Ex-Watford ‘keeper Richard Lee comes out of retirement to play for Dunstable Town

By John Lyons
FORMER Premier League goalkeeper Richard Lee is set to come out of ­retirement and play for Dunstable Town tonight (Tuesday) – to help a  star of the future.
The ex-Watford and Brentford keeper played his last professional game three years ago and wasn’t planning to don the gloves again. Yet an unusual ­situation has encouraged him to return between the sticks.
The 35-year-old ­goalkeeping guru mentors promising Ipswich Town shot-stopper Nick Hayes, who is on loan with the  Evo-Stik South Premier strugglers.
However, the 18-year-old is unavailable for Tuesday night’s league game at Bishop’s Stortford because he has been called up for an England youth training camp.
Dunstable would need to bring in a new keeper on a minimum 28-day loan – and that would mean they wouldn’t be able to afford to extend Hayes’ loan too. To safeguard the youngster’s position, Lee had the ‘brainwave’ to plug the gap for one game.
He said: “I have always kept myself in shape and I’ll have a couple of ­training sessions before the game. I’m not 100 per cent physically fit but I can get myself in a space. I think I can do enough mental training as well as physical training to do a job.
“I will try to inject a bit of confidence into the back four and see if I can inspire them. I’m really excited about it. I’ve had a few injuries in the past, but it’s just a single game and I’ll give it my all.”
As for Hayes, Lee is confident that he has the tools to carve out a ­successful career in the game and believes that the experience he is getting in Non-League is invaluable.
“He can be anything he wants to be,” said Lee. “I’m really enjoying ­working with some ­promising keepers and Nick is so dedicated to what he does – he eats, drinks and sleeps football.
“He’s got the England call-up and he’s very highly rated at Ipswich. It’s essential for keepers to go out on loan and the lower you go, the harder it is. Nick is loving his time at Dunstable and his goal is to get more and more experience.”
Dunstable Town interim chairman Alex Alexandrou has thanked Lee for agreeing to play for the club on a one-off basis.
He said: “It’s indicative of how the football ­community has got behind us this season. We had a supporters’ takeover in May and we’ve had to rebuild the club.
“It’s absolutely fantastic what Richard has done. Just his presence in training has given our players, who are playing for free, a lift. He’s imparted all his experience and knowledge.?It’s a great story.”
So, You Want To Become A Professional Footballer?, by Adam Woodage with Rich Lee, published by AW Publishing, is out now (£11.99).
*This article originally featured in The @NonLeaguePaper, which is available every Sunday.