Leon Legge

Leon Legge
Personal information
Full name Leon Clinton Elliott Legge[1]
Date of birth (1985-07-01) 1 July 1985
Place of birth Bexhill-on-Sea, England[2]
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Playing position Centre-half
Club information
Current team
 Port Vale
Number 5
Youth career
Little Common
Sidley United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2003 Eastbourne UA
2003–2005 Hailsham Town
2005–2008 Lewes
2008–2009 Tonbridge Angels
2009–2013 Brentford 94 (9)
2013 → Gillingham (loan) 5 (0)
2013–2015 Gillingham 76 (8)
2015–2018 Cambridge United 110 (11)
2018– Port Vale 11 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 14 October 2018 (UTC)

Leon Clinton Elliott Legge (born 1 July 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-half for EFL League Two side Port Vale.

A defender, his strong strength, positioning and tackling skills have helped him compensate for a lack of natural pace. Diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 16, at the time he was playing youth football for Little Common. He went on to spend over seven years in non-league with Sidley United, Eastbourne UA, Hailsham Town, Lewes and Tonbridge Angels, whilst holding down a job as a care worker. He helped Lewes to win the Conference South title in the 2007–08 season. He turned professional at Brentford in July 2009, entering the English Football League at the age of 24. He was voted Brentford F.C. Player of the Year in 2010, and played on the losing side in the 2011 League Trophy Final. He joined Gillingham on a loan move that was made permanent in January 2013, and helped the club to win promotion as League Two champions at the end of the 2012–13 season. He moved on to Cambridge United in May 2015, and was named as the club's Player of the Year at the end of the 2015–16 season. He served the club as captain before leaving in May 2018 to join Port Vale.

Playing career

Early career

Legge began his career playing youth football for Little Common and Sidley United,[3] before joining Sussex County League club Eastbourne United. At the age of 17, Legge joined Hailsham Town, where he was appointed captain, earning trials for Eastbourne Borough and Woking, before joining Conference South club Lewes in the summer of 2005.[4] Following the departure of manager Steve King upon promotion to the Conference National at the end of the 2007–08 season, Legge joined Isthmian League Premier Division side Tonbridge Angels, before being handed a professional contract by Brentford in July 2009.[5] Before signing as a professional Legge had been working as a care worker for adults with learning difficulties and gave this up when signing for the "Bees".[6]

Brentford

Legge made his professional debut in a 1–0 League Trophy defeat at Norwich City on 1 September 2009, having been named as an unused substitute in Brentford's two previous matches.[3] Legge made his League One debut in a 2–0 defeat at Yeovil Town on 26 September, coming on as an 86th-minute substitute for Cleveland Taylor.[7] He scored his first goal at Griffin Park on 28 November, which was the only goal of the FA Cup Second Round game against Walsall and helped to earn him the FA's "Player of the Round" award.[8] One month later he signed a contract extension, keeping him at Brentford until at least the end of the 2010–11 season, with manager Andy Scott saying that "Leon has improved since he's been with us and has the potential to improve".[9] The following month, on 26 January, he scored his first league goal, providing the late equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Southampton.[10] Two months later, on 23 March, he scored again in a 3–3 draw against Colchester United.[11] He was named as Brentford F.C. Player of the Year at the end of the 2009–10 season and signed a new two-year contract.[12][13]

Legge continued to retain his first-team status throughout the 2010–11 season and scored four goals against Exeter City, Tranmere Rovers and Charlton Athletic. During the season, the club would progress their way to the League Trophy final at Wembley Stadium, where they lost 1–0 to Carlisle United; Legge played the full 90 minutes and was booked after 24 minutes.[14] After the match, Legge described playing at Wembley as "privilege", though was disappointed with the result.[15] At the end of the season, Legge was linked with two unnamed Championship clubs.[16]

In August 2011, he signed a new contract to keep him at the club until summer 2014.[17] However not long afterwards he tore his hamstring in a defeat against Tranmere Rovers and was ruled out of action until mid-November.[18][19] In mid-December, Legge scored two goals in consecutive games against AFC Bournemouth and Milton Keynes Dons.[20] He strained his hamstring in March, though was only sidelined for two weeks.[21] Despite his injuries he still managed to feature 31 times across the 2011–12 campaign. However he found his first-team opportunities limited in the 2012–13 campaign, and was forced to settle for a place on the bench. Following an impressive performance against Oldham Athletic on 22 September, manager Uwe Rösler stated: "It was crucial we had a player like Leon Legge who came on and played to his strengths, he showed what an important player he is for us. He came on and worked well. Players at our level need to understand it's a squad game. They will all play a part.”[22]

Gillingham

On 1 January 2013, Legge joined Gillingham on a month long loan with a view to a permanent move.[23] Manager Martin Allen said that Legge's signing was "pushing the boat out" and credited chairman Paul Scally for the capture.[24] Legge said that Myles Weston helped to convince him to sign at Priestfield.[25] Legge made his debut for the "Gills" in a 1–0 win over Southend United on New Year's Day.[26] His permanent transfer was confirmed on 31 January, when he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the club.[27] On 2 March, he scored Gillingham's goal to help secure a 1–1 draw at Aldershot Town; after the match, Allen praised Legge and Adam Barrett for their performances.[28] He made a total of 22 appearances, scoring two goals, to help Gillingham to win promotion as champions of League Two.[29] He then made 40 appearances during the 2013–14 season, as Gillingham secured their League One status with a 17th-place finish. On 2 November 2013, he was sent off for the first time in his Football League career after picking up two yellow cards in a 1–0 home win over Carlisle United.[30]

He found himself struggling for appearances under manager Peter Taylor early in the 2014–15 season, and was reported to have been made available to go out on loan.[31] Speaking in April, Legge said that he was keen to extend his deal at the club.[32] However he left the club after new manager Justin Edinburgh opted not to offer him a new contract, who stated that "Allowing Leon Legge and Gavin Hoyte to go was probably the toughest decision I’ve made in my management career because they have played the majority of the games since I have taken over. I feel we need to go in a different direction".[33]

Cambridge United

On 19 May 2015, Legge signed a two-year contract with Cambridge United, becoming the club's first signing of the close season.[34] Manager Richard Money said that "it’s clear to see he is a big, tall, strong boy who will lead us at the back together with Hughes and Coulson who we already have, which is the beginning of a really good defensive unit".[35] His consistency across the 2015–16 season saw him named as the club's Player of the Year as the "U's" posted a ninth-place finish in League Two.[36] On 1 October 2016, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 win over Accrington Stanley at the Abbey Stadium, before he was sent off in injury-time for a foul on Terry Gornell.[37] He was appointed as club captain and went on to trigger a one-year contract extension the following month.[38] He went on to make 52 appearances across the 2016–17 campaign, contributing seven goals, as Shaun Derry's side again finished in mid-table. However he was limited to 32 appearances in the 2017–18 season as he missed much of the second half of the campaign with a shoulder injury and was subsequently unable to dislodge the centre-back partnership of George Taft and Greg Taylor.[39][40] He was released by new manager Joe Dunne upon the expiry of his contract in May 2018.[41]

Port Vale

On 23 May 2018, Legge signed a one-year contract with Port Vale.[42] Manager Neil Aspin said that he hoped the experience of Legge would aid the development of young centre-half Nathan Smith.[43] He started the 2018–19 campaign on the bench after failing to impress during pre-season, before he put in an EFL team of the week performance in his first league start of the season – a 1–0 win over Crawley Town at Vale Park on 18 August.[44][45] On 22 September, he scored the only goal of the game at local rivals Crewe Alexandra and gave what The Sentinel reporter Michael Baggaley described as "one of the best performances by a Vale centre half for years".[46] He was named in that week's EFL team of week.[47]

Style of play

Legge has been described as a "commanding centre-half".[48] Though lacking in pace, he has strong strength, positioning and tackling skills.[49]

Personal life

Legge was born in England and is of Saint Lucian descent.[50] Legge was 16 years old when he discovered he suffered from epilepsy.[51][52] He is an ambassador for Young Epilepsy.[53] He converted to Christianity in 2014.[54]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Brentford 2009–10[55] League One 29231001[lower-alpha 1]0333
2010–11[56] League One 30310306[lower-alpha 1]0403
2011–12[57] League One 28420001[lower-alpha 1]0314
2012–13[58] League One 7020002[lower-alpha 1]0110
Total 949813010011510
Gillingham (loan) 2012–13[58] League Two 5000000050
Gillingham 2012–13[58] League Two 172000000172
2013–14[59] League One 37210101[lower-alpha 1]0402
2014–15[60] League One 22410205[lower-alpha 1]0304
Total 768203060878
Cambridge United 2015–16[61] League Two 393100000403
2016–17[62] League Two 44641103[lower-alpha 1]0527
2017–18[63] League Two 27220102[lower-alpha 1]0322
Total 1101171205012412
Port Vale 2018–19[64] League Two 111001000121
Career total[lower-alpha 2] 296291729021034331
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Appearances in the League Trophy / EFL Trophy.
  2. ↑ Statistics for Eastbourne UA, Hailsham Town, Lewes and Tonbridge Angels not known.

Honours

Lewes

Brentford

Gillingham

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Leon Legge". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  2. ↑ Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 438. ISBN 978-0-7553-6356-8.
  3. 1 2 Newstead, Simon (2 September 2009). "Legge Makes Brentford Debut". Hastings & St Leonards Observer. Johnston Press. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  4. ↑ "Hailsham Star Legge Joins Lewes". Eastbourne Herald. Johnston Press. 18 June 2005. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  5. ↑ "Local lad signs for Brentford". Hastings Observer. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Amos, Stuart (23 November 2009). "Brentford's Legge on the up in a hurry". Streatham Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
  7. ↑ "Yeovil 2-0 Brentford". BBC Sport. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | LEON WINS IT". 19 December 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "Brentford defender Leon Legge extends his contract". BBC Sport. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  10. ↑ "Brentford 1–1 Southampton". BBC Sport. 26 January 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  11. ↑ "Colchester 3–3 Brentford". BBC Sport. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  12. 1 2 "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | PLAYER OF THE YEAR". world.brentfordfc.co.uk. 26 June 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "Bees get two-year Legge up". Sky Sports. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Brentford 0–1 Carlisle". BBC Sport. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  15. ↑ "Local lad Legge plays at Wembley". Hastings Observer. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  16. ↑ "Championship clubs eye Brentford star". Hunslow Chronicle. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  17. ↑ "Brentford defender Leon Legge signs new contract". BBC Sport. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  18. ↑ "Brentford hit by injury crisis". Hunslow Chronicle. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "Bees defender set to step up his recovery from injury against Reading". Hunslow Chronicle. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  20. ↑ "Bees given a Legge up by Leon". Hastings Observer. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  21. ↑ "Brentford defender suffers injury blow". Hunslow Chronicle. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  22. ↑ "Legge stakes a claim for Bees place". Hunslow Chronicle. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  23. ↑ "Leon Legge: Gillingham to sign Brentford defender on month loan". BBC Sport. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  24. ↑ "Gillingham: Martin Allen praises Leon Legge capture". BBC Sport. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  25. ↑ "Leon Legge's decision to join Gillingham was influenced by advice from former team-mate Myles Weston". Kent Online. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  26. ↑ "Local lad Leon makes Gills debut". Hastings Observer. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  27. ↑ "Gillingham: Leon Legge deal made permanent". BBC Sport. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  28. ↑ "Gillingham defenders Leon Legge and Adam Barrett praised for their efforts by manager Martin Allen". Kent Online. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  29. 1 2 Leon Legge at Soccerway
  30. ↑ "Gillingham 1-0 Carlisle United". BBC Sport. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  31. ↑ "Transfer news: Gillingham ready to loan out defender Leon Legge - TEAMtalk | Football | League 2 | Gillingham News". teamtalk.com. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  32. ↑ Tucker, Craig (17 April 2015). "Legge happy to stay at Gills". Kent Online. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  33. ↑ Cawdell, Luke (11 May 2015). "All change for Justin". Kent Online. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  34. ↑ "United sign Leon Legge on two-year deal". Cambridge United Football Club. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  35. ↑ "Legge Is "A Crucial Signing" Says Money". cambridge-united.co.uk. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  36. 1 2 "Cambridge United Supporter's Player of the Season 2015/16 - Leon Legge". cambridge-united.co.uk. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  37. ↑ "Cambridge United 2-1 Accrington Stanley". BBC Sport. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  38. ↑ "Leon Legge Triggers Contract Extension With the U's Until June 2018". cambridge-united.co.uk. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  39. ↑ Georgeson, Andrew (18 January 2018). "Injury news: Derry provides updates on Legge and Amoo ahead of Rovers". Cambridge News. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  40. ↑ Georgeson, Andrew (5 April 2018). "Dunne on Legge and the importance of having players waiting in the wings". Cambridge News. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  41. ↑ "Cambridge United: Jabo Ibehre signs new deal but Leon Legge to leave". BBC Sport. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  42. ↑ "Leon Legge: Port Vale sign Cambridge United centre-back on one-year deal". BBC. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  43. ↑ Baggaley, Michael (23 May 2018). "Why Neil Aspin has signed Leon Legge and Connell Rawlinson for Port Vale". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  44. ↑ Baggaley, Michael (19 August 2018). "Port Vale 1, Crawley 0: Star man and player ratings". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  45. ↑ Baggaley, Michael (20 August 2018). "Leon Legge: "The fighter in me wanted to claim Port Vale spot back"". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  46. ↑ Baggaley, Michael (23 September 2018). "Crewe 0, Port Vale 1: Vale star man and player ratings". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  47. ↑ Baggaley, Michael (24 September 2018). "Port Vale's Leon Legge named in EFL team of week and praised by players and fans". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  48. ↑ Jones, Adam (26 July 2016). "Cambridge v Aston Villa: Who should Villa be wary of this evening?". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  49. ↑ "Cambridge United Season Preview: Derry's impact | The Football Lab". www.thefootballab.co.uk. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  50. ↑ https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/exploring-saint-lucias-football-diaspora-sports-commentary/
  51. ↑ Johnson, Simon (9 December 2010). "Epilepsy has not stopped Leon Legge achieving his goal". Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  52. ↑ "Brentford defender Leon Legge reveals fight with epilepsy". BBC Sport. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  53. ↑ Gawne, Jackie. "Leon Legge - footballer | Celebrity ambassadors and supporters | Who we are | About Us". Young Epilepsy. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  54. ↑ Baines, Ollie (20 January 2015). "Cambridge United defender, Leon Legge: "I know Christ is in control" - Cross the Line". Cross the Line. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  55. ↑ "Games played by Leon Legge in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  56. ↑ "Games played by Leon Legge in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  57. ↑ "Games played by Leon Legge in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  58. 1 2 3 "Games played by Leon Legge in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  59. ↑ "Games played by Leon Legge in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  60. ↑ "Games played by Leon Legge in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  61. ↑ "Games played by Leon Legge in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  62. ↑ "Games played by Leon Legge in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  63. ↑ "Games played by Leon Legge in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  64. ↑ "Games played by Leon Legge in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
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