Lee Bullock

Lee Bullock (born 22 May 1981) is an English former footballer who currently manages Whitby Town.

He started his career with York City, with whom he played 171 league games and scored 24 goals, before he moved to First Division side Cardiff City in 2004 after a loan spell. He spent just one season with Cardiff before he returned to north-east England with Hartlepool United. He won promotion from League Two with Hartlepool, but after he lost his place in the side, he had loan spells with Mansfield Town, Bury and Bradford City, before signing permanently for Bradford in January 2008. In 2012 Bullock was released by Bradford and subsequently returned to former club York. He had loan spells with Gateshead and Stockport County before being released by York in 2013. Bullock now works for Cleveland police.

Career

York City Bullock started his career with York City, joining the club's youth system at a young age. He made his first team debut on 5 December 1998 in a 2–1 FA Cup second round defeat at Wrexham as a 17-year-old while still a trainee. He was substituted at half-time for Graham Rennison to facilitate a tactical switch after Mark Tinkler was sent off in the first half. He signed a two-year professional contract at the end of the 1998–99 season, which he finished with the club's Young Player of the Year award. He made 17 starts during his first full season and played 25 games in total, but never managed more than six successive appearances. but he extended his contract during the summer to three years, keeping him at Bootham Crescent until at least 2003. His first goal came nearly two years after his debut when he scored a header in a 3–1 victory over Halifax Town at The Shay on 24 October 2000. He scored another three goals that season, including another goal against Halifax Town in a 2–1 relegation battle on 14 April 2001. In the 2001–02 season, he more than doubled the number of goals to nine. which ended his season early after playing 47 games. Once again he scored seven goals in 2003–04. and after manager Lennie Lawrence weighed up a move for the player he signed on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent transfer, on 9 March. He scored three goals in 10 games during his loan spell, including one on his debut at home to Reading after turning in a Robert Earnshaw cross 18 minutes from time, although Reading went on to win the game 3–2. His third goal came in a 1–1 draw with Ipswich Town on the final day of the season on 9 May, after his header from Tony Vidmar's cross deflected off Ipswich's Jermaine Wright. With Cardiff still to decide whether to sign Bullock permanently, a number of clubs made enquiries about his signature.

Bullock joined Cardiff on a permanent deal on 28 June 2004, which would make York £100,000 if he made 25 appearances for Cardiff. He finished the 2004–05 season with five goals, including two in the League Cup, from 26 appearances, of which eight were league starts. He made his Hartlepool debut on the opening day of the 2005–06 season in a 2–0 loss to Bradford City, before he scored three days later in a 1–1 draw with AFC Bournemouth. He scored four goals in his first season, but missed two months from November to January 2006 because of a thigh strain and then a hand injury. He had his lowest scoring season in 2006–07, netting just twice in 31 games, but helped Hartlepool to promotion as League Two runners-up. He returned to Hartlepool in September after no extension was agreed, having played five games for Mansfield. He signed for Bury of League Two on a one-month loan on 5 October. This loan was extended for a second month in November, but he returned to Hartlepool in December after he turned down a permanent deal with Bury. Bullock finished the loan spell with eight appearances. He made his Bradford debut in a 2–0 victory against Accrington Stanley on 1 January. Three games into his loan spell at Bradford, he was transfer listed by Hartlepool. Bradford were unbeaten during Bullock's five game loan period, winning three and drawing two, and they signed Bullock on an 18-month contract on 30 January. His first goal for Bradford was the side's third in a 3–2 victory over Rotherham United on 26 February 2008. Bullock played for a month with a groin injury, and after playing 12 consecutive games since he first joined Bradford, he was rested for a game at Chester City on 12 March 2008 before undergoing a hernia operation, which kept him out for the rest of the 2007–08 season. He made 12 appearances and scored one goal for Bradford that season. Bullock scored in consecutive league games as Bradford won four of their first six games, He returned to action after three months out injured when he played the first half of a reserve game against his former side Hartlepool on 16 December. His return to first team action came more than a month later on 24 January 2009, when he was a 77th-minute substitute for fellow midfielder Dean Furman in a 3–3 draw at Luton Town, before he made his first start for four months three days later in a 1–0 defeat away to his former side Bury.

After finishing the 2009–10 season with 45 appearances and one goal and being named the club's Players' Player of the Year, Bullock signed a new two-year contract with Bradford on 9 June 2010. He was released by the club on 12 May 2012 having made 20 appearances in the 2011–12 season. He made his second York debut after starting the game away at League One Doncaster Rovers in the League Cup first round on 11 August 2012, which the side lost 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 draw after extra time. Having been limited to seven appearances for York, Bullock joined Conference Premier side Gateshead on a one-month emergency loan on 25 October 2012. He made his debut for Gateshead two days later in a 1–1 draw against Kidderminster Harriers at Aggborough. He scored his first goal for Gateshead the following day with a 12-yard header in a 2–0 home win against Macclesfield Town in the FA Trophy. Having made eight appearances and scored one goal for Gateshead, Bullock was loaned out again on 15 March 2013, joining Conference Premier side Stockport County for the rest of the season. He made his debut the following day in a 3–1 defeat at home to Braintree Town, and went on to make nine appearances for Stockport as they were relegated to the Conference North.

Whitby Town Bullock signed for Northern Premier League Premier Division side Whitby Town in July 2013.

Coaching career In September 2022, Bullock resigned from his role as joint-manager of Whitby Town having held the role since 2020 and previously having served as assistant manager.

On February 9 2024, Bullock was appointed First Team Coach at Redcar Athletic.

On February 10 2026, Bullock returned to Whitby Town as joint manager.

Personal life Born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham,

In 2023, Lee Bullock super fan Benjamin Fellows had a tattoo of Bullock commissioned to celebrate winning the young lawyer of the year award.

He married in the summer of 2009 before honeymooning in the Maldives. Second Division

1999–2000 Third Division

2000–01 Third Division

2001–02 Third Division

2002–03 Third Division

2003–04 Third Division

171!!24!!12!!2!!6!!1!!0!!0!!189!!27 Cardiff City (loan) 2003–04 First Division

2004–05 Championship

2005–06 League One

2006–07 League Two

League One

57!!5!!3!!0!!3!!0!!3!!1!!66!!6 |Mansfield Town (loan) 2007–08 League Two

League Two

League Two

League Two

120!!5!!2!!0!!3!!0!!4!!0!!129!!5 York City 2012–13 League Two

Gateshead (loan) 2012–13 Conference Premier

Stockport County (loan) 2012–13 NPL Premier Division

452!!42!!20!!2!!17!!3!!9!!2!!498!!49

Honours

Club Hartlepool United Football League Two runners-up: 2006–07