Lee began his career at
Charlton Athletic but having failed to establish himself in the side moved to
Lincoln City in 1991 before later moving to
Southend United. He moved to
Nottingham Forest in 1994. Initially, Lee failed to crack his way into Forest's first team. However, the departure of
Stan Collymore to
Liverpool saw him feature for the first team. In the
1995–96 season he scored eight league goals in 28 games. in 2008 Following two loan spells, back at his first club Charlton and at
Grimsby Town, Lee was transferred to Watford in 1997 for £200,000 – the same fee paid by Forest three years earlier – and played in their
1997–98 Second Division championship-winning side, scoring ten goals. However, Lee's refusal to uproot his family from
Nottingham caused tension with manager
Graham Taylor, who sold him to
Chesterfield early in the
1998–99 season for £250,000. After that, he played for
Peterborough United (2000–2003),
Falkirk (2003–2004),
Boston United (2004–2006). In January 2006, Lee joined
Northampton Town on a free transfer. He was part of the Northampton side that won promotion from
League Two, appearing 11 times for the Cobblers and scoring one goal against Notts County. However, he was released at the end of the season and subsequently joined
Aldershot Town. His stay at the Shots was a brief one, and in June 2006 he moved to
Notts County, and was team captain for the 2007–08 season. It was announced on BBC East Midlands Today, during a feature presented by the player, that he would not be retained by the club for the 2008–09 campaign. Following his release from the Magpies, signed for
Mansfield Town on 1 August 2008. Lee signed for Kettering Town on 13 January 2009, for the remainder of the 2008–09 season from Mansfield Town. Lee scored once in six league games for Kettering, his strike coming in a 2–1 loss to Stevenage on 27 January 2009. He moved on to
Corby Town, making his debut in a 3–3 draw against
Farnborough on 21 March 2009. He joined
Ilkeston Town of the
Conference North on 1 April 2010, scoring on his début in a 2–1 victory over
AFC Telford United. After a long and wide-ranging career Lee announced his retirement from football in November 2010 following the death of his mother. Lee came out of retirement in March 2011 when he joined
Arnold Town, debuting in the club's
Northern Counties East League 1–0 defeat at
Hallam on 8 March 2011. The same week he was announced as the Matchday VIP Host for former club
Lincoln City, a role which would limit his availability for Arnold. His second, and final, league appearance for the club saw him sent-off for two yellow cards, the second for the use of the elbow, in the 4–2 defeat to
Pickering Town on 19 March 2011. ==Managerial career==