 in a £25,000 deal (rising to £55,000 on appearances),[6] signing a three-year contract and linking up with former Spurs teammates Kevin Dearden, Ijah Anderson, Simon Wormull and Simon Spencer.[7] Manager Eddie May commented "he's big, strong and quick for a defender. He tries to play football and doesn't waste the ball, but he is also a big boy and has a presence in the penalty box".[8] Townley made his debut the following day with a starting appearance in a 1–1 home league draw with Wycombe Wanderers.[9] After the match he commented that "it was more physical than the reserves. I got a bad whack on the hip, but fortunately I could carry on".[8] He scored his first Brentford goals in a 3–1 win over Blackpool on 13 December, bagging the winner after two Blackpool players were sent off on the hour mark and scoring again in the 78th minute.[9] He scored in his first appearance in the Football League Trophy, grabbing an injury time consolation in a 2–1 second round defeat to Luton Town on 13 January 1998.[9] He made only two more appearances that season and was unable to help prevent Brentford's relegation to Division Three.[9] Townley made 19 appearances during the 1997–98 season and scored three goals.[9] New manager Ron Noades elected to transfer-list Townley and he failed to make a single appearance during the 1998–99 Division Three title-winning season, instead appearing for the reserve team.[7] Townley left the club in September 1999 after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.[7]

Slough Town (loan & permanent transfer)

Townley joined Isthmian Premier League side Slough Town on a month's loan on 23 August 1999,[6] linking up with former Brentford teammate Paul Barrowcliff. He had a dream start, scoring on his debut in a 3–0 league win over Purfleet.[10] He scored again three games later in a 4–0 demolition of Billericay Town.[11] Townley signed permanently for the club in September.[12] He scored his third goal for the club in a 2–1 Isthmian League Full Members Cup victory over Carshalton Athletic on 16 November.[13] He scored his maiden Berks & Bucks Senior Cup goal in a 3–0 victory over Hungerford Town on 22 February 2000.[14] A virtual ever-present, Townley made a total of 48 appearances in all competitions during the 1999–00 season and scored four goals.[12] He made 33 appearances during the 2000–01 season and left the club after their relegation to the Isthmian League Division One. Townley made a total of 81 appearances during his time at Slough and scored four goals.[12]

Aldershot Town

Townley signed for Isthmian Premier League side Aldershot Town on 18 August 2001.[15] He made 43 appearances during the 2001–02 season and scored one goal. He left the club after the season.[15][16]

St Albans City

Townley joined Isthmian Premier League side St Albans City on 28 July 2002.[6][17] He scored on his debut in a 4–0 Herts Charity Cup first round win over Ware on 3 August.[18] He scored his second goal with a scrambled equaliser in a 2–2 league draw with Purfleet on 1 October.[19][20] Townley made 20 appearances in all competitions and scored two goals during the 2002–03 season.[21]

Windsor & Eton (loan & permanent transfer)

Townley signed on loan for Isthmian Division One South side Windsor & Eton in November 2002 and later joined permanently.[22][23] He scored two goals in two FA Trophy games against Vauxhall Motors and Aylesbury United in February 2003.[24][25]

Boreham Wood

Townley signed for Southern League Eastern Division side Boreham Wood in September 2004.[26] Townley scored a headed goal versus Berkhamsted on 29 August 2005.[27] He left the club after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent in early October 2005.[28] He made five appearances during the 2005–06 season and scored one goal.[29]

Hitchin Town

Townley joined Southern Premier League side Hitchin Town on 13 October 2005.[26] He made six league appearances for the club.[30]

Debden Sports

Townley resurfaced with Herts Senior County League side Debden Sports in 2007. Playing for the club's reserve team, he scored seven goals during the 2007–08 season.[31] He scored 16 goals during the 2008–09 season and also managed the side.[32][33]

Fleetwood

In 2012, Townley joined Fleetwood, playing five-a-side football in a local league in Harlow.[34]

References

  1. ↑ "Barry Hugman's Footballers - Leon Townley". hugmansfootballers.com. Retrieved 2016-11-09.
  2. 1 2 "leon townley - fact file". archive.mehstg.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  3. ↑ "Tottenham's ill-Fated Venture Into The 1995-96 Intertoto Cup - Hotspur HQ - A Tottenham Hotspur Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion, and More". hotspurhq.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  4. ↑ "Inside the Intertoto Cup | Football | The Observer". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  5. ↑ "Leon Townley". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  6. 1 2 3 "Leon Townley | Football Stats | Windsor & Eton | Age 37 | Soccer Base". soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  7. 1 2 3 Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 421. ISBN 9781906796723.
  8. 1 2 Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Burnley 27/09/97. Quay Design of Poole. 1997.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Leon Townley | Football Stats | Windsor & Eton | Season 1997/1998 | Soccer Base". soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  10. ↑ "SloughTownFC.net - The Official Website of Slough Town FC |". sloughtownfc.net. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  11. ↑ "SloughTownFC.net - The Official Website of Slough Town FC |". sloughtownfc.net. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  12. 1 2 3 "SloughTownFC.net - The Official Website of Slough Town FC | Leon Townley". sloughtownfc.net. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  13. ↑ "SloughTownFC.net - The Official Website of Slough Town FC |". sloughtownfc.net. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  14. ↑ "SloughTownFC.net - The Official Website of Slough Town FC |". sloughtownfc.net. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  15. 1 2 "Leon Townley: 2001/2002 Biography & Statistics - Aldershot Town Football Club". shop.theshots.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  16. ↑ "Forward thinking (From Watford Observer)". watfordobserver.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  17. ↑ "NonLeagueDaily.com". nonleaguedaily.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  18. ↑ "Statistics: St Albans City [Powered by tplSoccerStats]". sacfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  19. ↑ "Saints' storming finish secures a point (From Winsford Guardian)". winsfordguardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  20. ↑ "Statistics: St Albans City [Powered by tplSoccerStats]". sacfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  21. ↑ "Statistics: St Albans City [Powered by tplSoccerStats]". sacfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  22. ↑ "NonLeagueDaily.com". nonleaguedaily.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  23. ↑ "Statistics: St Albans City [Powered by tplSoccerStats]". sacfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  24. ↑ "Football: Vauxhall Trophy hopes dashed; Non League.(Sport) - Liverpool Echo (Liverpool, England) | HighBeam Research". highbeam.com. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  25. ↑ "Leon Townley (Windsor & Eton) - Manchester United FC - United Mad". manchesterunited-mad.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  26. 1 2 "Leon Townley | Boreham Wood | ZoomInfo.com". zoominfo.com. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
  27. ↑ "BOREHAM WOOD F.C. | LEON TOWNLEY player profile". webteams.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  28. ↑ "BOREHAM WOOD F.C. | BERKHAMSTED T'N match report". webteams.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  29. ↑ "Untitled Document". southern-football-league.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  30. ↑ "SoccerFacts UK Player Details". soccerfactsuk.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
  31. ↑ "Goal Scorers 2007-08". debdensportsclub.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  32. ↑ "Goal Scorers 2008-09". debdensportsclub.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  33. ↑ "A Team Report - Wednesday 29-04-2009". debdensportsclub.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  34. ↑ "Harlow 5 A Side". harlow5aside.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-20.

External links

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