Former Bristol City & Cardiff City midfielder training with non-league Wrexham

Former Bristol City midfielder Lee Tomlin is currently undergoing a few training sessions at National League club Wrexham.

The 33-year-old is without a club after his contract with Welsh club Cardiff City was terminated in October 2021, months earlier than its original expiry date.

He has put himself on a personal fitness regime to get himself back to where he was hitting stride in the Championship, of whom he played for Bournemouth, Peterborough, City and Cardiff at that level.

And that could coincide with a new playing opportunity with non-league Wrexham, owned by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, who have provided Phil Parkinson with the financial support to get his tam promoted this season.

The Dragons are fighting for promotion to League Two after recruiting a number of players from the Football League, such as Cheltenham Town captain Ben Tozer, as well as Ollie Brown from League One outfit AFC Wimbledon.

If Tomlin, who has played in the Premier League were to join then that would further increase the Welsh sides chances of ending their 14-year exile from England’s top four divisions.

Whilst he is training with Phil Parkinson's side over the next two days there is some way to go for the North Wales club to offer him a deal.

"In the past few months I’ve been waking up like it’s an accident," Tomlin put on a candid Instagram post a fortnight ago.

"I’m back on this and getting to the place where I was two years ago.

"Life is full of ups and downs, that’s part of life, but dealing with it is a different matter. "We all deal with it in different ways, so I dealt with it by getting fit for the first time in my life properly and mentally I was a machine.

"But over the last two years I’ve gradually gone back to my old self and I don’t like it and only I can change that.

"So what I’m trying to say is do what YOU want to do in life that makes you happy and do what YOU want in life that you enjoy and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.

"Enjoy life we don’t have as much time as you think."

The attacking midfielder hasn’t played non-league football since 2010 after coming through the English pyramid system with the now defunct Rushden & Diamonds.

Tomlin first joined City on a season-long loan from Bournemouth and made an immediate impact, scoring six goals in the 18 games that he played. His performances earned him a permanent move there and in total, he made 60 appearances for City, finding the net 13 times as well as creating eight goals.

He was later signed by Severnside rivals Cardiff City for an undisclosed fee and played a part in their promotion-winning season to the Premier League in 2018, though he was loaned for the second part of the campaign. The midfielder was later moved out on loan to Peterborough United but returned to Cardiff and refound his form, helping them to the play-offs.

Tomlin though was unable to maintain his form and after making five appearances last season, he was released from his contract a few months ago.