Lee Sinnott (born 12 July 1965) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of Gainsborough Trinity.
As a player, he was a defender for Walsall, Watford, Bradford City, Crystal Palace, Huddersfield Town, Oldham Athletic and Scarborough. His biggest impact was at Bradford City, where he stayed for five years over two spells, making over 200 appearances. He made 505 appearances in the English Football League, and 653 appearances in all competitions. He played in the 1984 FA Cup Final for Watford, taking home a runners-up medal.
As manager of Farsley Celtic between 2003 and 2007, he won promotion three times in four seasons to take the club from the Northern Premier League to the Conference. This was followed by a short spell at Port Vale in the 2007–08 season. He managed Bradford Park Avenue for ten months in 2009, before returning to the game with Altrincham in May 2011. He led Altrincham to promotion out of the Conference North via the play-offs in 2014, but was sacked in March 2016. He returned to management with Gainsborough Trinity in February 2018, lasting 12 months in the role.
Playing career
Born in Aldridge, Staffordshire, he began his career at Walsall as an apprentice, signing professional in 1982. He made 40 first-team appearances in his first season at Fellows Park before he was sold to First Division runners-up Watford for a £130,000 fee in September 1983. His final appearance for the "Saddlers" came in an 8–1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers. There he was coached by Steve Harrison, John Ward and Graham Taylor, whilst playing alongside veteran centre-back Steve Terry. He established himself in the first-team following Ian Bolton's departure and an injuries to Steve Sims and Paul Franklin. At the end of his first season, when still only 18 years old, he played in the 1984 FA Cup final against Everton at Wembley Stadium, collecting a runners-up medal. However he went on to lose his place to new signing John McClelland and had to fit into the team as a full-back and at left midfield during the 1984–85 season. He helped Watford reach the semifinals of the FA Cup in the 1986–87 campaign and played at left-back across from Chris Waddle in the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
In 1987, Sinnott moved down a division to Bradford City. In his first season, he helped the "Bantams" qualify for the Second Division playoffs, but their promotion bid failed and two years later they were relegated. Sinnott spent one season in the Third Division before moving to First Division side Crystal Palace for a £300,000 fee on 8 August 1991. He was unable to establish a regular place in the first team and after two years he returned to Bradford on 9 December 1993.
When Sinnott returned to Valley Parade, Bradford were still in the third tier of the English league. He played in most of their first-team games that season, but the "Bantams" missed out on the play-offs and manager Frank Stapleton was sacked. Sinnott followed his manager out of the exit door and signed for local rivals Huddersfield Town. He was made captain of Neil Warnock's team, and guided them to the Second Division play-off victory in his first season. He spent two more seasons in West Yorkshire before crossing the Pennines and signing for local rivals Oldham Athletic, who had just been relegated to the Second Division.
Sinnott played 31 games over two seasons at Boundary Park, but Oldham struggled in a division that they had been expected to win promotion from, and in Sinnott's second season they narrowly avoided relegation to the Third Division. A year earlier, he had been loaned back to Bradford, but the move was not made permanent.
The 1998–99 campaign proved to be Sinnott's final season as a Football League player. Upon its conclusion he moved to Scarborough, who had just been relegated to the Conference, and played 22 games in one season for a side who finished fourth in the country's highest non-League division. He then retired from playing after a career spanning almost 20 years.
Style of play
Sinnott was a quick, athletic and versatile defender who boasted excellent long ball throwing ability.
Managerial career
Farsley Celtic
Sinnott was not out of football for long, and moved into management with non-League Farsley Celtic in June 2003. His first success with the club was a third-place finish in the Northern Premier League First Division in 2003–04, which earned the club promotion to the Northern Premier League.