He returned to the Scottish top flight with St Mirren on a short-term contract in September 2018, and spent the second half of the season with Scottish League One club Raith Rovers before rejoining St Mirren. Over the next three seasons, he was the regular backup goalkeeper but made only seven first-team appearances, and signed for Airdrieonians in October 2022.
Lyness was born in Birmingham and raised in Halesowen, where he attended Leasowes Community College.[3] He joined Birmingham City at the age of nine after playing for Warley Boys and for Halesowen Town Colts.[4] By February 2007, still only 15 years old, he had made his reserve-team debut.[5] He was a regular on the bench for the reserves in the 2007–08 season, behind either Artur Krysiak or Colin Doyle, and picked up a Birmingham Senior Cup-winners' medal as an unused substitute.[6] In February 2009, he was named on the bench for Championship matches against Coventry City and Crystal Palace when regular substitute Doyle was struggling with a back problem.[4] He kept goal as Birmingham reached the semifinal of the FA Youth Cup, and his third and last appearance in the first-team matchday squad came when Maik Taylor was suspended for the visit to Watford. Taylor described him as a "level-headed lad, gets his head down, works extremely hard", and was "sure he will definitely have a good career ahead of him if he keeps progressing."[7] A few days later, Lyness was one of several youngsters told their future lay elsewhere.[8]
Lyness signed a one-year contract with Conference club Kidderminster Harriers, as competition for the club's player of the year, Danny Lewis.[15] When a knee injury broke Lewis's run of 60 consecutive Conference appearances, Lyness "produced one fine save on a more than satisfying Harriers debut" in a 1–0 win away to Kettering Town.[18][19] Lyness played six Conference matches and two in the FA Cup, the second of which was a 4–1 defeat to Conference North club Corby Town,[20][21] but when Lewis's injury was confirmed as serious,[19] Kidderminster brought in the more "streetwise" goalkeeper Tony Breeden, who went straight into the starting eleven for the Conference win against Tamworth.[22] A hip injury prevented Lyness replacing the cup-tied Breeden for FA Trophy matches against Vauxhall Motors,[23] but he came back in for the next two rounds, and saved a penalty, albeit in a losing cause, against Luton Town.[20][24] Hopes that his performance might earn him selection in the Conference team were in vain, as Breeden retained the starting place for the remainder of the season.[25]
Burton Albion
Lyness signed a new contract with Kidderminster at the end of the season,[26] but was happy to take the chance to move into the Football League when League Two club Burton Albion offered him a two-year deal. He had previously worked with Burton's goalkeeping coach Kevin Poole at Birmingham.[27] He made an eventful debut. Football League Trophy rules restricting the number of team changes from the previous match prevented manager Gary Rowett from including Lyness from the start of Burton's visit to Coventry City,[28] but he was brought on at half-time to replace Ross Atkins. He kept a clean sheet in the second half and then through extra time. In the penalty shootout, the first nine players from each team scored before Burton's tenth penalty was saved. Lyness then saved Coventry's tenth kick to keep his team in the contest, but when his own attempt was saved by Joe Murphy, he was unable to reciprocate, and Murphy's successful kick put Coventry through to the next round.[28][29]
He made his Football League debut on 23 October 2012, again as a substitute, replacing the injured Stuart Tomlinson with 11 minutes plus stoppage time left in a 1–1 draw with Port Vale.[30] On his first League start, against Dagenham & Redbridge, he conceded a first-half penalty, which he then saved by turning it onto the post, but was unable to stop the shot from the rebound; Burton won 3–2.[31] He kept his place until mid-January, when a positional error left him unable to deal with a looped shot from Adebayo Akinfenwa that gave Northampton Town a win.[32] Although Rowett was unwilling to blame Lyness,[33] he selected Tomlinson for the next match,[34] and Lyness regained a starting place only after a 7–1 defeat to Port Vale in April looked like derailing Burton's promotion chances.[35] He played three matches – two wins and one loss – before Tomlinson came back in for the last match of the regular season and the playoff semi-final defeat to Bradford City.
Loanee Jordan Pickford began the 2013–14 season in goal for Burton, but Lyness took over when injury forced Pickford's return to parent club Sunderland in mid-August. He had a run of games, including a League Cup shootout against Premier League club Fulham in which the final penalty went in off the post and Lyness' backside.[36] Rowett had said that Lyness would get the chance to establish himself as first choice,[37] but Pickford went straight back into the team when his loan resumed. His recall by Sunderland in November gave Lyness another chance, and he kept two clean sheets and was man of the match against Mansfield Town. Despite the arrival of Swiss under-21 internationalBenjamin Siegrist, signed on loan because the club had no goalkeeping cover apart from the 50-year-old Poole, Lyness kept his place in the starting eleven for the next match, away at Plymouth Argyle, and kept his third consecutive clean sheet.[38][39]
On 12 November 2015, Lyness joined fellow League One side Blackpool on loan until 2 January 2016.[40] He rejoined the club for a second loan spell in February 2016.[41]
Blackpool
On 31 August 2016, Lyness returned to Blackpool on a one-year deal following his release from Burton Albion.[42] He played 15 matches in all competitions before leaving the club when his contract expired.[43]
Lyness signed a short-term contract with Scottish Premiership club St Mirren in September 2018.[45] He was released by St Mirren in January 2019, as the contract was not renewed.
Raith Rovers
On 16 January 2019, Lyness signed for Scottish League One side, Raith Rovers until the end of the season.[46] He made 12 appearances, and left the club at the end of his contract.[47]
St Mirren (2nd spell)
Lyness returned to St Mirren on a two-year deal in June 2019, after leaving the club less than a year before.[48] On 22 December 2021 Lyness was brought into the match day XI against Celtic following a spread of covid amongst the St Mirren Squad which forced 11 players to be deemed unavailable. Lyness produced a man of the match performance that will live long in the memory of saints fans. On 6 October 2022 it was announced that Lyness and St Mirren had again parted company.[49]
Airdrieonians
Lyness signed for Scottish League One club Airdrieonians on 8 October 2022 on a short-term deal.[50] Lyness departed the club in January 2023 upon the end of his contract, after making 11 appearances in all competitions for the club.[51]
On 26 January 2024, Lyness returned to his family in Scotland, signing for Scottish League One club Hamilton Academical until the end of the season.[57] Lyness made 15 appearances for the club in all competitions by the end of the season, as they finished in second place and earned promotion to the Scottish Championship via the play-offs.[58] In June 2024, he signed a new contract with the club.[59]
International career
Lyness was capped four times by England at under-17 level in 2007, featuring alongside the likes of Jack Wilshere and Andros Townsend.[60][61] He made his debut on 30 July, keeping a clean sheet as England beat Iceland U17 2–0 in the Nordic Tournament,[62] and also played in the same competition a few days later. Needing only a draw to progress to the final, England lost 2–0.[63] He also played against Turkey in the FA International Tournament in August,[64] and his last international appearance, in a 6–0 defeat of Estonia in October, contributed towards England's progress to the elite qualification round for the European Under-17 Championships.[65]
Club statistics
As of match played 18 October 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
