*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Lenny Piper
Appearances: 7+1 Goals: 3
Date / Year of birth: 8th August 1977
Position: Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 2003/04
Season of last appearance: 2003/04
Also played for: Wimbledon (4,1), Gillingham (5+19,1), Welling United, St.Albans City, Farnborough Town, Dagenham & Redbridge, Fisher Athletic, Tonbridge Angels, Beckenham Town, Ramsgate and Whyteleafe
Creative 5' 6" tall goalscoring midfielder born in Lambeth, London who started his career with Wimbledon, joining the club aged 14 in October 1991. Lenny played for England's schoolboy and youth sides during his early years with the Dons and in July 1993 he signed trainee forms.
In June 1995 he turned professional and immediately afterwards Lenny made four first team appearances for Wimbledon in the much-derided UEFA Intertoto Cup competition - the Dons four ties being played in June and July 1995. He made his debut in a 4-0 home defeat against Turkish club Bursaspor on 25.6.95 and on 1.7.95 Lenny scored the only goal Wimbledon managed in their four matches - the equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Kosice in the Czech Republic on 1.7.95. He didn't play for Wimbledon's first team again and in August 1996 Lenny was sold to Gillingham for £65,000.
He made a dramatic debut for the Gills when he came on as an 83rd minute substitute in a match against Bristol City at Priestfield on 17.8.96. With the scores level at 2-2 Lenny struck a last-minute winner and he went on to make a total of 22 first team appearances (17 as sub) without scoring again before the end of the 1996/97 season.
At the start of the 1997/98 campaign Lenny two brief substitute appearances but shortly after the second of them - in a 3-0 defeat at Birmingham in the League Cup on 26.8.97 - he suffered a broken leg and never played for Gillingham again. He was released at the end of the season.
In August 1998 Lenny dropped into non-league football and joined Conference club Welling but he only played once before moving on to St.Albans in September 1998.
He got his career back on track with the Isthmian League Premier Division club and Lenny made 98 appearances for St.Albans (11 as sub) during the 1998/99 and 1999/00 campaigns. In that time he scored 28 goals, 21 of them during 1999/00 and Lenny also played for the Isthmian League's representative team that season.
He moved on to Farnborough for the 2000/01 campaign and Lenny scored 25 goals as the club won the Isthmian League Premier Division title. During 2001/02 he managed 19 goals in Farnborough's first Conference season and Lenny then scored 16 times during 2002/03. One of his goals came in a 4-1 win over Margate on 8.10.02 and on 25.1.03 Lenny came on as a substitute as Farnborough lost 5-1 against Arsenal at Highbury in an FA Cup 3rd Round tie. Future Margate player Rocky Baptiste got the Farnborough goal and another future Margate player Darren Annon was also in their line-up. By the end of the 2002/03 season Lenny had scored 60 goals in just over 120 outings for Farnborough.
In the summer of 2003 he signed for Conference club Dagenham & Redbridge but in November 2003 Lenny was loaned to Margate for three months, joining the club as a replacement for the recently departed Terry McFlynn.
Lenny made his debut on 22.11.03 as Margate took on Burton in a Conference game at Dover and scored in a 2-1 defeat. The Thanet Times said he'd "capped a fine performance with a chipped goal" and Lenny played as a striker. Chris Kinnear told the paper "He isn't really a front player, but he runs at people and enjoys doing that." Lenny then started six of Margate's next seven matches and on 6.12.03 he scored in a 1-1 draw at his old club Farnborough. The Thanet Times said he was "given a warm reception by the home fans before the game".
In its report on a 2-0 defeat against Shrewsbury at Dover on 14.12.03 the Nationwide's football website said Lenny "ran the show" and on 20.12.03 he scored his third goal in five outings in a 2-0 win at Aldershot. After a 2-0 win over Forest Green at Dover on 4.1.04 Lenny missed four matches with a hamstring injury before returning as a substitute in yet another 2-0 win, this time over Halifax at Dover on 8.2.04. It turned out to be his last appearance as a few days later Lenny was recalled by Dagenham & Redbridge a week before the scheduled end date of his loan spell. In all he'd played eight times (once as sub) and scored three goals for Margate.
On 6.3.04 Lenny came on as a substitute as Dagenham & Redbridge drew 3-3 at home to Margate and that was his last game for the Daggers. He was released by mutual consent shortly afterwards having made a total of 15 appearances without scoring.
Lenny finished the 2003/04 campaign at Fisher and stayed with the Dockers for the start of the 2004/05 season too.
In December 2004 he had a loan spell at Tonbridge and made four appearances without scoring before going back to Fisher.
During the 2005/06 campaign Lenny scored 13 goals for Fisher and had a spell as the club's caretaker manager in November 2005. He eventually left the Fish when financial problems led to the release of their entire squad in May 2007.
Lenny featured in some of Tonbridge's friendlies in the summer of 2007 but left before the 2007/08 season started. After a short spell out of football he signed for Kent League outfit Beckenham in October 2007.
In February 2008 Lenny joined Ramsgate and he went on to make nine Isthmian League Premier Division appearances (three as sub) before the end of the 2007/08, scoring once.
He went back to Beckenham in the summer of 2008 and in February 2009 Lenny moved on to Isthmian League Division 1 South club Whyteleafe. He played once for them and then retired aged only 31.
Lenny's brother Chris played alongside him at several clubs including Dagenham & Redbridge, Farnborough and Fisher. During the 2011/12 season Chris was with Conference South outfit Tonbridge.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
|
KSC |
| |
|
2003/04 (MFC) |
7 (51) |
1 |
3 |
CONFERENCE (16TH OF 22) |
4QR |
5R |
W |
||
Margate demoted to new
Conference South due to ground issues. | |||||||||