Steve Lovell (Welsh footballer)

For the English footballer of the same name who has played for clubs including Dundee and Aberdeen, see Steve Lovell

Steve Lovell

Personal information
Full name	Stephen John Lovell
Date of birth	(1960-07-16) 16 July 1960
Place of birth	Swansea, Wales
Height
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1977-?	Crystal Palace
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
?-1983	Crystal Palace	74	(3)
1979	→ Memphis Rogues (loan)	18	(0)
1979	→ Stockport County (loan)	12	(0)
1983–1987	Millwall	146	(43)
1987	→ Swansea City (loan)	2	(1)
1987–1992	Gillingham	233	(94)
1992	→ AFC Bournemouth (loan)	3	(0)
1992–1993	Sittingbourne
1993–1994	Braintree Town
1994	St Albans City
1994–1995	Hastings Town
1995–1996	Sittingbourne
1996–1997	Gravesend & Northfleet
1997	Weymouth
1997–1999	Tonbridge Angels
1999–2000	Deal Town
2000–2001	Ashford Town
2001-?	Sittingbourne
International career
1981–1986	Wales	6	(1)
Managerial career
1995–1996	Sittingbourne
1996–1997	Gravesend & Northfleet
2003–2004	Hastings United
2005–2007	Sittingbourne
2007–2010	Ashford Town
2014-	Gillingham (co-caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:23, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Stephen "Steve" Lovell (born 16 July 1960 in Swansea) is a Welsh former professional footballer. He played professionally for Crystal Palace, Stockport County, Millwall, Swansea City, Gillingham and AFC Bournemouth and made over 450 Football League appearances.

Playing career

Although born in Wales, Lovell began his career as an apprentice with Crystal Palace in 1977. Playing at the time as a midfielder, he managed 74 Football League appearances in six years at Selhurst Park, during which he also had a spell on loan at Stockport County. In 1983 he moved to Millwall, where manager George Graham played him as a striker during an injury crisis. He went on to score 13 goals in 11 matches and remained a striker for the remainder of his career.

In 1986 Lovell was injured whilst playing for Wales and was unable to regain a place in the Millwall team and, after a short loan spell with his hometown club Swansea City, was sold to Gillingham for £20,000. During his time with the Kent club he played over 200 matches and scored over 100 goals, finishing as the club's leading scorer in four consecutive seasons and equalling a club record by scoring in seven consecutive matches in 1990. He scored four goals in Gillingham's 8–1 defeat of Southend United in 1987 but bizarrely failed to find the net at all when the team won 10–0 against Chesterfield the following Saturday.

After a brief loan spell with AFC Bournemouth in 1992, Lovell dropped into non-league football, where he played for nine different clubs in nine years, including three separate spells with Sittingbourne. In 2000 he played for Deal Town in the FA Vase final at Wembley. He finally retired in 2001.

Managerial career

Lovell's first managerial job came at Sittingbourne, where he was player-manager from February 1995 until September 1996, during which he led the team to the Southern League Southern Division championship. He then moved on to Gravesend & Northfleet where he was manager for a year.

After a spell as Football in the Community Officer for Gillingham (which overlapped the end of his playing career) Lovell returned to management with Hastings United in 2003 but left the club in 2004 after a drop in form. In 2005 he returned for a second spell managing Sittingbourne, a post he held until October 2007, when he left to take over at Ashford Town, where he remained until the club's demise in August 2010. In December 2014 he was appointed co-caretaker manager of Gillingham alongside Andy Hessenthaler, Darren Hare and Mark Patterson following the sacking of Peter Taylor.

Family connections with football

Lovell's father Alan was also a footballer, although he only managed a single professional appearance for Stockport County. Lovell's son Mark also became a footballer, turning professional with his father's old club Gillingham in 2001. He also made only one professional appearance before dropping into non-league football.