Lee Trundle reveals Leeds United stance after “difficult” Elland Road spell | OneFootball

Trundle has been exclusively speaking to FLW about his short time with the Whites

Lee Trundle is widely regarded as one of the most underrated EFL players of the modern era for his eccentric style and prolific goalscoring ability, but his career did have some downs alongside the many ups.

The Liverpool-born forward is best remembered for his time with Swansea City, as well as a successful spell at Wrexham, during which time he built a reputation as one of the most prolific scorers in the English lower leagues.

He is probably less remembered, however, for his time with Leeds United, after he moved on a one-month loan from Bristol City to the Whites in January 2009 because his form in front of goal had taken a dip at Ashton Gate.

Trundle turned out 10 times and netted just once for the Whites in League One, with his solitary strike coming on his first start for the club in a 2–0 win at Brighton, as he then returned to the Robins in March after his loan had been extended by a further month.

His time with Leeds was not branded a failure, as such, because not much was expected of him as a 32-year-old loan striker, but he still will likely have expected to have more of an impact at Elland Road than he did.

Lee Trundle does not regret his short Leeds spell

The 47-year-old has been speaking exclusively to Football League World, via online-casinos.com, about his time in football, and insists that he does not regret his spell at Elland Road, despite it being a tough period in his career.

He said: “You have to take a chance if a move comes up. Leeds United is a massive club, huge support, massive heritage and big history, it was a move that I felt at the time was right to get more football, but as said before, it just wasn’t a move that lasted long, so for all parties was best to return to Bristol City.”

“It was a difficult loan move for me. It wasn’t as fluid as I would have liked and hoped. So a few months at Leeds with just 10 appearances and a single goal.

"It’s not always easy with a loan move to impact straight away and be a regular in the side. So after a few months, I went back to Bristol City. Leeds is a massive club and although hopes were high, sometimes it just doesn’t happen.”

Leeds did not see the best of Trundle, but other clubs did

While Trundle was a top player in the respective leagues he played in with Swansea and Wrexham, it is fair to say that he was a little past the peak of his powers by the time he joined Leeds at 32.

His rise to becoming one of the most well known EFL players of his era was a rapid one, as he only got into professional football when he joined the Red Dragons at 23-years-old in 2000, following spells in non-league at the likes of Burscough, Stalybridge Celtic, Southport, Bamber Bridge and Chorley.

Trundle bagged 30 goals in 102 games at the Racecourse Ground and helped the club win promotion to the third-tier in 2003, before he joined the Swans that same summer and soon became popular on a wider scale due to his showboating and skillful style of play that was coupled with a consistent knack of finding the net.

He was a key part of Swansea's team that won promotion to League One in 2005, and the Football League Trophy in 2006, and left the club after four seasons in 2007 with 91 goals in 194 appearances.

The forward made the controversial move to Bristol City that summer, but never really took to life in the Championship at Ashton Gate and so joined Leeds in 2009.

His career post-Leeds saw him make a loan move back to Swansea, but that was really as good as it got as, other than a spell at Neath in the Welsh Premier League and a short time at Preston North End, he has played out the rest of his career as a prolific scorer in the English and Welsh lower leagues.

His time with the Whites will not be one to look back on with much satisfaction, but Trundle can certainly take solace in knowing that he left his mark on English football at other clubs.