Elliot Lee will remain on loan with League Two club Luton Town until the end of the 2014/15 season
Elliot Lee has extended his loan spell with League Two club Luton Town until the end of the season.
The West Ham United striker has netted three goals in six games for the Hatters, including a brace in Tuesday’s 3-2 home defeat by Wycombe Wanderers. He will now remain with Luton until 2 May, and longer should John Still’s men reach the League Two Play-Offs.
Lee marked his opening goal on Tuesday by paying tribute to his late friend and Hammers strike partner Dylan Tombides, who passed away in April 2014 following a three-year battle with cancer.
The 20-year-old lifted his shirt to show a T-shirt with the words ‘FOR YOU DYL. GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN’ and a photo of the popular Australian forward.
“I was delighted to do that for Dyl,” said Lee of his tribute, which was seen by thousands of viewers watching the match live on Sky Sports. “Being on the Sky cameras I thought it was a great stage to honour my good mate who sadly passed away nearly a year to the day, so I'm really happy I could have done that for him.”
The gesture was all the more poignant the Hatters had joined forces with The Football League’s Official Charity Partner, Prostate Cancer UK, to rename their Kenilworth Road home The Prostate Cancer UK Stadium for the Wycombe fixture.
Speaking about the personal significance of Luton's unique charity initiative, Lee revealed that his grandfather had undergone surgery for prostate cancer
"It's massive,” he continued. “On a personal level, my granddad had prostate cancer. He had surgery to get it removed and I did Movember for him. He's fully recovered now.
"It hit the family hard but the family stuck together and it's great to see him fighting fit again. My granddad is always in high spirits and the surgery was brilliant and he's brilliant again now."
“He [is on holiday in China at the moment but] knew about it and he was really proud I think. It was a great thing for the club to do. I got him two [goals], so I think he'll be happy."
The West Ham United striker has netted three goals in six games for the Hatters, including a brace in Tuesday’s 3-2 home defeat by Wycombe Wanderers. He will now remain with Luton until 2 May, and longer should John Still’s men reach the League Two Play-Offs.
Lee marked his opening goal on Tuesday by paying tribute to his late friend and Hammers strike partner Dylan Tombides, who passed away in April 2014 following a three-year battle with cancer.
The 20-year-old lifted his shirt to show a T-shirt with the words ‘FOR YOU DYL. GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN’ and a photo of the popular Australian forward.
“I was delighted to do that for Dyl,” said Lee of his tribute, which was seen by thousands of viewers watching the match live on Sky Sports. “Being on the Sky cameras I thought it was a great stage to honour my good mate who sadly passed away nearly a year to the day, so I'm really happy I could have done that for him.”
The gesture was all the more poignant the Hatters had joined forces with The Football League’s Official Charity Partner, Prostate Cancer UK, to rename their Kenilworth Road home The Prostate Cancer UK Stadium for the Wycombe fixture.
Speaking about the personal significance of Luton's unique charity initiative, Lee revealed that his grandfather had undergone surgery for prostate cancer
"It's massive,” he continued. “On a personal level, my granddad had prostate cancer. He had surgery to get it removed and I did Movember for him. He's fully recovered now.
"It hit the family hard but the family stuck together and it's great to see him fighting fit again. My granddad is always in high spirits and the surgery was brilliant and he's brilliant again now."
“He [is on holiday in China at the moment but] knew about it and he was really proud I think. It was a great thing for the club to do. I got him two [goals], so I think he'll be happy."
Being on the Sky cameras I thought it was a great stage to honour my good mate who sadly passed away nearly a year to the day, so I'm really happy I could have done that for him
Luton, Lee and Prostate Cancer UK all became trending topics on Twitter during Tuesday’s game, while the Hatters’ decision to rename their stadium to help raise awareness of a disease that kills one man every hour in the UK drew widespread praise.
"It's great for everyone to get involved," Lee added. "We should be aware of the cause and I think it was really good to name the stadium what it was and I think it went down well with everyone.
"It's a brilliant cause and it should be highlighted. There is no better stage than on TV and a big game like Luton against Wycombe. I think it was a really good gesture.”
West Ham themselves recently helped to launch the DT38 Foundation in memory of the late Academy starlet.
Dylan, whose prodigious talents saw him sign for West Ham in 2008, lost his brave three-year battle with testicular cancer in April 2014, at the age of just 20.
A hugely popular figure among his team-mates, coaches, backroom staff, supporters and opponents alike, the Australia U22 international was loved and respected throughout the football community for his talent, his smile and his spirit.
Dylan’s considerable legacy will now to be channelled through DT38, a new Foundation which is setting out to provide testicular cancer support and awareness through education and opportunity. DT38 became the Club’s second official charity for the 2014/15 campaign, alongside the West Ham United Moore Family Foundation.
For more information about DT38, click here.
"It's great for everyone to get involved," Lee added. "We should be aware of the cause and I think it was really good to name the stadium what it was and I think it went down well with everyone.
"It's a brilliant cause and it should be highlighted. There is no better stage than on TV and a big game like Luton against Wycombe. I think it was a really good gesture.”
West Ham themselves recently helped to launch the DT38 Foundation in memory of the late Academy starlet.
Dylan, whose prodigious talents saw him sign for West Ham in 2008, lost his brave three-year battle with testicular cancer in April 2014, at the age of just 20.
A hugely popular figure among his team-mates, coaches, backroom staff, supporters and opponents alike, the Australia U22 international was loved and respected throughout the football community for his talent, his smile and his spirit.
Dylan’s considerable legacy will now to be channelled through DT38, a new Foundation which is setting out to provide testicular cancer support and awareness through education and opportunity. DT38 became the Club’s second official charity for the 2014/15 campaign, alongside the West Ham United Moore Family Foundation.
For more information about DT38, click here.