From the top flight of the FA Women’s Premier League in the 1990’s to the fourth tier of the FA Women’s National League in the 2020’s, Justine Lorton was a constant presence and an influential player for nine different clubs.
The London born striker, known throughout the League by her nickname ‘Lorts,’ was also a regular trophy winner. She collected League, FA Cup and League Cup titles variously with Wembley, Millwall Lionesses and Arsenal, plus Division One South West championships with Yeovil Town and her final club Keynsham.
She also won six England caps, though she self-admittedly did not make the most of her international chances following her 1997 debut.
On the club scene, however, Lorton made an impact wherever she went - starting with a goalscoring first match in the FAWPL, helping Wembley to a 1-1 draw away to Leasowe Pacific on the opening day of the National Division’s 1993/94 campaign.
She was just 19 on that occasion. Twenty five seasons later and now 44, the still prolific striker hit 25 goals to help Keynsham win promotion to the Southern Premier Division. And remarkably, seven years further on, Lorton - now in the sixth decade of her life - not only took over as Keynsham manager at the start of the 2025/26 season but also retained her player registration: “Just in case I’m needed,” she insisted.
The Lorton story is a one-off in terms of longevity in the first four decades of the FAWNL. And as she stepped into management she had no intention of hanging up her boots. “I just love playing,” she said, “and I’ll carry on as long as I can.
“I’ve worked in the fitness industry for many years and still have a personal training business, so with that background I’ve always kept myself healthy and in good shape, and that’s why I’ve had such a long playing career.”
That long career, kicking off at Wembley Ladies, saw Lorton have spells at Millwall, Arsenal twice, Charlton Athletic, Fulham, Bristol Academy, Portsmouth, Yeovil and Keynsham.
For good measure she also played club football in the Swedish and Icelandic leagues, fitting these stints into the English close season during the years around the turn of the century.
She explained: “Clubs abroad were contacting English teams, seeing if any players wanted to go over there because the seasons didn’t interfere with each other.
“I was in between jobs when it first came up and I hadn't really started a career, so I just went for it. And looking back, that was probably one of the best things I ever did in football. It was just an amazing experience and I made a lot of friends.”
By the time she went on the first of her summer soccer jaunts, to Swedish side Jonkoping, Lorton already had two League Cup winners medals to her name plus an FA Cup gong.
A season after lifting the League Cup as Wembley beat hot favourites Doncaster Belles in the final, she helped a young Millwall team complete a terrific 1996/97 FA and League Cup double. Everton were beaten in the League Cup final and Lorton’s previous club Wembley in the FA Cup final.
“That was one of my most memorable seasons,” said Lorton. “When I signed the team was near the relegation zone, but they had some amazing talent there - youngsters like Katie Chapman, Dani Murphy, Mary Phillip and the Hunt twins as well as more experienced players like Lou Waller and Pauline Cope. And I thought, ‘wow, what a team.’
“We were a bit of an anomaly in the league. We weren’t expected to win major trophies, we were underdogs. But we played with an attitude, we had that ‘nobody likes us, we don’t care’ kind of thing and we beat some big teams on the way to winning the two Cups.”
While at Millwall Lorton also won the first of her six England caps, as substitute in a 4-0 victory over Scotland. Six international appearances seems a low number for such a quality player, but Lorton admitted: “I was an indisciplined player when it came to international football.
“As a youngster I just wanted to run all over the place and take players on. As a deep-lying striker I could do that at club level, but at the higher level of international football it was harder.
“When I was first picked for England they were playing 4-4-2, a system where the striker’s role is more restricted than the free role I was used to playing. I was picked for a lot of squads, but I didn’t get a lot of game time and it was probably my own fault.”
International disappointment there may have been for Lorton, but at club level she was highly valued, as a 1998 move to Arsenal illustrated. “I could have gone to Arsenal at the time I signed for Millwall,” she noted, “but I chose Millwall because I thought that was right for me at the time.
“When Arsenal came in for me again though, it felt like it was the next organic step in my career. I’d gained experience at Millwall, I’d grown as a player, and I was ready. And I'm an Arsenal fan, so in that sense it was a dream (move).”
Two League Cups and an FA Cup were won by Arsenal during Lorton’s first spell at the club, and then - after switching from north to south London to spend two seasons with Charlton - she returned to the Gunners and this time helped in the collection of back-to-back League titles plus winners medals in one League Cup and two FA Cup finals.
“Leaving Arsenal the first time broke my heart a little bit,” recalled Lorton, “but I wasn’t getting enough playing opportunities. I enjoyed my time at Charlton, but when Vic (Akers, Arsenal manager) asked me to go back I wasn’t going to say no.
“Being asked to go back there was a bit of a shock - very few players get asked to go back after leaving the club. And I was 30 by then, so it was certainly a surprise. But it’s the team I support, and I had a couple of very good seasons there after I went back.”
In 2005 Lorton switched to her fifth London club, Fulham, playing under the management of former Arsenal colleague Marieanne Spacey. But it was then ‘go west, young woman,’ as she spent time first at Bristol Academy and then Portsmouth, Yeovil and finally - in 2014 - Keynsham.
“I was still living in London when I was playing for Bristol Academy,” she noted, “and I must have been so committed - driving there three times a week for training, getting home at midnight. And I did it without a second thought. And it was one of the most enjoyable times of my career.
“I loved playing for Gary Green, he had a style about him and I liked the way he managed. At times he’d come up with some crazy things, but in a good way - and he would always say it as it is.
“We were the poor relations of the Premier League, we had no money and our kit was terrible. But we had excellent players like Corinne Yorston and a number of Welsh internationals including the great Jess Fishlock. Kerry Bartlett, my favourite ever strike partner, was also in that team - we were a really good side and finished fourth in the table two seasons in a row.”
At 37 and for the first time in her career, Lorton played outside the top flight after signing for Southern Division Pompey. “Playing for Portsmouth was another good experience for me,” she said. “Under Vanessa (Raynbird, manager) we played some lovely football. I was still travelling from London to train and play, but that changed when I moved to Somerset and joined Yeovil.”
Well, it changed in one sense but not in another - now Lorton was commuting from Somerset to London three days a week to continue working in her personal trainer business.
“I would stay at my mum’s house when I was working in London,” she explained, “but I’d always be back for training and match days.”
Match days with Yeovil were successful for Lorton in her first two seasons at the club. The Glovers won the South West Division in 2011/12 and a year later became founder members of The FA Women’s Super League’s second tier for its inaugural 2014 campaign.
Yeovil ended that first, 10-team FA WSL2 season, in a commendable fifth place. But all was not well with Lorton. “It was disappointing,” she said. “I’d played in all the pre-season friendlies but then, when it came to the season itself, I was on the bench.
“I was 40 by this time, and although I wasn’t about to kick up a fuss I eventually decided to look for a club where I could play out my career. Keynsham was suggested to me, and after meeting with Barrie Newton (the club owner) I made the move - and I never looked back.”
“The 2018/19 season, when we got promoted to the Southern Division, was one of my very favourite seasons. We played some great football and we got a record goal tally for the club.”
Stepping into management seven years later and refusing to contemplate the absolute end of her playing career, Lorton said midway through the 2025/26 campaign: “I’ve already had a game for our third team when they were a player short. I work out all the time, I’m still very fit and I’ll keep my player registration in case I’m needed.”
And there went the still standing (with boots on) Lorts, four decades and counting…
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thanks to The FA, Gavin Ellis, Jemma Mills and YTLFC for the images.
