WE ARE FAMI-LEE!
There’s Rob, Olly, Elliot, their grand fathers and now a new arrival on the scene
ON the opening day of the Football League season Luton Town stuck eight past Yeovil. It was the result of the weekend. The first of Luton’s eight was scored by Olly Lee, the last by his younger brother Elliot Lee, from a cross by Olly. Watching in the stands at Kenilworth Road was their father Rob Lee — 21 England caps — and Rob’s father Reg, who manned the turnstiles at Charlton Athletic for many years.
The Lee boys’ other grandad, Colin, was there too and when that evening the whole clan reconvened at home in Essex, it suddenly struck Olly what this scene meant.
‘It was quite a surreal day,’ he says, ‘but it was only when we got home that we realised how much. It was great for our grandads, we had a curry to celebrate. It was crazy. We’re a very close family, all live within five minutes of each other. A great moment for the family. ‘And then,’ Olly adds, ‘I get my new son.’ Four days on, Alfie Lee was born. Grandfathers became great-grandfathers and father Rob became a grandfather at 51. These were a special few days for a football family and mother Anna Lee was one proud, busy mum.
It sounds idyllic, and a cynic might assume the Lee boys’ path has been smoothed by their father’s name. But in conversation what becomes clear is how much struggle it takes to make it at any level of professional football and how appreciative Olly, 26, and Elliot, 22, are to be together in League Two at Luton.
Both spent years in West Ham’s academy, Olly captaining the Under 18s from midfield, while Elliot scored like a natural and made his first-team debut in the FA Cup at Manchester United four Januarys ago, three weeks after his 18th birthday.
But both were sent on loans of differing success and by the age of 20 Olly had been informed by manager Sam Allardyce that he was to be released. He joined Barnet, then Birmingham City in the Championship and stayed two years. Last year Elliot was transferred to Barnsley, also in the Championship, by Slaven Bilic.
For Elliot, born in Durham when his father was at Newcastle United, it was a return north. It was also his first time as a young man on his own. It did not work out. Barnsley will have their own explanation, Elliot’s is that he was a No 9 asked to play left midfield.
‘Making my West Ham debut at Old Trafford, that was brilliant,’ Elliot says. ‘I was looking around at this coliseum of a stadium, seeing Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney. My first tackle, Phil Jones puts me on the deck. I thought, “Welcome to senior football”. I was smiling, I’ll never forget it.
‘Going to Barnsley, that’s when I started to learn — this football isn’t all fairytales. I don’t think I was given a full chance.
‘I’d been going constantly up, but then I realised it isn’t just going to be an upward journey. I’d had a few loans and some didn’t work out. You realise it’s going to be tough.’
One of Elliot’s five loan spells was at Luton, in 2015. He scored on his debut, and he scored 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute against Yeovil earlier this month. Olly, starting his third Luton season, was thrilled.
‘I was just over the moon when El joined,’ Olly says. ‘He got the call when we were all together on a family holiday. I was in his ear to get him to come.
‘He’s not just my brother, he’s one of my best mates. Two seasons ago, at the back end, I went back up to St James’ Park to watch Elliot. I’d love to play there.’
Growing up, St James’ was home every other Saturday. Father Rob and Alan Shearer had a box which the Lee children shared with the Shearers. That could give a boy a privileged perspective, but Olly, too, discovered football’s pathway is the most competitive in sport.
‘I was quite a late bloomer,’ he says. ‘I was playing Sunday league football until I was 14, 15. I was all right, I wasn’t stand-out amazing. Dad took me to Wycombe for a trial and a West Ham scout was there.’
While realistic about his abilities, Olly says he will never know if he could have broken through at West Ham because he was not given a run of games. He offers Harry Kane as an example.
‘I really enjoyed West Ham and it’s a club close to my heart, but it’s difficult for young players,’ Olly says. ‘ There are so many young pros all wanting
My advice when parents ask is: ‘Go lower leagues, you get a chance ‘