Laurence Robert Abrams (also spelt Lawrence and Abram) (14 May 1889 – 20 March 1966), often known as Lol Abrams, was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

. During his career, he made over 250 appearances in the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

and

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km so ...

. Born in

Banks, Lancashire Banks is a large coastal village in Lancashire, England, south of the Ribble estuary four miles (6 km) north-east of Southport. The village is administered by West Lancashire Borough and North Meols Parish Council. It is in the South Ri ...

, near

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

, he began his career with

Southport Central Southport Central is an 18,130 m² mixed Use, multi-purpose development at the corner of Scarborough and Lawson Streets in Southport, Queensland, Australia. It comprises three towers with integrated shopping and commercial precincts with a to ...

, becoming the club's youngest professional player after making his debut at sixteen. He moved to Colne Town in 1906 before joining Football League side

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...

a year later. In 1910, he moved to Scotland to sign for Hearts, helping the side win the East of Scotland Shield in his first season. His performances attracted attention from several clubs and, he eventually returned to England to join

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament const ...

where his career was interrupted by the First World War. He later made one appearance for

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

before returning to Southport where he finished his professional career. He was described as playing in a "Scottish style" and was a strong tackler. Although he never played an official match for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, he did represent the nation in one wartime international fixture.

Club career

Early career

Born in

, Abrams attended Churchtown School, helping the school football team win the Unwin Challenge Shield, a schools tournament in

. He began his professional career with

as an

outside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. Breaking into the first team at the age of sixteen during the 1905–06 season, he made his senior debut on 11 November 1905 in a 7–0 defeat to Manchester United Reserves. He scored his first senior goal in his second appearance, during a 3–0 victory over

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

. Soon after, Oldham approached Southport over signing Abrams but were rebuffed as Southport claimed they had not been informed within the required time. In order to ward off interest, Southport offered Abrams a professional contract, making him the youngest ever professional player in the history of the club. Southport also attempted to claim £18 compensation from Oldham over the approach. Although the club's claim was unsuccessful, Oldham were later fined £5 by the Lancashire Combination. In his first season, he made 23 appearances in all competitions, scoring six times. He left the club in May 1906 to sign for rival Lancashire Combination side Colne Town. In April 1907, Abrams joined

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

side

, making his debut in a 1–1 draw with

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

on 7 September 1907. He remained with the club for three years, making over 70 appearances.

Hearts

On 30 December 1910, Abrams joined Scottish side Hearts for a fee of £650. He made his debut for the club the following day, during a 1–0 defeat to

Third Lanark Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scotti ...

, and scored his first goal in his sixth appearance, during a 1–1 draw with

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a to ...

in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, On 11 April 1911, Abrams helped Hearts win the East of Scotland Shield after defeating

Broxburn Broxburn ( gd, Srath Bhroc, IPA: �s̪ɾaˈvɾɔʰk is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the A89 road, from the West End of Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Airport and to the north of Livingston. Etymology The name Broxburn is a corruption of ...

in the final. With the match held at 1–1 after 84 minutes, Abrams scored his second goal for the club to give his side a 2–1 lead. Two further late goals for Hearts saw the match finish 4–1. In September 1911, he won the Dunedin Cup with Hearts after defeating Ross County 1–0 in a second replay of the final, followed two 1–1 draws in the previous matches. At Hearts, a reshuffle in the playing squad led Abrams to convert from an outside forward to a

wing half A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. Described as "a player of the Scottish school", he formed an effective partnership on the left side with Bobby Walker. Abrams' performances for Hearts in his new position attracted considerable attention from English clubs, being scouted by

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

who sent

John McKenna John McKenna ( ga, Seán Mac Cionnaoith; 3 January 1855 – 22 March 1936) was an Irish people, Irish businessman, professional Rugby football, rugby player, and the first manager of the Liverpool Football Club which has since gone on to beco ...

to see him play.

Football League

Keen to move to England, Abrams eventually transferred to

from Hearts in 1914 for £1000. Chelsea struggled to pay the transfer fee and Hearts later obtained a court order in August 1916 to enforce repayment of an outstanding sum of £750 but withdrew the action after Chelsea claimed the club would fold if the repayment was made. Hearts later dropped their claim against the club and the money was never paid. He was a member of the Chelsea side that reached the FA Cup final in 1915 and he travelled to the final but did not play having suffered a twisted knee in the club's semi-final victory over Everton. During the First World War, he guested for three of his former clubs, Southport Central, Stockport County and Hearts, and also appeared for

for one match against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...

due to an injury crisis. He returned to Chelsea following the return of The Football League at the end of the hostilities, remaining at

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium) ...

until 1920 having made a total of 49 appearances and scoring 7 goals in total. He joined newly elected Second Division side

on a free transfer, reuniting with his former Stockport manager Fred Stewart. However, he made just one league appearance for the club on 30 August 1920 in a 0–0 draw with

Clapton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...

, in the first league match played at

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixtu ...

. He instead returned to his first club Southport, now members of the

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...

, where he made over 50 appearances and was later appointed captain before finishing his professional career when his contract was cancelled in February 1923.

International career

Although never capped at international level, Abrams did represent England in a Military International match held during the First World War, scoring one of his side's goals during a 4–3 victory over Scotland on 13 May 1916.

Later life

Following his retirement from playing, he worked as a painter and decorator in Southport. Abrams and his wife were married in 1919 and had four children together before separating. She later sued him for desertion after he left when he discovered she had an affair.

Career statistics

Honours

Hearts * East of Scotland Shield winner: 1911 * Dunedin Cup winner: 1911 Chelsea *

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...

Runner-up:

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January *January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrams, Laurence 1889 births 1966 deaths English men's footballers Chelsea F.C. players Stockport County F.C. players Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players English Football League players Colne Town F.C. players Scottish Football League players Footballers from Lancashire Southport F.C. players Men's association football forwards Men's association football midfielders People from the Borough of West Lancashire