Chris Lewington

DOB: 23rd August 1988

Position: Goalkeeper

Season of first appearance: 2015/16

Season of last appearance: 2015/16

Full Appearances: 23

Substitute: 0

Goals: 0

Clean Sheets: 3

Also played for:

Erith & Belvedere, Dulwich Hamlet, Beckenham Town, Fisher Athletic, Sittingbourne, Leatherhead, Dagenham & Redbridge, Colchester United, Welling United, Dover Athletic, Weymouth, Maidstone United, Cray Valley Paper Mills, Dartford, Ashford United.

Player Profile:

Goalkeeper born in Sidcup. Chris spent three seasons in Charlton Athletic's youth system until the age of 13. After his release by the Addicks, he continued to play Sunday league football until the age of 16, when he entered men's football, joining Erith & Belvedere in the Kent League. He spent one season with the Deres then joining Isthmian League Division One South side Dulwich Hamlet in 2006-07 where he was dual registered with Kent League side Beckenham Town.

At the end of the season, Chris followed manager Wayne Burnett from Dulwich to Conference South side Fisher Athletic. In December 2007, he was sent out on loan to Isthmian League Division One South outfit Sittingbourne.

In October 2008, Lewington joined Isthmian League Division One South side Leatherhead. He won Supporters' Player of the Year for 2008-09.

Chris joined League Two Dagenham & Redbridge for 2009-10. He spent his first season mainly on the bench as back-up for Tony Roberts as the club were promoted to League One via the play-offs with victory over Rotherham United in the final in May 2010. Chris signed a two-year contract extension in May.

On 31.8.10, Chris made his first-team and professional debut for the Daggers at Charlton Athletic in the Football League Trophy, which the Daggers lost 1-0.

His Football League debut followed on 2.11.10 when the Daggers lost 4-0 at Southampton. With Tony Roberts injured, Chris continued between the sticks. He made a total of six appearances in his second season with the club during which it was relegated.

In 2011–12, the retirement of Tony Roberts meant Chris was the Daggers' first choice goalkeeper and he ended the League Two campaign with a total of 47 appearances. He made a further 45 appearances both during 2012-13 and 2013-14. In the summer of 2014, he decided to leave Dagenham.

His next destination was League One Colchester United, signing a three-year deal. However, he made just two first-team appearances and had his contract cancelled by mutual consent in September 2015.

Chris joined Margate in December 2015, making his debut in a 1–0 win against Gosport Borough on 19.12.15.

Manager Nikki Bull told Kent Online: "The biggest problem for me [after being named boss] was coming out of goal. I had to have total trust in the person I was putting in there or it wouldn't work either way. There's no point me galvanising the team and trying to improve as a manager if I've got a young, inexperienced keeper letting them in at the other end.

"I've worked very hard over the last 10 days, watching under-21 games, getting recommendations. We had an extensive list of keepers and then I got a call to say Chris was available, he was training with Dagenham and that he was keen to get back into the League.

"He was waiting for an opportunity, a few things had fallen through for him in the league over the last couple of months so I got straight on the phone and said 'look Chris, we've got some big games over Christmas if you want to be in the shop window'.

"He's a Kent lad, and we've got Maidstone, Dartford, Maidstone [over Christmas and New Year]. I said 'come here, play some games, put yourself in the shop window' and I could not be more happy to sign him because, hand on heart, if I hadn't I would probably have had to play against Gosport. That would have gone against everything I was trying to do as a manager."

Chris also kept a clean sheet in Margate's next game, a 1-0 win over Maidstone United at Hartsdown on Boxing Day. 

Explaining how the move to Margate came about, Chris told Kent Online: "I was training at Charlton and at a couple of other clubs, but nothing came up. A good friend of mine knew the [Margate] goalkeeping coach Stacey Beckham who put my name forward to Nikki Bull. The position was available as he wasn't playing anymore, so we had a chat, and he asked me to come down. I hadn't played for nearly four months, and have loved every minute of it. I have really enjoyed myself and the boys made me very welcome."

Chris was then ever-present in goal until the end of the 2015-16 campaign. On 13.2.16, he superbly saved a stoppage time penalty to ensure a 2-1 home win over Basingstoke. He also saved penalties in two consecutive matches - a 1-0 home defeat against Eastbourne Borough on 23.2.16 and a 4-1 loss at Sutton United on 27.2.16.

Chris left Margate in the summer and spent 2016-17 at Welling United of National League South. His next destination was Dover Athletic in 2017-18.

In January 2019 he joined Weymouth but less than a month later signed for Maidstone United, initially as goalkeeping coach. He was part of the side that won the Kent Senior Cup in 2019, making three saves in the penalty shoot-out as his side overcame Bromley.

In April 2021, Chris joined Cray Valley Paper Mills. In October 2023, he signed a short-term deal with Dartford and made his debut for Ashford United in December 2023.