Don Lees
{{short description|Scottish footballer}}
{{distinguish|Don Lee (disambiguation){{!}}Don Lee}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Don Lees
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = William Lees
| birth_date = 1873
| birth_place = Cronberry, Scotland
| death_date = Not known
| height =
| position = Centre half / Forward
| youthyears1 = –
| youthclubs1 =
| years1 = – | clubs1 = Cronberry Eglington | caps1 = | goals1 =
| years2 = 1892–1893 | clubs2 = Celtic | caps2 = 1 | goals2 = 0
| years3 = 1893–1894 | clubs3 = Lincoln City | caps3 = 28 | goals3 = 17
| years4 = 1894 | clubs4 = Celtic | caps4 = 3 | goals4 = 3
| years5 = 1894–1895 | clubs5 = Lincoln City | caps5 = 24 | goals5 = 7
| years6 = – | clubs6 = Barnsley St Peter's | caps6 = | goals6 =
| years7 = 1895–1896 | clubs7 = Darwen | caps7 = 20 | goals7 = 8
| years8 = 1897–1904 | clubs8 = Barnsley{{efn|Barnsley appearances are for Football League matches only, not Midland or Yorkshire Leagues.}} | caps8 = 187 | goals8 = 42
| years9 = 1904–1905 | clubs9 = Watford | caps9 = 6 | goals9 = 2{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Trefor|year=1996|title=Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who|isbn=0-9527458-0-1|page=144}}
| years10 = 1905 | clubs10 = Barnsley | caps10 = 1 | goals10 = 0
| years11 = 1905– | clubs11 = Denaby United | caps11 = | goals11 =
| years12 = – | clubs12 = South Kirkby | caps12 = | goals12 =
| years13 = – | clubs13 = Monk Bretton | caps13 = | goals13 =
| years14 = – | clubs14 = South Kirkby | caps14 = | goals14 =
}}
William Lees (1873 – after 1905), also known as Don,{{cite book |last=Joyce |first=Michael |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 |publisher=SoccerData (Tony Brown) |location=Nottingham |year=2004 |page=155 |isbn=978-1-899468-67-6}} Donald,{{cite web |url=http://www.redimps.com/archive3/index.mv?cat=players&drop=playerdetsdrop&play=lees01 |title=Donald Lees |work=The Lincoln City FC Archive |publisher=Lincoln City F.C. |accessdate=6 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311111254/http://www.redimps.com/archive3/index.mv?cat=players&drop=playerdetsdrop&play=lees01 |archive-date=11 March 2012 |url-status=dead }} Access individual season statistics via Season Stats dropdown menu. or Walter Lees,{{cite web |url=http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Lees%2C+Walter |title=Lees, Walter |work=TheCelticWiki |accessdate=6 April 2010}} was a Scottish professional footballer who scored 74 goals from 260 appearances in the Football League playing for Lincoln City, Darwen and Barnsley. He also played in the Scottish League for Celtic. He played either as a forward or as a centre half.
Football career
Lees was born in Cronberry, then in Ayrshire, in 1873. He joined Celtic in 1892, and made his debut on 1 October 1892 against Clyde in the Scottish League.{{cite web |url=http://www.celticfc.net/home/fixturesResults/ViewMatch.aspx?matchid=1892-10-01_cly&season=1892 |title=Celtic v Clyde 01/10/1892 |publisher=Celtic F.C |accessdate=6 April 2010 }}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Lees moved to England to play for Lincoln City, and was ever-present and the club's leading scorer with 17 goals in the 1893–94 Football League season, a total which includes a hat-trick against Rotherham Town in an 8–2 win which remains (as of 2010) the club's record Football League away win.{{cite web |url=http://www.redimps.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10440~1361907,00.html |title=We've Met (Rotherham) Before |publisher=Lincoln City F.C. |date=11 February 2010 |accessdate=6 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217144306/http://www.redimps.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10440~1361907%2C00.html |archivedate=17 February 2010 }} He rejoined Celtic in May 1894, but accusations that the club had offered illegal inducements to attract him back resulted in the Football Association preventing Celtic from playing friendly matches in England. The consequent financial loss meant Celtic allowed Lees to return to Lincoln in October 1894, by which time he had scored three goals from the first three Scottish League games of the 1894–95 season.{{cite web |url=http://www.celticfc.net/home/fixturesResults/firstTeam.aspx?season=1894 |title=First Team Fixtures 1894–1895 |publisher=Celtic F.C |accessdate=6 April 2010 }}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
He remained with Lincoln for the rest of the season, then went on to play in the Football League for Darwen, a club in financial difficulties with low morale, where he missed a month of the season when suspended by the club for misconduct.{{cite web |url=http://www.darwenfc.com/dcalvy/index.htm |title=1896/97 Season |work=Memories of the Salmoners: Darwen Football Club 1975–1939 |first=D |last=Calvy |publisher=Darwen F.C |accessdate=6 April 2010}} He then moved on to Barnsley, playing nearly 200 Football League games for the club over six seasons, and also played for Southern League club Watford, before moving into non-League football in the Barnsley area.
Notes
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References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lees, Don}}
Category:Year of death missing
Category:Footballers from East Ayrshire
Category:Scottish men's footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Lincoln City F.C. players
Category:Darwen F.C. (1870) players
Category:Denaby United F.C. players
Category:Barnsley F.C. players