A pacy left-sided player, Courtney Pitt came through the youth ranks at Chelsea with the likes of Carlton Cole, John Terry and Jody Morris, and in 2001 opted to join former Chelsea coach Graham Rix at First Division side Portsmouth for a tribunal set fee of £200,000 plus add-ons.

A regular in his first season with 39 league appearances and three goals, Pitt failed to make an appearance in 2002-03 under new boss Harry Redknapp as he brought in new players and Pompey earned promotion to the Premiership.

Loans at Luton and Coventry followed before he was reunited with Rix, now manager at Oxford United, in March 2004, but he was released at the end of that season and spent a season at Boston before joining the U's on trial in September 2006. He quickly earned a contract to the end of that season and has since established himself as a key member of the team.

A player with quick feet and not afraid to shoot from distance, Courtney spent most of 2007-08 in a wingback role but still got forward to set up goals and score the odd screamer himself.

Surprisingly released by Jimmy Quinn at the end of that season, United's longest-serving player was brought back by new boss Gary Brabin in July 2008 but in a pre-season friendly against West Ham he suffered a knee injury, which required surgery.  He missed the first four months of the season but returned at the end of November to play in his accustomed role as a winger.

With the club reducing its playing budget, Courts was transfer-listed in the summer but was taken off the list in September after talks with new boss Martin Ling.