Lucas: David Anthony (David)

2007-2009 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Preston: 13-11-1977

Debut: v Darlington (a): 09-10-2007

6’2” 13st 3lb (2007)

Lucas started his career with his home-town club Preston North End turning professional on 12th December 1994. He went on to spend nearly ten years at the Lancashire club. However, he was loaned out to Darlington, in December 1995 where he made six appearances before returning to Preston and it was there that he made his League debut in 1995-96. He was again loaned to Darlington in March 1996 and he made seven appearances for them in the 1996-97 season. His next loan was to Scunthorpe United in December 1996 and he made six appearances before returning to Preston and he made one hundred and forty-five starts as well as five substitute appearances at Deepdale before going to Sheffield Wednesday on loan in October 2003. Lucas was called up by England Youth and Under-Twenty-one when at Preston and played four times for England Under-Twenty team in 1997. After making seventeen League appearances for Wednesday, while on loan, the Owls took him on permanently in June 2004 paying £100,000 for his services and he became Sheffield Wednesday’s recognised No.1. During Wednesday's promotion season of 2004-05, Lucas made forty-one appearances for the Owls and racked up fifteen clean sheets despite twice having to battle against injuries. He started the first eighteen matches of Sheffield Wednesday's 2005-06 campaign before a knee injury again ruled him out until January. His comeback was shortlived and he was injured again against Millwall on 4th February 2006 after playing only two full games. The new injury ruled him out until January 2007. Lucas announced that he would not be renewing his contract with Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the 2005-06 season, although he continued to receive treatment at the Owls training ground whilst he was recovering from his knee injury. He subsequently joined Barnsley on a free transfer in January 2007, but again he was hit by his injury jinx, being carried off with concussion in his debut game. He only made two starts and one substitute appearances for them before signing for Leeds United on 11th September 2007 on a short term contract, making his debut in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Second Round against Darlington. During the game he was involved in a first half collision with Greg Blundell before taking an elbow to the face while collecting a cross. He was second choice at Leeds but did play in the Third Round tie against Bury, which Leeds surprisingly lost. He came on for the injured Casper Ankergren in the thirty-eighth minute of United’s F.A. Cup Replay at home to Hereford United. He continued to fill in as deputy keeper in League games and at Cheltenham Town, where he was injured in a mid-air collision but carried on as Leeds did not have a keeper on the bench, he made an under-strength throw which resulted in the only goal of the match. He also played in two further Leeds defeats at Southend United and at home to Tranmere Rovers before Ankergren was fit enough to resume his place between the posts. His contract was extended to the end of the season. After spending much of the 2007-08 season warming the bench he began to establish himself as the first choice goalkeeper with a series of commanding displays, which continued into the following season, before being dropped in December and then he only figured as an unused substitute. He was released in May 2009. He signed for Swindon Town in June 2009 on a two-year contract and was installed as first choice keeper in preference to incumbent Phil Smith. His first game for Swindon Town, in the first game of the 2009-10 season, on 8th August 2009 against Gillingham was a disaster as Swindon were routed by 0-5. However, Lucas redeemed himself with three clean sheets in five League games. This established him as the first choice keeper and he played a big part in Swindon's reaching the play-off finals, but had to be substituted, due to a shoulder injury in the first minute, in the second Leg of the Play-off semi-final with Charlton Athletic and missed the final tie against Millwall. His injury jinx was to continue, when, after regaining his fitness in the 2010-11 pre-season fixtures, he sustained a thigh injury in their final friendly with Nottingham Forest, which kept Lucas out of the opening game of the season. It was the first of several niggling injuries which plagued Lucas that season. After the Robins had lost their first two games of the season, one in the League and one in the League Cup, he was back for the next fixture, an away draw with Hartlepool United on 14th August 2011. He was first choice keeper until mid- October and missed just one game, at home to Southampton on 11th September 2010, with a hand injury, until he was forced off at half-time on 16th October in a 5-4 loss at Peterborough United, feeling groggy after some midweek dental work. Manager Danny Wilson had to drop him to the bench for the home game with Charlton Athletic on 2nd November 2010, after Lucas had let in eight goals in the previous three games. Swindon lost the game 0-3 but Lucas remained out of favour, apart from a thirty-eighth minute substitute appearance against Sheffield Wednesday on 4th December 2010, when Smith was injured in trying to save the Sheffield goal. Unfortunately for Lucas he then sustained a knee injury which kept him out of contention until January. Swindon were in a form slump and Lucas was reinstalled as keeper on 12th February 2011 for the 1-2 loss at Colchester United. He played the next two games until the departure of Danny Wilson. New Manager Paul Hart picked Lucas as his first choice, but an arm infection ruled Lucas out of the next two games. He played three further games before the injury jinx struck again as he suffered a back injury in the warm-up for the home game against Hartlepool United on 2nd April 2011. He did play once more late in the season, on 23rd April 2011, in a 1-2 home loss to Notts County, but by then Swindon knew they had been relegated. Citing family homesickness as a reason, Lucas wanted to return north and after a trials with Rochdale and Preston North End he decided to join the Spotland club as Player/Coach on a one year contract, on 4th August 2011. He had made sixty-four starts and played one game from the bench in the League, two F.A. Cup, two League Cup, two Johnstone's Paint Trophy appearances while at Swindon Town. He made his debut for Rochdale in a 3-2 home win over Chesterfield in the League Cup on 9th August 2011 and went on to make sixteen starts in the League, one in the F.A. Cup, two in the League Cup and one in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, while at Spotland. His contract was not extended by Rochdale at the end of the season and, on 10th July 2012, Championship side Birmingham City took him on as goalkeeper cover for Jack Butland and Colin Doyle, on a one year contract.