The former West Ham, Canvey Island and Grays Athletic striker was one of Jimmy Quinn's primary summer targets and in May he put pen to paper on a one-year deal with the option of a further year.

Lee made one senior appearance for West Ham in 1997, had a month on loan at Kingstonian in 1998/99, and when he was released at the end of that season he spent four months in Sweden with Trelleborgs before joining Exeter City for two months, making the only Football League appearances of his career so far and scoring once in six league games.

He then returned to Kingstonian for most of 2000, followed by brief spells with Hayes and Stevenage before joining Canvey Island in July 2001. A prolific spell followed as he netted 170 goals in five seasons, including a record-breaking 57 in 56 games during 2003/04 as Canvey won the Ryman Premier and only narrowly missed out on a double when they lost in the FA Trophy final.

Boylan collected the Ryman Golden Boot in 2002, 2003 and 2004 as he matured into one of the most deadly non-league marksmen. Boylan's 18 goals in 2004/05 helped to preserve Canvey's Conference status, and the following season he scored 14 times in 29 appearances despite three months on the sidelines with facial injuries after a collision with a goalpost.

When Canvey withdrew from the Conference at the end of that season, Boylan was snapped up by Grays Athletic but only started 16 Conference games, usually out of position in midfield, and in February he was allowed to join Chelmsford City on loan until the end of the season, reuniting him with Jeff King, his former manager at Canvey Island.

A lively, mobile striker with plenty of experience, Lee relished the chance play in his accustomed role again and soon hit the goal trail for Cambridge United, and in December the club took up the option of the extra year on his contract, taking him through to 2009.