Play-Off Heartbreak and Training with Leicester City’s First-Team: The Conor Tee Story
Left winger Conor Tee, who can also play as a number 10, joined the Pirates in June 2025 and has already made a significant impression on his fellow players and the club’s supporters. This pre-season, Tee spent time in Dubai, working with specialist attacking and goalscoring coach Dan Holman.
He also scored the winner against Hitchin Town and Hampton & Richmond Borough in pre-season and has started every game in the Pirates’ first three league matches.
The 25-year-old is looking to build on his performances in the 2024/25 campaign, which saw him score 16 goals in 41 games in the Southern League Premier Central for Halesowen Town. The Yeltz finished fourth, eventually losing 3-2 in the play-off semi-finals to AFC Telford United. Speaking about the disappointment of losing in the play-offs, Tee said:
“It was a tough one to take after working so hard in the season to get ourselves into that position, but unfortunately, we just fell short in the end. After having that feeling of losing in the play-offs, it has definitely added that bit more motivation to achieve promotion with Real Bedford.”
Tee has an impressive background in academy football, earning a professional contract at Leicester City and being awarded the club’s Under-18s Player of the Year in 2018. He spent nearly 10 years at the Foxes, training with the likes of Jamie Vardy and James Maddison between 2018 and 2020. Speaking about his time at Leicester, Tee said:
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and met some great people that I’m still very close with now. You constantly had to meet high standards to ensure you progressed through the academy each year. I left there with many fond memories, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I had there as they’ve helped shape me into the player and person I am now.
It was an amazing experience to be exposed to first team training and challenge yourself against players who are at the top level. The main thing I learnt was the importance of consistency, making sure you keep high standards every day.”
In 2018, Tee also made his debut for the Republic of Ireland Under-18s. Despite being born in England, the 25-year-old’s mother comes from Bangor Erris in Co Mayo. On his debut, he scored against Romania Under-18s in a 2-1 victory with his family, including his mother, in attendance, describing it as one of his “proudest moments to date”.
After the expiry of his contract with Leicester in the summer of 2020, Tee spent time at Brackley Town and South Shields in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.
Tee then joined AFC Rushden & Diamonds for the 2022/23 season in step three, impressing and earning himself a move to fellow step three side Bromsgrove Sporting later in the campaign. Tee became a fan favourite, scoring 11 goals and registering seven assists in the league across his time at the club. Speaking about his stint at the Rouslers and the challenges of step three football, Tee said:
“My time at Bromsgrove was very enjoyable. Although we faced challenges, we stuck together as a group, which helped us pick up valuable points at crucial moments.
I’ve played the majority of my football at step 3 and would say it is a division where you can’t underestimate anyone. There are many results that you will see that you wouldn’t expect, but that’s what makes it such a competitive and exciting league.”
A brief spell at Rushall Olympic in step two followed at the end of the 2023/24 season, before he joined Halesowen for the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign. His tally of 16 league goals for the Yeltz was only bettered by six players in the division, meaning he was one of the most sought-after players for Southern League Premier Central clubs this summer.
In search of a move closer to his home in Northampton, Tee opted for Real Bedford and has already seen the potential of the club on and off the pitch since joining:
“It’s an exciting time to be involved with the club on the pitch as we have a strong squad that wants to compete and achieve big things. There are many things that go on behind the scenes to help the community which is no doubt going to drive more support.
Personally, I want to be a consistent performer that creates opportunities for the team and score goals to help us win games. As a team, the goal is to achieve something special, which would be promotion, and we’ll give our all to try and make that happen.”
It has been a mixed start for the Pirates so far this season, picking up four points from their first three league games. This has included an opening day victory against Spalding United, a draw at Needham Market and a defeat against Tee’s former club, Halesowen Town, last Saturday.
Tee has his eyes on promotion, and Saturday will provide perhaps the toughest test so far this season against Kettering Town. The Poppies have won their first three games of the season after losing the play-off final in May and are tipped to challenge again.
