Lee Roche (Irish footballer)
Lee Roche (born June 18 1986 in Dublin, Ireland), is an Irish footballer currently playing for Leinster Senior League club Liffeys Pearse. Lee plays as striker or as a right-sided midfielder.
Career
Lee spent his schoolboy career at Pearse Rangers and Lourdes Celtic earning a reputation as a gifted goalscorer. Roche signed for Shamrock Rovers in 2005 and was part of Hoops Under-21 squad before receiving a quick call up to the Rovers first team where he went on to make his debut against St. Pats on the August 5 2005. He went to make a total of 18 appearances scoring twice before being released as Rovers got relegated.
Roche signed for Irish League club Glentoran in the winter of 2005.
Roche returned to the south of the border to sign for St. Patrick's Athletic in January 2006 but failed to make an impact for the Inchicore side after limited first team opportunities. Roche made yet another move by signing for Dublin City in July 2006 with the hope of securing regular first team football. Roche's new opportunity was cut short after just one game for the Vikings when Dublin City went of existence in July 2006. Luckily for Roche he was able to find a new club with immediate effect by signing for Bray Wanderers for the remainder of the 2006 season. Roche made an impression for his new club by scoring for the seasiders against Shelbourne on September 1 2006 at the Carlisle Grounds. Despite showing promising glimpses at Bray Wanderers, Roche could not avoid being part of a squad clearout at the Carlisle Grounds after a poor 2006 season for Bray.
Roche began the 2007 season without a club but he returned to action in July that year when he signed for Shelbourne making the Tolka Park side his sixth senior club in 2 years. Roche made his Shelbourne debut on July 6 2007 as a second-half substitute in a 1-0 win over Wexford Youths at Tolka Park. Roche struggled to impose himself as a regular in Shelbourne's starting eleven and his stay at Tolka Park lasted only 2 months when he joined Leinster Senior League side Liffeys Pearse in September 2007.