Lee Trundle

Lee Christopher Trundle (born 10 October 1976) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Ardal League South West side Mumbles Rangers.

He also works as the club ambassador and youth team coach for Championship side Swansea City.

Trundle's career began in the English non-league system, where he played for Burscough, Chorley, Stalybridge Celtic, Southport and Bamber Bridge, before signing for Welsh Premier League side Rhyl.

Trundle was a late entrant into professional and league football, playing for non-league teams Burscough, Stalybridge Celtic, Southport, Bamber Bridge and Chorley before joining Welsh Premier League club Rhyl in 2000.

Within six months, he had been snapped up by Brian Flynn to play for Wrexham where he played 78 matches (plus a further 24 as substitute) in all competitions and scored 30 goals in a little over two years.

He managed to net 15 goals in 18 matches for Rhyl, and his performances earned him a move to Football League side Wrexham in 2001.

A goalscoring account which was started by a bicycle kick to start a second half comeback from 2–0 which culminated in a 3–2 victory for Wrexham against Walsall on 24 February 2001.

Trundle made a name for himself in professional football during a four-year spell for Swansea City, where he scored 78 goals in 146 appearances between 2003 and 2007.

In the summer of 2003, Trundle received a free transfer and moved south to link up with Flynn who had now become manager of Swansea City.

He instantly became a North Bank favourite with his goalscoring exploits and extraordinary tricks, scoring on his debut at the Vetch against Bury, and netting his first hat-trick for the club in the following match at Cheltenham, becoming the last of the three Swansea players who scored hat-tricks in three consecutive league matches (after James Thomas and Brad Maylett), the only time this has happened for the club.

Trundle scored 78 goals in 146 appearances for Swansea, making it by far the most prolific period of his career.

In his time at Swansea, Trundle became a minor celebrity in the match, with his extrovert displays of skill (or "showboating") bringing him to national attention via the Soccer AM television show on Sky Sports.

Tim Lovejoy revealed in his autobiography that Trundle himself regularly contacted the show with footage of himself in action.

In October 2005, he was the subject of a £750,000 transfer bid by Sheffield Wednesday which Swansea rejected.

Days later, he signed an image rights contract with his club which offered a portion of revenues from merchandise featuring his image.

He was believed to be the first player outside the Premier League to do so.

In July 2007, he left Swansea and signed with Bristol City, though he only scored 8 times in 3 seasons and was loaned out to both Leeds United and back to Swansea.

Despite the best efforts of Swansea City, Trundle agreed to sign for Bristol City on 27 July 2007, although the deal was not officially completed until 30 July due to an administrative error.

He was given permission by Swansea and the Welsh FA to play in Bristol City's pre-season friendly against Yeovil Town before he officially completed the deal, scoring and providing an assist in a 2–2 draw at Ashton Gate.

It is believed Bristol City made four offers for the striker.

Their final offer of £1,000,000 was accepted after Trundle handed in a transfer request.

Trundle scored his first goals, a brace, for Bristol City against Scunthorpe on 25 August 2007.

Trundle joined Leeds United on a one-month loan on 9 January 2009 and was allocated the number 35 shirt.

Former Swansea teammate Andy Robinson played a big part in recommending Leeds to Trundle.

He made his debut for Leeds as a second-half substitute in the 2–0 loss to Carlisle United at Elland Road.

He scored his only goal for the club on his first starting appearance, in a 2–0 win at Brighton on 17 January.

Leeds extended Trundle's stay at Elland Road for a further month, but his loan expired on 10 March 2009 and he returned to Bristol City.

On 27 August 2009, Trundle joined his former club Swansea City on loan until 1 January 2010 and this was later extended till the end of the season.

Trundle played 20 league games and scored five goals in just two starts.

Since Trundle rejoined Swansea, he failed to play a full 90 minutes.

Trundle made no secret that he wanted to earn a permanent deal and wanted to end his career at Swansea City.

He was not offered a playing contract by the club but was offered a coaching role.

In 2010, following his release from Bristol City, Trundle returned to the top tier of Welsh football and signed for Neath.

He spent two years with the club, scoring 26 goals in 59 matches, but found himself a free agent once more when Neath were liquidated in 2012.

In a surprise move, Trundle rejoined the Football League in the summer of 2012 at the age of 35, signing for League One side Preston North End.

However, a lengthy injury saw him lose out on a first team position, and he left Preston in February 2013 through a mutual termination of his contract.

Stints with non-league clubs Chester and Marine followed before Trundle retired from football at the age of 36.

However, in August 2016, he came out of retirement to sign for Welsh Division Two club Llanelli Town, scoring 86 goals in 59 appearances during back-to-back promotions.

In May 2018, Trundle signed for Welsh Division One side Haverfordwest County on a week-by-week basis.

Born in Liverpool, Merseyside, Trundle attended St Edmund of Canterbury Catholic High School in Huyton.