Halifax born Tuck enjoying superstardom in football mad Malaysia

Lee Tuck in action for Terengganu v Perak at the Shah Alam Stadium in Malaysia

Little did Lee Tuck know when he borrowed some money from his dad to fly for a trial in Thailand that he was embarking on a journey propelling him to superstardom.

The Siddal-born footballer plays for Terengganu in the Malaysian Super League and is regarded as the league’s most popular foreign player.

All of which is a far cry from his days working as a tiler in Halifax and being released by Halifax Town as a teenager.

“I had a trial when I was about 11 and was there until I was about 18 before I signed a one-year professional contract in 2006 under Chris Wilder.

“I was only on something like £50 a week, but I was over the moon. All I wanted to do was play football with Halifax.

“But they didn’t renew the contract and then I went to Bradford Park Avenue but I didn’t want to carry on playing for a couple of months because I was gutted leaving Halifax.

“I went to Farsley after that for two seasons, we got promotion to the Conference, which was great.

“Then I signed with Guiseley on a non-contract. I had a friend who was playing in Thailand, and I said to him I wanted to play full-time football again, so if he could get me a trial over there, I’d take it.

Soccer. Halifax Town U16s team pic.
Lee Tuck. — Soccer. Halifax Town U16s team pic. Lee Tuck.

“I borrowed a bit of money off my dad for the flights and to stay in Thailand. I was only there for a week or two and they offered me a contract. And I’ve never looked back since.

“If I’d stayed in England, who knows, I could have been a tiler now. It’s funny how things turn out when you make a decision.

“I just saw it as a fantastic opportunity, and if things didn’t work out, I could always just have come back and do what I was doing before.

“I had nothing to lose, so for me it was a no-brainer to go and try it out.”

Tuck spent a year at Nakhon Pathom FC before three years at Bangkok FC.

His goalscoring exploits there earned him a move to Air Force Central.

“Then Nakhon Ratchasima bought me,” he says.

“They were in the league below, but we got promotion that season.

“I was there for two seasons, and then I went to Bangladesh to play for Dhaka Abahani.

“We won the league and we were undefeated that season, and we won their FA Cup

“Bangladesh was fantastic, a good experience. But it wasn’t really the lifestyle I wanted.

“Then I signed for a team in Malaysia and signed for Negeri Sembilan.