NOBLE’S THE BAD BOY COME GOOD
LEE NOBLE has revealed how close he came to serving jail time before Dartford rescued him from a life on the wrong side of the law.
The tough-tackling midfielder has been one of NonLeague’s most consistent performers over the past decade but things could have turned out very differently for the 32-year-old.
Noble, released by Charlton Athletic for “being too small”, had fallen out of love with football and fallen in with the wrong crowd.
“In my young teenage years I was a lost soul,” he told The NLP. My parents moved away but I didn’t want to move with them so I stayed around the area.
“I had to look after myself at a young age and the area I grew up in was quite rough.
“There weren’t many people doing well for themselves, getting good jobs, going to college, it was more like everyone trying to look after themselves – but in a bad way.
“I was involved with the police, involved with people robbing me and involved in the wrong sort of things that you shouldn’t be involved in. I don’t want to go into too much detail but I really should have been in prison if I’m being totally honest.
“I got involved with the wrong people and I’ve got to thank Tony Burman for trying to get me out of that sort of stuff, to knuckle down and try to actually do something well for myself.”
Dying art
Burman, managing Dartford at the time, recalls how Noble “slaughtered” his side playing for Brentwood and duly went after him.
But in Noble the Darts landed not only a natural talent but a genuine hard man.
He said: “That came from the life I had. You know that if people are going to take things from you and try to bully you, you’ve got to be able to stick up for yourself.
“I didn’t learn that on the pitch until I played with Danny Dafter. We were in midfield together for Brentwood and I knew that every time someone started anything on me, he’d be there to grab them by the shirt and have them up.
“I lost a little bit of fear, started on big men and you’ve always got to have that fight. Too many players want to do stepovers these days but a hard man in the midfield, having a battle-up, is a dying art.
“In the Tony Burman years, we’d always try to win a fight. It was very rare we actually lost a fight and when we did, we ended up really losing the game.”
Noble could reach 500 appearances for Dartford this season having recently returned from a serious knee injury.
He chose not to have surgery and remains focused on bringing the good times back to Princes Park.
“You don’t realise how much you love the game until you’re injured,” he went on. “You can play three games in a week and feel tired and run down but when you’re watching a game on the sideline, you’re itching to get back and to perform.
“It’s a joy to watch the boys at the minute. They’re flying, on a great run of form. Steve King’s brought some great players in and it’s looking really healthy.
“It would be a great achievement to get to 500 games. I’ve had a setback this year, the worst injury I’ve ever had but it’s not the end of the world.
“Hopefully I’ll come back stronger and we can sort something out for next year.
“I love the club, whoever’s in charge. It’s the badge you play for.
Relief
“People go from club to club to club but it’s not something I’d be interested in.
“I say it lightly but if I don’t sign for Dartford next year, there’s a chance I wouldn’t play for another club. My heart just wouldn’t be in it the same.”
When Noble finally does hang up his boots, it will come as a relief to every opposition midfielder in National League South.
He’s a legend in the eyes of Darts fans and the feeling is mutual.
“People have been so nice to me over there and it makes you want to change into a better person,” Noble added.
“I get a lot of stick off the boys nowadays; they say I’m not as nasty as I used to be. They say I’m a changed man and I think they’re right.
“Certain things happen to me on the pitch and I just try to laugh if off as I get older. I’ve lost a bit of my temper.
“I think I just read the game better now. I’ve played a lot of games for Dartford and you learn how to seek out danger, know what to do with the ball at certain times, run down the clock and what you should do in the last five minutes when you have a 1-0 lead.”
He added: “I started my career playing against Sunday League teams, playing with my friends, enjoying it and I think that’s why I’ve stayed at Dartford for so long.
“I love the club, I love how everything’s run and they’re good to me so I try to give everything back to the club.”