Biography
Young left back Norman Lees was born and raised in Newcastle Upon Tyne but joined the Hull City youth system as a teenager and signed professional terms in November 1966. His City debut came at the end of the 1966/67 season when he deputised for Dennis Butler at left back on the last day of the season. He started four more games in September 1967 when Butler was again absent and City had made a winless start to the season. It was another three years before Lees made his final appearance for the Tigers, coming on as substitute in an October 1970 0-1 defeat against Birmingham. Norman therefore ended his three-year six-match City career having never been on the winning side.
Lees spent the second half of the 1970/71 season on loan at Hartlepool United where he made 20 League appearances. In July 1971 he joined Darlington and stayed at Feethams for six seasons, repurposing himself as a utility defender and midfielder. The Quakers inhabited the lower reaches of the Fourth Division throughout Norman’s time at Feethams, and in all competitions he made 124 senior appearances and scored 5 goals. His most notable contribution came in 1974 when during a League match at Feethams he fetched the ball to take a throw-in and noticed a fire had started beneath the stand – the fire was quickly extinguished using the physio’s bucket before any tragedy ensued.
Between 1977 and 1992 Lees lived in Australia and worked first as a player and then as a coach for South Australia State League side Beograd-Woodville. He went on to coach West Adelaide Hellas, Modbury, Port Adelaide amd Cumberland United before returning to the UK in 1992. In 1998 he headed to Australia again and was head coach at Adelaide-based side White City Woodville for a year, returning in 1999. He then worked for a printing company for many years and settled in a suburban bungalow at Fawdon, north Newcastle.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 18 November 1948, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Hull City First Game: 6 May 1967, Crystal Palace A (Division Two), 18 years, 169 days old
Hull City Final Game: 3 October 1970, Birmingham City H (Division Two), 21 years, 319 days old
Clubs
Hull City (1965-1971), Hartlepool United (1971, loan), Darlington (1971-1977)
Hull City Record
Career: 6 apps, 0 goals
Norman LeesSeason | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1965/66 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1966/67 | 1 (0) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1967/68 | 3 (0) | 0 | - | - | 1 (0) | 0 | - | - | - | - |
1968/69 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1969/70 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1970/71 | 0 (1) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Hi Norman I don’t know where it’s you that I met in Spain many years ago (we were only on our teens). I went out with Paul O’Riley on holiday….I have some photos of many years ago. I have just looked up and saw that Paul passed away last month. Another chapter closed.