Biography
Lee Simon Ellington was a Bradford-born forward who joined the Hull City youth team ranks and was given his debut at 16 by manager Terry Dolan as the Tigers slid down the League Division 3 table. When ex-England forward Mark Hateley replaced Dolan in the 1997 close season he preferred the talents of Duane Darby and young loan striker Chris Bettney up front, but when Ellington got his chance as a substitute against Exeter in November 1997 he impressed with two goals that set up a 3-2 win. Although Ellington started the next game against Shrewsbury, he was used as occasional substitute for the next five months until given a run of three starts in March 1998. Hateley began the 1998/99 with Lee in the City first team but after three goalless starts he returned to the bench. For the next four months Ellington was an occasional substitute for both Hateley and his successor Warren Joyce. But as the Great Escape season took hold, Ellington was a peripheral figure and was unable to break into the first team again, leaving the Tigers in March 2000 after a loan spell at Altrincham.
Ellington joined Exeter City in March 2000 but after just one appearance he returned to the East Coast in the close season and signed for Gainsborough Trinity. This commenced a decade of goalscoring feats and thwarted interest from lower league clubs. In five seasons at The Northolme, Lee scored nearly over 100 goals and made himself one of the most sought-after assets in the northern non-league scene. In May 2005 he was finally lured away from Gainsborough and signed for Stalybridge Celtic, where in four seasons he made 189 appearances and scored 74 goals. Ellington joined Farsley Celtic in June 2009 but when the West Yorkshire side went bust in March 2010 he was quickly snapped up by Harrogate Town after spending a fortnight at Droylsden. Lee stayed with Harrogate until the 2011 close season, scoring 8 times in 35 starts. He spent 2011/12 season at Guiseley then switched to Matlock Town in 2012, a club managed by ex-Tiger Mark Atkins. Ellington’s relationship with Atkins quickly broke down and he had to sit out much of the 2012/13 season. In 2013/14 he rejoined phoenix club Farsley AFC and retired in the 2014 close season.
After football Lee worked as a landscape gardener in the Bradford area. Lee’s cousin Nathan Ellington was a successful League footballer, playing for Wigan Athletic, West Bromwich Albion, Watford and Ipswich Town before becoming a football agent.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 3 July 1980, Bradford
Hull City First Game: 10 December 1996, Chester City H (Associate Members’ Cup First Round), 16 years, 160 days old
Hull City Final Game: 22 December 1998, Notts County A (Associate Members’ Cup First Round), 18 years, 172 days old
Clubs
Hull City (1996-2000), Altrincham (1999-2000, loan), Exeter City (2000), Gainsborough Trinity (2000-2005), Stalybridge Celtic (2005-2009), Farsley Celtic (2009-2010), Droylsden (2010), Harrogate Town (2010-2011), Guiseley (2011-2012), Matlock Town (2012-2013), Farsley AFC (2013-2014)
Hull City Record
Career: 24 apps, 2 goals
Lee Ellington| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996/97 | 0 (2) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 1997/98 | 4 (3) | 2 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | - | - | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 1998/99 | 3 (3) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | - | - | 0 (1) | 0 |
| 1999/00 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |