Kyle Lightbourne

{{Short description|Bermudian footballer (born 1968)}}

{{EngvarB|date=October 2022}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}

{{Infobox football biography

|name = Kyle Lightbourne

|image =

|fullname = Kyle Lavince Lightbourne{{Hugman|11709|access-date=28 April 2018}}

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1968|9|29}}{{cite book |last=Lowe |first=Simon|title=Stoke City: The Modern Era – A Complete Record|year=2000|publisher=Desert Island Books |isbn=1-874287-39-2}}

|birth_place = Hamilton, Bermuda

|height = {{height|ft=6|in=2}}

|position = Forward

|currentclub =

|youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Pembroke Hamilton

|years1 = 1986–1992 | clubs1 = PHC Zebras | caps1 = | goals1 =

|years2 = 1992–1993 | clubs2 = Scarborough | caps2 = 19 | goals2 = 3

|years3 = 1993–1997 | clubs3 = Walsall | caps3 = 165 | goals3 = 65

|years4 = 1997–1998 | clubs4 = Coventry City | caps4 = 7 | goals4 = 0

|years5 = 1998 | clubs5 = → Fulham (loan) | caps5 = 4 | goals5 = 2

|years6 = 1998–2001 | clubs6 = Stoke City | caps6 = 111 | goals6 = 21

|years7 = 2001 | clubs7 = → Swindon Town (loan) | caps7 = 2 | goals7 = 0

|years8 = 2001 | clubs8 = → Cardiff City (loan) | caps8 = 3 | goals8 = 0

|years9 = 2001 | clubs9 = IFK Norrköping | caps9 = 0 | goals9 = 0

|years10 = 2001–2003 | clubs10 = Macclesfield Town| caps10 = 73 | goals10 = 15

|years11 = 2002 | clubs11 = → Hull City (loan) | caps11 = 4 | goals11 = 0

|years12 = 2003–2007 | clubs12 = PHC Zebras | caps12 = | goals12 =

|years13 = 2007–2009 | clubs13 = Bermuda Hogges | caps13 = 12 | goals13 = 0

|years14 = 2008 | clubs14 = → PHC Zebras (loan) | caps14 = 1 | goals14 = 1

|totalcaps = 401 | totalgoals = 107

|nationalyears1 = 1989–2004 | nationalteam1 = Bermuda | nationalcaps1 = 40 | nationalgoals1 = 16

|manageryears1 = 2007–2009 | managerclubs1 = Bermuda Hogges

|manageryears2 = 2007–2011 | managerclubs2 = PHC Zebras

|manageryears3 = 2012–2013 | managerclubs3 = Robin Hood

|manageryears4 = 2018–2023 | managerclubs4 = Bermuda

}}

Kyle Lavince Lightbourne (born 29 September 1968) is a Bermudian professional footballer who played as a forward for Scarborough, Walsall, Coventry City, Fulham, Stoke City, Swindon Town, Cardiff City, Macclesfield Town and Hull City. At international level, he made 40 appearances for the Bermuda national team scoring 16 goals.

Club career

Lightbourne was born in Hamilton, Bermuda and played for PHC Zebras before moving to England to play for Scarborough at the age of 23. He played 21 times for Scarborough before joining Walsall in September 1993. Lightbourne soon struck up a partnership with Kevin Wilson and the pair became prolific goalscorers and earned Walsall some success. He scored 9 goals in 41 appearances in 1993–94 before scoring 27 goals in 1994–95 as Walsall gained promotion. He scored 24 goals in 1995–96 and 25 in 1996–97.{{cite web|title=Kyle Lightbourne interview|url=http://www.bescotbanter.net/2012/10/bescot-banter-interviews-kyle.html|work=Bescot Banter|access-date=15 May 2013}}

This earned him a lucrative move to Premier League side Coventry City for a fee of £500,000. However his chances at Highfield Road were limited and after making only 7 appearances plus a loan spell at Fulham he moved to Stoke City in February 1998. He didn't get off to the best of starts with Stoke as he struggled with illness and form as Stoke suffered relegation from the First Division in 1997–98. He improved in 1998–99, netting eight goals. In 1999–2000 Lightbourne scored 10 goals in 52 appearances as Stoke reached the play-offs where they lost to Gillingham. He played in the 2000 Football League Trophy Final at Wembley as Stoke beat Bristol City 2–1. In 2000–01 he found his chances of first team football more restricted but still managed five goals in 28 appearances. In the latter part of the season he spent spells on loan at Swindon Town and Cardiff City.

He was released by Stoke in the summer of 2001 and after a brief unsuccessful spell in Sweden with IFK Norrköping he played two seasons with Macclesfield Town and had a short loan spell at Hull City before returning to Bermuda.

In 2007, Lightbourne joined Shaun Goater as part of the management team of USL side Bermuda Hogges, making 12 appearances for the team. He officially retired from football in 2009.

International career

Lightbourne made his debut for Bermuda in 1989 and represented his country in 11 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.{{FIFA player|177134}}

His final international match was a June 2004 World Cup qualification match against El Salvador.

Managerial career

Lightbourne was coach at PHC Zebras before resigning in summer 2011.{{cite news|url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20110818/SPORT01/708189989|author=Colin Thompson|title=Anderson new man in charge at Zebras|work=The Royal Gazette|date=18 August 2011|access-date=24 January 2016|archive-date=13 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613103944/https://www.royalgazette.com/soccer/sport/article/20110818/anderson-new-man-in-charge-at-zebras/|url-status=live}} In June 2012, Lightbourne was named manager of local side Robin Hood.{{cite news|url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120630/SPORT01/706309973|author=Stephen Wright|title=Hood turn to Lightbourne as new coach|work=Royal Gazette|date=30 June 2012|access-date=24 January 2016|archive-date=31 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131004246/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120630/SPORT01/706309973|url-status=live}} He missed out on a place at the Walsall bench in 2013.{{cite news|url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20130515/SPORT01/705159983|author=Stephen Wright|title=Lightbourne overlooked for Walsall number two job|work=Royal Gazette|date=15 May 2013|access-date=24 January 2016|archive-date=31 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131015822/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20130515/SPORT01/705159983|url-status=live}} Lightbourne became manager of the Bermuda national team on 8 September 2017 replacing Andrew Bascome.{{cite web |title=Former Stoke City striker named caretaker international manager |url=https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-stoke-city-striker-named-440718 |website=Stoke Sentinel |access-date=24 June 2019 |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613103944/https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-stoke-city-striker-named-440718 |url-status=live }}

Cricket career

Lightbourne was a member of the ICC Associates squad at the inaugural 1988 Youth Cricket World Cup. He played five games for Bermuda at the 1990 ICC Trophy, during which he took 11 wickets at an average of 16.81. He was part of a Bermuda side that played the touring Australians in 1991.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Players/45/45827/45827.html |publisher=CricketArchive |title=Kyle Lightbourne |access-date=19 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220100650/http://cricketarchive.com/Players/45/45827/45827.html |archive-date=20 December 2015 |url-status=dead }}

Career statistics

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition{{ENFA}}

rowspan="2"|Club

!rowspan="2"|Season

!colspan="3"|League

!colspan="2"|FA Cup

!colspan="2"|League Cup

!colspan="2"|Other{{efn|Includes Football League play-offs, and Football League Trophy.}}

!colspan="2"|Total

DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Scarborough

|1992–93

|Third Division

|19

3001010213
rowspan="5"|Walsall

|1993–94

|Third Division

|35

7420020419
1994–95

|Third Division

|42

235341105227
1995–96

|Second Division

|43

155320365324
1996–97

|Second Division

|45

204421105225
colspan="2"|Total

!165

651812827619885
Coventry City

|1997–98

|Premier League

|7

0003000100
Fulham (loan)

|1997–98

|Second Division

|4

200001153
rowspan="5"|Stoke City

|1997–98

|First Division

|13

2000000132
1998–99

|Second Division

|36

7111010398
1999–2000

|Second Division

|40

71030835210
2000–01

|Second Division

|22

5103000265
colspan="2"|Total

!111

2131709313025
Swindon Town (loan)

|2000–01

|Second Division

|2

000000020
Cardiff City (loan)

|2000–01

|Third Division

|3

000000030
rowspan=3|Macclesfield Town

|2001–02

|Third Division

|29

4001000304
2002–03

|Third Division

|44

103221105013
colspan="2"|Total

!73

143231108017
Hull City (loan)

|2002–03

|Third Division

|4

000000040
rowspan="4"|Bermuda Hogges

|2007

|USL Second Division

|6

000000060
2008

|USL Second Division

|2

000000020
2009

|USL Second Division

|4

000000040
colspan="2"|Total

!12

0000000120
colspan="3"|Career total

!400

10524152231910465135

{{notelist}}

Managerial statistics

{{updated|21 November 2023}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
rowspan="2"|Team

!rowspan="2"|From

!rowspan="2"|To

!colspan="5"|Record

GWDLWin %
align=left|Bermuda

|align=left|18 January 2017

|align=left|30 June 2023

{{WDL|30|9|4|17}}

Honours

Walsall

Stoke City

  • Football League Trophy: 1999–2000{{cite news |url=https://www.stokecityfc.com/news/looking-back-down-wembley-way |title=Stoke City FC - Looking Back Down 'Wembley Way' |first=Jon |last=Sidaway |website=Stoke City FC |date=7 December 2017 |access-date=24 March 2024 |archive-date=17 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617112708/https://www.stokecityfc.com/news/looking-back-down-wembley-way |url-status=live }}

Individual

References

{{Reflist}}