Date / Year of birth: 2nd April 1977

Position: Midfielder / Centre-back

Season of first appearance: 2002/03

Season of last appearance: 2003/04

Also played for: Dover Athletic, Crewe Alexandra (0), Hyde United, Dagenham & Redbridge, AFC Wimbledon and Faversham Town

Versatile player born in Morden, Greater London who started out in Dover's youth system before long-serving manager Crewe manager Dario Gradi signed him ahead of the 1996/97 season.

Jake couldn't break into the Alex's first team and in March 1997 he was loaned to Northern Premier League outfit Hyde. He made 14 appearances there up to May 1997 and scored three goals whilst helping the club to win the Cheshire Senior Cup with a victory over Macclesfield.

In the summer of 1997 Jake was released by Crewe and joined Dover. He went on to make around 200 appearances there and won the clubs 'Players Player of the Season' award for 1999/00. During the 2001/02 campaign Margate had two five figure bids for Jake turned down by Dover and he ended up winning the clubs 'Player of the Year' award again. His contract expired at the end of the season and Jake played for the Middlesex Wanderers touring side in Indonesia and Vietnam during the summer before joining Margate in August 2002.

Soon after Jake signed for the club manager Chris Kinnear told the Thanet Times "He's got a lot of experience at this level, and he can play in midfield and at the back. A few league clubs made enquiries, and he was training with Bristol Rovers, so this is improving the squad again."

Jake made his debut in midfield on 17.8.02 - the opening day of the Conference season - as Margate drew 1-1 with Morecambe at Dover in the first game of a groundsharing agreement at Jake's old club. The Isle of Thanet Gazette then said he did "a good job" in his defensive midfield role in a 1-1 draw at Kettering on 20.8.02 but Jake had to go off at half-time due to a back problem. The injury forced him to miss two matches but Jake returned for a 2-0 defeat at Leigh on 31.8.02. He was a fixture in the side for the next two months and played in 14 consecutive games, usually in midfield but sometimes as a centre-back, up to 9.11.02 when he suffered a recurrence of his back injury in a 1-1 draw with Telford at Dover.

Jake had to sit out nine matches before coming off the bench in an FA Trophy game at Dulwich on 11.1.03. He scored his first goal for the club with his very first touch, firing home from 20 yards as Margate won 2-0. Jake didn't miss another match in the last few months of the 2002/03 season and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said he "looked assured at centre-half" in a 2-0 defeat against Hereford at Hartsdown Park on 11.2.03. He found himself back in midfield for a trip to Barnet on 15.2.03 and the Thanet Times said Jake "kept up his good form with a very strong showing" as Margate won 1-0. At the start of April 2003 he scored back-to-back 30-yarders, firstly firing home in a 3-0 win at Erith & Belvedere on 1.4.03 and then repeating the feat with a drive into the bottom corner in a 2-1 win over Halifax at Dover on 5.4.03. The Thanet Times said that was a "terrific strike" and the paper noted that Jake "had been subject to criticism from the terraces". Chris Kinnear said "It was a great goal." Jake rounded off the campaign by playing in Margate's 2-1 win at Welling in the Kent Senior Cup Final on 30.4.03 and the Thanet Times said he put in "one of his best performances for the Gate playing at sweeper". He'd made 41 appearances (four as sub) during the season and scored three goals.

Jake played in Margate's first six Conference games at the start of the 2003/04 campaign before missing a 2-1 defeat against Chester at Dover on 6.9.03 through injury. Early in October 2003 Chris Kinnear said "Jake is probably playing as well as he has ever done for us" and on 28.10.03 he scored his first goal of the season as Margate drew 3-3 with Grays in an FA Cup replay played at Ashford. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said Jake had an "excellent first 45 minutes but faded after the break" and he continued to be a key part of Margate's midfield for the remainder of 2003, scoring his second goal of the campaign in a 2-0 win at Aldershot on 20.12.03.

Jake started 2004 in good form and scored in a 2-0 win over Forest Green at Dover on 4.1.04. On 20.1.04 he had a rare outing at centre-back as Margate beat Dorchester 2-0 in an FA Trophy replay at Ashford and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said Jake "looked solid". He got his fourth goal of the season in a 2-0 win over Welling at Ramsgate in the Kent Senior Cup on 2.3.04 but on 16.3.04 Jake was sent off after picking up two yellow cards as Margate beat Accrington 3-1 at Dover. Chris Kinnear said "It was a bizarre decision."

On 23.3.04 Jake scored with a 20 yard lob in a 3-1 win at Dover in the Kent Senior Cup and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said it was a "superb" strike. The paper described him as being Margate's "best performer on the day" in midfield but as the campaign drew to a close Jake was used more often as a centre-back. On 28.4.04 he was part of the side that won 2-1 at Folkestone to retain the Kent Senior Cup in the last match of the season and it turned out to be Jake's last appearance for Margate. He'd scored five goals from 48 outings. He won the 'Players' Player of the Year' award and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said Jake deserved it "especially considering the struggle he had to win over the fans last season". In its round-up of the campaign the Gazette said he was "easily the most improved player in the squad from last season" and that Jake had "added much-needed stability to midfield".

In June 2004 he joined Dagenham & Redbridge after it was announced that Margate would be demoted to the new Conference South league and Chris Kinnear said "It was obvious he was going. There were a lot of sides who were interested in him, including Aldershot. Jake has done well for us, and was so much improved last season."

He signed a two-year part-time contract with the Daggers and Jake said "There was some interest from Hornchurch but I don't want to play in the league below after having played in the Conference for seven years. I always knew John (Still) liked me and if you know you've caught a manager's eye then you like to think that means you'll be figuring in his plans. John Still said "Jake is a player I've admired for a long time. I tried to take him to Bristol Rovers when I was there and am absolutely delighted to have done the deal and brought him to the Glyn Hopkin Stadium."

Jake went on to spend three seasons with the Daggers and during 2006/07 he helped them to win promotion to the Football League before leaving the club in the summer of 2007.

He linked up with Isthmian Premier League AFC Wimbledon for the 2007/08 campaign and their manager Terry Brown said "Jake brings with him a Conference winner's medal from last year. He played in the majority of Dagenham's games and was instrumental in their success. Jake offers us experience as a centre half, a right-back and a central midfield player. He is young enough to be able to enjoy a long and successful career at AFC Wimbledon." Jake said "I am a Morden boy and a long-time Dons supporter, so I am delighted to be joining the club. I went to my first game, which was against Manchester United at Plough Lane, in 1987. I watched the club regularly until 1994, including travelling to away games. In 1994 I started playing on Saturdays and so I couldn't get to many games, but I am still a Dons fan. That is why I asked for the number 4 on my training kit - Dons fans will know why. There are no squad numbers in the Ryman League but I will be pushing the manager to let me wear the number four shirt when I am playing."

Jake made 83 appearances (15 as a sub) and scored five goals for Wimbledon during the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons before being released in the summer of 2009.

In June 2009 he rejoined Dover ahead of their first Conference South campaign and played regularly during 2009/10 before leaving the club when his contract expired at the end of the season.

In the summer of 2010 Jake became Faversham's player-coach as they prepared for their debut season in the Isthmian League and he made 26 league appearances (five as sub) without scoring there.

In April 2011 Jake returned to Margate as coach shortly after Chris Kinnear was reappointed as manager and retired as a player aged 34. Jake continued coaching Margate during the 2011/12 campaign and on 12.5.12 he took part in Bill Edwards' testimonial match at Hartsdown Park.

In January 2013 Jake left Margate along with Chris Kinnear and returned to Dover as Kinnear's assistant.

A relative of Jake's called Ben Leberl had a spell with Deal during 2007/08 and Jake's father Peter was Margate's Marketing Officer during the 2001/02 season.