
Noel Leighton
DOB: 16th December 1997
Position: Striker
Season of first appearance: 2018/19
Season of last appearance: 2020/21
Full Appearances: 50
Substitute: 12
Goals: 22
Also played for:
Dagenham & Redbridge, Woking, Three Bridges.
Player Profile:
Striker who grew up in Edenbridge in Kent and was with Millwall’s youth set up from the age of six to 18. Originally, he played as a central defender, then as a midfielder before becoming a forward.
Noel was released by Millwall at the end of 2017-18 and signed for National League Dagenham & Redbridge for 2018-19, making five first-team appearances early in the season. Noel was then sent on loan to National League South side Woking and was permanently let go by Dagenham in February 2019.
Noel was signed by new Margate manager Jay Saunders and made his debut on 16.2.19 at home to Brightlingsea Regent.
Noel then played regularly until the end of the season and scored six goals, including two in a 3-0 win at Corinthian Casuals on 23.2.19. He got the winner in three matches - a 1-0 victory at home to Merstham on 16.3.19, in another single-goal win at home to Kingstonian on 30.3.19, and in a 1-0 win at Wingate on 20.4.19. He also received six yellow cards in eight appearances between 26.2.19 and 13.4.19.
Noel stayed at Margate for 2019-20 and told Kent Online: “It is more about the team pushing for promotion after a good end to last season and for myself I just want to get as many goals as I can. I’ve set myself a target of 20, so we will see how I go.”
He started the campaign with a goal in our 3-2 win at Ramsgate in the Thanet Cup on 27.7.19. Noel scored in successive rounds of the FA Cup as we beat Concord Rangers 3-1 at home on 21.9.19 and he grabbed two goals in a 4-2 victory at Salisbury on 5.10.19. He also scored twice in a 3-4 defeat at home to Bishop’s Stortford on 19.11.19. A further brace followed in a 2-2 draw at home to Corinthian Casuals on 8.2.20.
In a season abandoned for Covid, he finished with 14 goals from 33 appearances plus eight as a sub.
However, when competitive football restarted later in 2020, Noel was unavailable as he had an Achilles tear sustained while warming up for a pre-season game at Whitstable on 25.8.20. He eventually returned on 6.10.20 as a sub in a 2-0 defeat at home to Cheshunt.
His only goals of the 2020-21 campaign came in the final match of the season on 1.11.20 when he scored twice in a 4-2 win over Aylesbury United at Chesham in the FA Trophy. The season was then abandoned due to Covid.
Noel joined Three Bridges of the Isthmian South East Division for 2021-22. He had an eventful game against Hastings United on 20.11.21 – he scored after seven minutes and was sent off for a bad challenge after 12 minutes in a match Three Bridges lost 2-1. He repeated the feat in a match at Whitehawk on 3.1.22 - scoring on 20 minutes and then being red-carded on 62 minutes in a match that saw five second-half red cards.
Noel remained at Three Bridges for 2022-23 and was sent off three times during the campaign – at Whitehawk on 29.8.22, at home to Sittingbourne on 15.10.22 (another game in which he scored) and at Haywards Heath on 7.3.23.
The 2023-24 season was Noel’s best for goalscoring with more than 30, including a hat-trick in a 5-4 win at Cray Valley 2.3.24. At the end of the campaign, he rejoined his former Margate boss Jay Saunders at Tonbridge Angels.