Morecambe have added their 17th summer signing in the form of striker Lee Angol who joins up with former manager Derek Adams.
Having played under Adams at Bradford City, Angol has joined the fourteenth club of his career having been released by Sutton United at the end of last season.
Lee Angol – Experienced EFL journeyman
The 29 year old striker started his career in the Tottenham Hotspur academy but his first taste of professional football came at Wycombe Wanderers after signing in 2012. Angol didn’t really find his scoring boots until a loan spell with Conference South side Boreham Wood during the 2014-15 season.
He was a member of the Wood side that secured promotion to the National League through the playoffs. Angol scored 25 goals in 45 appearances, winning the Conference South golden boot and Boreham Wood’s player and young player of the year.
His performances earned him a move to Peterborough United in 2015 and after 11 goals in his first season, he was loaned out to Lincoln City at the end of the 2016-17 season. He scored six goals in 13 games to help the Imps to the National League title and promotion back to the EFL.
A number of spells with EFL sides including Mansfield Town, Shrewsbury Town, Leyton Orient and Bradford City followed before the striker moved to Sutton United in January 2023. He made 51 appearances for the South London club, scoring six goals and has stayed in League Two ahead of the 2024-25 season having signed for Derek Adam’s Morecambe.
A fresh start for Angol with Morecambe
Angol’s move to Morecambe and reunion with Derek Adams could signal a fresh start for the 29 year old striker as he hinted at when signing:
“It feels nice and refreshing to be in a new environment with new goals and targets, so for me it feels like a fresh start”.
A fresh start is exactly what the former Bradford striker needs having had a fairly poor few years during his time at Sutton. Angol never really got going in South London and when given a run of games was usually deployed as the U’s target man which did not suit the striker’s style of play.
Despite reaching 6ft plus, Angol is not suited to being the focal point in an attack as shown last season by the fact he only won 31.6% of his aerial duels. The 29 year old is better suited to having the ball played to his feet to take on his defender and take shots at goal. He is capable of playing alongside another striker or as a lone-striker running the channels and taking on his opponent.
His ability to do this was shown during the 2022-23 season when he completed an average of 2.04 successful dribbles per 90 minutes and took an average of 2.31 shots per 90 minutes. His goal in the FA Cup last season against Plymouth Argyle shows what Angol could bring to Morecambe having stood up his defender before firing into the bottom corner.
During his time in charge of the Shrimps last season, Adams predominantly played a 4-3-2-1 formation which Angol could fit into as the main striker. With limited resources and a low budget, Angol could be a good low cost option for the Lancashire side so long as they play to his strengths as a striker and don’t resort to long balls in the hope of him holding the ball up or winning flick ons.