Lee Tomlin

Early career

Before the 2006–07 season, Tomlin attracted the attention of several big clubs and he earned a trial with Liverpool.^[6] Throughout the season, he made more starts and became more of a regular in the Rushden starting eleven.^[7] On 21 October 2006, he scored his first goal for the club against Weymouth, the match after Paul Hart was sacked, in the 21st minute.^[8] He immediately followed this with another goal, this time against Altrincham in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round.^[9] He scored four goals during the season, playing as a forward and on both wings.^[10]

Tomlin joined Southern League Premier Division club Brackley Town in October 2007 on a one-month loan,^[11] making two appearances.^[12]

Tomlin switched to left midfield for the 2009–10 season, under his influential manager Justin Edinburgh whom he credited for his development and achieving his move to the Football League.^[13] Following the end of the season a six-figure bid for Tomlin was rejected from another Blue Square Bet Premier club believed to be Crawley Town and Rushden confirmed he would be offered a new contract.^[14]

Peterborough United

Tomlin signed for League One club Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee on 6 August 2010.^[15] He went on to assist the team gain promotion with a hard working display against Huddersfield Town at Old Trafford, which The Posh won 3–0.^[16]

He continued to develop his reputation at Championship level and on 20 August 2011, he scored his first professional hat-trick in a game against Ipswich Town, helping Peterborough to a 7–1 win.^[17]

Tomlin beat five defenders to score in Peterborough's last game of the 2012–13 season, away to Crystal Palace, but a 3–2 defeat confirmed their relegation back to League One.^[18]

Middlesbrough

On 31 January 2014, Tomlin signed for Middlesbrough on loan for the remainder of the 2013–14 season with a view to a permanent move. On 18 February, it was announced that he had signed permanently on a three-and-a-half-year contract.^[19] Tomlin made his debut on 22 February in a 0–0 draw against Leeds United, coming on as a substitute for Kei Kamara.^[20]

In the 2014-15 season, Tomlin made 29 starts and a further 10 substitute appearances in the league as Middlesbrough competed at the top of the table.

After a run of fine performances, most notably in Middlesbrough's 2–0 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup, Tomlin was named Championship Player of the Month for January 2015.^[21]

The club finished 4th in the league to qualify for the Championship play-offs. Tomlin started in both legs of the semi-final against Brentford, and scored the first of three goals in a 3–0 second leg home win which took the aggregate score to 5–1, and saw Middlesbrough progress to the final. Ultimately Middlesbrough lost the final 2–0 to Norwich City at Wembley. Across the season Tomlin made a total of 48 appearances in league and cup competitions, scoring 9 goals.

Bournemouth

On 4 August 2015, Tomlin signed for Premier League newcomers AFC Bournemouth on a three-year deal for a fee of around £3.5 million.^[22] He made his debut against Liverpool, coming on for Yann Kermorgant.^[23] He scored his only goal for Bournemouth in the 2015–16 season, a penalty against Birmingham City in the FA Cup.^[24]

Bristol City

Tomlin signed for Championship club, Bristol City on a season-long loan, on 27 January 2016.^[25] He later made his debut in a goalless draw against Birmingham City on 30 January.^[26] Tomlin went onto score 6 goals in 18 appearances, including goals in a 6–0 win over Bolton Wanderers and a 4–0 win over Huddersfield Town.^{[citation needed]}

During the summer, Tomlin opened talks with Bristol City and took part in a medical on 4 July.^[27]

Cardiff City

On 13 July 2017, Tomlin joined Championship rivals Cardiff City on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee,^[28] making his debut for the club on the opening day of the 2017–18 season during a 1–0 victory over Burton Albion.^[29]

On 31 January 2018, Tomlin joined Nottingham Forest on loan in a swap deal with Jamie Ward moving to Cardiff on loan in return.^[30] He scored his first goal for Forest in a 1–1 draw with Reading on 20 February 2018.^[31]

On 18 December 2018, it was announced that Tomlin was training with Peterborough United and would return to the club on loan from 1 January 2019 until the end of the season.^[32] However, the move was delayed due to paperwork issues.^[33] The transfer was eventually completed on 8 January.^[34]

Tomlin signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract with Cardiff on 10 January 2020.^[35]

Tomlin left the club by mutual consent on 4 October 2021.^[36]

Walsall

On 25 February 2022, Tomlin signed for EFL League Two club Walsall on a short-term deal until the end of the 2021–22 season.^[37] Tomlin made five appearances with the club, four of which off the bench, before being released at the end of the season.^[38]

Doncaster Rovers and retirement

After playing for Doncaster Rovers in summer 2022, Tomlin retired due to injury in October 2022.^[39]

Ilkeston Town

On 1 December 2022, Tomlin came out of his retirement to join Ilkeston Town as player-coach.^[40]

Morecambe

On 20 August 2025, Tomlin was appointed as assistant manager of National League club Morecambe.^[41] In January 2026, he was appointed joint-caretaker manager following the sacking of Ashvir Singh Johal.^[42]