Lenell John-Lewis

Lenell Nicholas John-Lewis (born 17 May 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker and captains National League club York City.

Lenell John-Lewis

John-Lewis playing for York City in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Lenell Nicholas John-Lewis[1]
Date of birth	(1989-05-17) 17 May 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth	Hammersmith, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s)	Striker, winger
Team information
Current team	York City
Number	14
Youth career
0000–2006	Grantham Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006	Grantham Town	4	(0)
2006–2010	Lincoln City	72	(8)
2010–2013	Bury	83	(9)
2013–2015	Grimsby Town	92	(23)
2015–2017	Newport County	30	(3)
2017–2020	Shrewsbury Town	53	(3)
2020–2021	Hereford	17	(12)
2021–2022	Grimsby Town	29	(5)
2022	→ York City (loan)	22	(7)
2022–	York City	73	(23)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 January 2025

He began his career with non-league side Grantham Town before later turning professional with Lincoln City. He later took in spells with Bury, Grimsby Town, Newport County, Shrewsbury Town and Hereford.

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Career

Grantham Town

John-Lewis started his career with Grantham Town. After going on trial for Middlesbrough, and being linked with Cardiff City, he joined Lincoln City where he was awarded a scholarship.^[3][4]

Lincoln City

He made his Lincoln debut in the FA Cup against Port Vale on 11 November 2006.^[5] He scored his first goal in his second league appearance, against Stockport County on 4 December 2007.^[6] On 26 December 2007, John-Lewis scored an equaliser in the 51st minute, smashing the ball home off the bar into the top corner in the 2–1 defeat at Bradford City.^[7]

On 7 May 2010 John-Lewis was placed on the transfer list by Lincoln City manager Chris Sutton.^[8] Two weeks later, he departed the club by mutual consent.^[9]

Bury

On 5 August 2010 he signed a twelve-month contract with Bury after impressing manager Alan Knill.^[10][11] John-Lewis was part of Bury's promotion winning side, playing in Bury's 3–2 victory over Chesterfield, coming on as a substitute in the final game of the season at Proact Stadium, seeing Bury promoted after a ten-year absence from League One.^[12] In May 2011 he was offered a new 12-month contract,^[13] which he signed in June 2011.^[14]

Grimsby Town

On 31 January 2013 John-Lewis signed for Grimsby Town on an 18-month deal.^[15] He scored his first goal for the club in the final league game of the 2012–13 season against Woking, a header on the line in the 75th minute, having already sealed a play-off spot.^[16]

In May 2014 he activated a clause in his contract giving him another year with The Mariners.^[17] On 25 October 2014 he scored a brace against Guiseley in the 3–0 victory of the FA Cup First Round, heading in the second goal from a blocked Nathan Arnold shot, the third goal of the game came when Arnold fired the ball across goal after cutting in from the left for John-Lewis to tap in at the far post.^[18]

On 17 May 2015, John-Lewis scored the opening goal inside two minutes against Bristol Rovers, in the 2015 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley, he forced the ball over the line from close range with a header, Rovers equalised later in the first half, the game went to extra-time, but with the game still at a stalemate, Grimsby ended up losing 5–3 on penalties, John-Lewis having scored his penalty kick.^[19]

John-Lewis featured in 39 league games during the 2014–15 season, scoring 16 goals, 4 of which were from penalties, this was his best tally of his career so far.

Newport County

On 29 May 2015, John-Lewis signed for League Two club Newport County on a two-year contract.^[20] He made his debut for Newport on 8 August 2015 versus Cambridge United. He scored his first goal for Newport on 3 October 2015 in the League Two match versus Exeter City.^[21]

His time at Newport County was blighted by injury. He missed half of the 2015–16 season due to a hamstring injury.^[22] In July 2016 he suffered a knee injury in a pre-season friendly match causing him to miss most of the 2016–17 season.^[23] Returning to the side for the last two matches of the season, he played a key role in securing the clubs Football League status by winning a penalty which was successfully converted by Mickey Demetriou to open the scoring in a final day victory over Notts County.^[24]

Shrewsbury Town

On 26 May 2017, it was announced that John-Lewis had signed a one-year deal with League One side Shrewsbury Town, with the option of a further year.^[25] He scored his first goal for Shrewsbury on his debut in a 1−0 win over Northampton Town on 5 August 2017.^[26]

He was offered a new contract by Shrewsbury at the end of the 2017–18 season.^[27]

He was injured in January 2019.^[28] He signed a new six-month contract with the club in May 2019^[29] but was released by Shrewsbury in January 2020

Hereford

On 7 February 2020, John-Lewis signed for Shrewsbury's local rivals Hereford on a deal until the end of the 2019–20 season.^[30]

Return to Grimsby Town

On 1 February 2021, John-Lewis re-signed for Grimsby Town in EFL League Two, on a permanent deal until Summer 2022, joining up with former manager Paul Hurst whom he played under in his previous spell with Grimsby and at Shrewsbury.^[31]

On 15 February 2022, John-Lewis signed for York City on a one-month loan.^[32] He made his debut later that day, coming on as a 76th minute substitute in a 3-1 win against AFC Telford United.^[33] The loan was further extended until the end of the 2021–22 season.^[34]

John-Lewis scored a vital goal for York as they beat AFC Fylde to secure a play-off place in a 2-1 victory on 2 May 2022.^[35] In the play-off quarter finals John-Lewis scored again in a 2-1 victory over Chorley to advance to the semi-finals.^[36] On 14 May, John-Lewis would score the only goal in York's 1-0 win over Brackley Town to advance to the National League North play-off final. ^[37]

He capped off his final appearance of his loan spell by scoring the first goal in a 2-0 win over Boston United in the play-off final, which secured York's promotion to the National League.^[38]

Grimsby secured promotion with victory in the play-off final, though John-Lewis was not in the matchday squad at London Stadium.^[39]

On 11 June 2022, following Grimsby's promotion back to the Football League the club announced their retained list ahead of the 2022–23 season and confirmed that John-Lewis would be among those released when his contract expires on 30 June.^[40]

York City

Following the success of his loan spell, John-Lewis signed a permanent deal with York City on 29 June 2022.^[41]

Career statistics

As of match played on 20 April 2024^[42][43]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Grantham Town	2005–06	Southern League Premier Division	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Lincoln City	2006–07[44]	League Two	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2007–08[45]	League Two	21	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	22	3
	2008–09[46]	League Two	27	4	2	1	1	0	1[a]	0	31	5
	2009–10[47]	League Two	24	1	2	0	0	0	1[a]	0	27	1
	Total		72	8	6	1	1	0	2	0	81	9
Bury	2010–11[48]	League Two	39	2	2	0	1	0	2[a]	0	44	2
	2011–12[49]	League One	28	5	0	0	2	0	0	0	30	5
	2012–13[50]	League One	16	2	1	0	1	0	1[a]	0	19	2
	Total		83	9	3	0	4	0	3	0	93	9
Grimsby Town	2012–13[50]	Conference Premier	15	1	0	0	0	0	2[b]	0	17	1
	2013–14[51]	Conference Premier	38	6	3	1	0	0	6[c]	2	47	9
	2014–15[52]	Conference Premier	39	16	2	2	0	0	6[d]	2	47	20
	Total		92	23	5	3	0	0	14	4	111	30
Newport County	2015–16[53]	League Two	28	3	3	2	0	0	1[a]	0	32	5
	2016–17[54]	League Two	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	Total		30	3	3	2	0	0	1	0	34	5
Shrewsbury Town	2017–18[55]	League One	34	2	0	0	1	0	10[e]	1	45	3
	2018–19[56]	League One	17	1	4	0	1	0	4[a]	1	26	2
	2019–20[57]	League One	2	0	0	0	0	0	2[a]	0	4	0
	Total		53	3	4	0	2	0	16	2	75	5
Hereford	2019–20[58]	National League North	7	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	3
	2020–21[58]	National League North	10	9	0	0	0	0	2[b]	2	12	11
	Total		17	12	0	0	0	0	2	2	19	14
Grimsby Town	2020–21[59]	League Two	20	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	20	4
	2021–22[58]	National League	15	1	2	1	0	0	1[b]	0	18	2
	Total		35	5	2	1	0	0	1	0	38	6
York City (loan)	2021–22[58]	National League North	22	7	0	0	—		0	0	22	7
York City	2022–23[58]	National League	41	14	1	0	—		3[b]	3	45	17
	2023–24[58]	National League	17	4	5	2	—		1[b]	1	23	7
	Total		80	21	6	2	—		4	4	90	27
Career total			488	91	29	9	7	0	43	12	567	112

1. Appearance in Football League Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
3. Four appearances and two goals in FA Trophy, two appearances in Conference Premier play-offs
4. Three appearances in FA Trophy, three appearances and two goals in Conference Premier play-offs
5. Seven appearances and one goal in Football League Trophy, three appearances in EFL League One play-offs

Honours

Bury

• Football League Two runner-up: 2010–11^{[citation needed]}

Grimsby Town

• FA Trophy runner-up: 2012–13^{[citation needed]}

Shrewsbury Town

• EFL Trophy runner-up: 2017–18^[60]

York City

• National League North play-offs: 2022^{[citation needed]}

References

1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/07/2018 and 31/07/2018" (PDF). The Football Association. p. 19. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
2. "Player Profile". Grimsby Town F.C. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
3. "Player Profile". Bury F.C. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
4. "Player Profile". Grantham Town F.C. Archived from the original on 26 March 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
5. "Port Vale 2–1 Lincoln". BBC Sport. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
6. "Stockport 1–3 Lincoln". BBC Sport. 4 December 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
7. "Bradford 2–1 Lincoln". Telegraph & Argus. 26 December 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
8. "Three Can Leave Lincoln City FC". The Forgotten Imp. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
9. "LJL Leaves The Bank". The Forgotten Imp. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010. ^{[permanent dead link‍]}
10. "Lenny joins the Shakers". Bury FC Official Website. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
11. "John-Lewis earns Bury deal". Sky Sports. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
12. Robson, Steve (11 January 2013). "Bury promoted: Chesterfield 2–3 Bury". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
13. "Bury offer new contracts to seven". BBC Sport. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
14. "Contract Update". Bury FC. 21 June 2011. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
15. "Grimsby Town Sign Striker". Grimsby Town Football Club. 31 January 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
16. "Woking 0–1 Grimsby". BBC Sport. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
17. "Grimsby Town retained list: Scott Kerr decision the toughest for Paul Hurst". Grimsby Telegraph. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
18. "Grimsby 3–0 Guiseley". Grimsby Telegraph. 25 October 2014. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
19. "Bristol Rovers 1–1 Grimsby". BBC Sport. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
20. "Terry Butcher makes first three signings as boss". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
21. Pearlman, Michael (3 October 2015). "Newport County 1 Exeter 1: match report". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
22. "Newport County add three strikers but suffer Lenell John-Lewis blow". BBC Sport. 21 January 2016.
23. "Newport County striker Lenell John-Lewis faces long-term lay-off". BBC Sport. 4 August 2016.
24. "Newport County 2-1 Notts County". BBC Sport. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
25. "Lenell John-Lewis: Shrewsbury Town sign striker from Newport County". BBC Sport. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
26. "Shrewsbury 1-0 Northampton". BBC. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
27. "Shrewsbury Town: Joe Riley, Shaun Rowley and AJ Leitch-Smith to be released". BBC Sport. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
28. "Lenell John-Lewis: Shrewsbury Town striker suffers ACL injury and will miss rest of season". BBC Sport. 9 January 2019.
29. "Lenell John-Lewis: Injured Shrewsbury Town striker signs new six-month contract". BBC Sport. 30 May 2019.
30. Thomas, James (7 February 2020). "Hereford FC sign 'proven' striker ahead of Southport game". Hereford Times.
31. "John-Lewis Returns To Town!". www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
32. "York City bring in Lenell John-Lewis on month's loan".
33. "REPORT: York City 3 AFC Telford United 1".
34. "Grimsby Town announce Lenell John-Lewis loan extension with recall clause". Grimsbylive. 15 March 2022.
35. "City secure playoff spot with Fylde win".
36. "City advance in playoffs with Chorley win".
37. "John-Lewis fires York into playoff final".
38. "York City secure promotion with 2-0 play-off final win over Boston United". York Press. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
39. Peddy, Chris (5 June 2022). "Grimsby beat Solihull Moors to seal EFL return". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
40. "Mariners Retained List Announced - Grimsby Town Football Club". 11 June 2022.
41. "The Shop open for business next season!".
42. Lenell John-Lewis at Soccerbase
43. Lenell John-Lewis at Soccerway
44. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
45. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
46. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
47. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
48. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
49. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
50. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
51. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
52. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
53. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
54. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
55. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
56. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
57. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
58. Lenell John-Lewis at Soccerway. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
59. "Games played by Lenell John-Lewis in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
60. Scott, Ged (8 April 2018). "Lincoln City 1–0 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2018.

External links

• Lenell John-Lewis at Soccerbase