Carl Leaburn

Carl Winston Leaburn (born 30 March 1969) is an English former footballer who played as a striker.

Carl Leaburn
Personal information
Full name Carl Winston Leaburn
Date of birth (1969-03-30) 30 March 1969
Place of birth Lewisham, England
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1998 Charlton Athletic 344 (53)
1990 → Northampton Town (loan) 9 (0)
1998–2001 Wimbledon 58 (4)
2001–2002 Queens Park Rangers 1 (0)
2002–2005 Grays Athletic 62 (9)
Total 474 (66)
National team
England U20
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Born in nearby Lewisham, Leaburn progressed through the youth set-up at Charlton Athletic and made his debut in the late 1980s. He also played in the England Under-20s team under Graham Taylor. A regular in Charlton's team for over a decade, he developed the reputation of a centre forward who was a target man. One highlight was scoring a goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup in 1994. Leaburn became a cult figure with many fans with one popular chant being the repetition of his surname. However, he did manage double figures in seasons 1991–92 and 1993–94, during which Charlton were contenders for a place in the play-offs. Clive Mendonca has claimed that Leaburn was the best strike partner he played with whilst at the club.

In January 1998, Leaburn moved to Premier League side Wimbledon for a £300,000 fee. He made his debut as a substitute against Liverpool at Anfield on 10 January 1998.[1] His first goals for his new club came when he scored twice away to Crystal Palace in a 3–0 win on 9 February 1998.[2] This was perhaps the finest moment of his Wimbledon career as he had helped defeat rivals Crystal Palace in the "Landlords vs. Tenants" derby game at Selhurst Park. He went on to score twice more for Wimbledon in the 1997–98 season with strikes against Aston Villa[3] and Southampton.[4] However the 4 goals he scored for Wimbledon that season would be the only goals he would score in the league for the South London club. Leaburn's only other goal for the club came in a League Cup tie with Portsmouth in September 1998.[5] His major contribution to Wimbledon was more in working hard to create goals for teammates, rather than scoring himself. His record of four goals in 58 league games does not do justice to either his work-rate or his popularity with fans, who greatly valued his enthusiasm and indefatigability. Leaburn stayed on at the Dons following their relegation from the Premier League in 2000, but he was eventually sold to Queens Park Rangers on 31 December 2001[6] where he played only one game against Reading[7] before being released. He then dropped into non-League football with Grays Athletic where he scored nine times between December 2002 and May 2005 when he ended his football career.

After retiring, Leaburn completed a study for a BTEC Radio Broadcasting course. He worked for BBC London as a match summariser and interviewer. He now works for Premier League productions as a match analyst and occasionally as a security guard for the Canary Wharf estate. Leaburn also worked with Redstone.fm, a community radio station for Redhill, Reigate and Banstead.

References
  1. "Premiership poorer for Dons' penury". The Independent. 12 January 1998. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  2. "Leaburn leads rout of Palace". The Independent. 10 February 1998. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  3. "Villa falling fast". The Independent. 22 February 1998. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  4. "Saints are soft touch for needy". The Independent. 13 April 1998. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  5. "Wimbledon profit from Ekoku double". The Independent. 23 September 1998. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  6. "Transfers - December, 2001". BBC. 5 September 2002. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  7. "Nationwide Division 2". The Telegraph. 5 January 2002. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
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