Liam Lawrence (born 14 December 1981) is a former 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 lea ...
who played as a
right winger.
Lawrence started his career at his local club
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system.
The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
, after impressing at the
Field Mill
Field Mill, currently known as One Call Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a Football pitch, football ground in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and the home of Mansfield Town F.C., Mansfield Town Football Club.
It is the oldest ground in ...
he signed for
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
in June 2005. He joined
Stoke City, on loan in 2006, and made his move permanent in January 2007. He became a key player for Stoke, and helped the club to promotion to the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
in 2008, earning himself Player of the Year award. In September 2010, he signed for
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
on loan, and signed permanently in the January
transfer window
In association football, a transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club, club can add players to their squad who were previously under contract with another club. Such a Transfer (association football), transfer is comp ...
. With Portsmouth in financial difficulties he spent time out on loan at
Cardiff City and joined Greek side
PAOK
PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
in the summer of 2012. He then returned to England for a brief spell at
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
in 2014 before joining
Shrewsbury Town, captaining the side to promotion to
League One in his only full season before a free transfer to
Bristol Rovers.
Born in England, Lawrence made his international debut for the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
in 2009, and earned 15 caps in a two-year spell.
Club career
Mansfield Town
Lawrence was born in
Retford, Nottinghamshire,
and joined
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system.
The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
's youth team in 1996. He progressed the through to the first team making his professional debut against
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
in the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
in the
1999–2000 season. He played 18 matches in
2000–01 scoring four goals as Mansfield finished in 13th position. In
2001–02 he made 37 appearances as the Stags gained promotion to the third tier however relegation was suffered in the following
2002–03 season with Lawrence playing in 46 matches scoring 12 goals. In
2003–04 Lawrence played in 52 games and scored 21 goals for the club helping then to reach the
play-offs. After over coming
Northampton Town on penalties Mansfield faced
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. After a 0–0 draw they faced another penalty shootout but Mansfield lost 4–1 with Lawrence missing his penalty.
Sunderland
Lawrence joined
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
in June 2004 for a fee of £175,000. Lawrence had a promising first season at Sunderland, scoring 6 goals in 32 appearances, including two superb strikes against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
at the
Stadium of Light on 2 November 2004. He also helped create one of the most important goals in Sunderland's season, scored by
Marcus Stewart, against
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
at the
JJB Stadium. Sunderland won the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
in
2004–05 and gained promotion to the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
.
Following Sunderland's promotion to the top flight Lawrence found himself in and out of the first team squad for the first few months of the 2005–06 season. Despite this, Lawrence still made 23 starts and 10 substitute appearances for the club, scoring against
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
,
Chelsea, and Sunderland's bitter rivals
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
at
St James' Park
St James' Park is a Association football, football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,305, it is the List of football stadiums in England, 8th la ...
. Although the season ended in disaster for Sunderland, who were relegated with a then record low of 15 points, Lawrence ended the season as runner up to teammate
Dean Whitehead
Dean Whitehead (born 12 January 1982) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who is an assistant head coach at club Blackburn Rovers. A midfielder who occasionally played as a right-back, he made 622 league and cup a ...
for the annual Player of the Year award, and was seen as one of Sunderland's better performers. Lawrence and Whitehead both signed new contracts in August 2006.
Stoke City
Lawrence joined
Stoke City initially on loan in November 2006 after falling out of favour with
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...
with the deal becoming permanent in January 2007. He made a fine start to his Stoke career scoring against
Cardiff City and
Ipswich Town. In
2006–07 Stoke narrowly missed out on the play-offs finishing in 8th position. In
2007–08 Lawrence played in 44 matches scoring 15 goals as Stoke gained promotion to the Premier League in 2nd position. Lawrence struck a great partnership with
Ricardo Fuller
Ricardo Dwayne Fuller (born 31 October 1979) is a retired Jamaican professional footballer who played as a forward.
Fuller started his football career with Jamaican side Tivoli Gardens, before he moved to England with Crystal Palace in Feb ...
and the pair scored a combined total of 30 goals with Lawrence winning the
player of the year award.
Lawrence scored Stoke's first home goal in the Premier League in 2008 when he scored a penalty against
Aston Villa. However Lawrence injured himself when he tripped over his pet
Labrador
Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
damaging his ankle. He had to undergo ankle surgery to repair a tear in the ligament. He returned from injury towards the end of the season and scored winning goals in games against
Blackburn Rovers and
Hull City, with the latter securing Stoke's survival. Lawrence signed a new contract at Stoke in July 2009 keeping him at the
Britannia Stadium until 2013. Lawrence found himself in and out of the side in
2009–10 making 25 league appearances of which 11 were as a substitute and he scored once against
Hull City in April. After the season ended Lawrence stated that he expected to leave Stoke during the summer of 2010.
Portsmouth
On 31 August, the summer transfer window deadline day, Lawrence and Stoke teammate
Dave Kitson were a part of an exchange deal, which sent
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
defender
Marc Wilson to ''the Potters'', with the pair moved in the opposite direction. The deal was supposedly completed and the two Stoke players arrived at
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a association football, football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is the home of Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth Football Club. Fratton Park's location on Portsea Island is unique in English professional football, as it ...
, but paperwork was not submitted in time for the transfer to go through. He eventually made an emergency-loan move to ''Pompey'' on 9 September Lawrence made his Portsmouth debut on 11 September in a 0–0 draw with
Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
at
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a association football, football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is the home of Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth Football Club. Fratton Park's location on Portsea Island is unique in English professional football, as it ...
. He scored his first goal for the club against
Leicester City in the
Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
on 21 September. On 24 September, he scored his first league goals, a penalty and a deflected free kick in their 6–1 league win over
Leicester City. On 2 October, Lawrence scored a late equaliser as Portsmouth drew 2–2 with
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
at the
Riverside to notch up his fourth Portsmouth goal in just seven matches. On 30 October, he netted the winner from inside the box as Pompey beat
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
2–1 at Fratton Park.
On 1 January 2011, Lawrence completed his permanent move to Portsmouth, signing until the summer of 2014. Following Portsmouth's plunge into administration, Lawrence insisted that he would not walk out on the club, but manager
Michael Appleton
Michael Antony Appleton (born 4 December 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of EFL League Two club Shrewsbury Town.
As a player, he operated as a midfielder, in a nine-year career that ...
said that Portsmouth could not afford to scan the injured calf of Lawrence as the Rudimentary payments for injury assessments could also not be completed. He left Portsmouth on 10 August 2012 after agreeing to a compromise deal to terminate his contract.
Cardiff City

Lawrence joined
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
rivals
Cardiff City on loan till the end of the season as Portsmouth's dire financial situation meant they needed to take cost-cutting measures. He went on to make his debut on 7 March against
Brighton & Hove Albion, where he set up the second goal for Cardiff. He scored his first goal for the club on 14 April in a 1–0 win over
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
.
Lawrence was interested in making the move permanent but manager
Malky Mackay stated that he was interested but signing him wasn't priority. On 8 August 2012, Cardiff had opened talks with Lawrence over a possible permanent transfer as Portsmouth needed to clear the wage bill by 10 August or be liquidated. After leaving Portsmouth, Lawrence revealed he was offered a new contract with his wages reduced (60 or 70 per cent cut) but he was told by administrator
Trevor Birch the negotiations was withdrawn as the club couldn't afford an offer from
Balram Chainrai as he attempted to purchase the club Previously, Lawrence was keen to stay at the club, insisting he doesn't want to be responsible for liquidating the club
PAOK
After leaving Portsmouth on 13 August Lawrence agreed to join Greek side
PAOK
PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...
on a two-year contract. Lawrence would wear number 20 on his jersey. He made his official debut for the club on 23 August 2012 in a 2–1 home win against
Rapid Wien. On 16 September 2012 he scored his first goal for the club against
Asteras Tripoli. He scored a magnificent volley against fierce rivals
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Konstantinidis, Greek architect
* ...
in a 4–1 home win. In his first season in the club he got sent-off twice, in matches against
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Konstantinidis, Greek architect
* ...
and
AEK.
Barnsley
Lawrence joined
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
side
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
on 16 January 2014, signing a contract until the end of the 2013–14 season. He played 14 times for the Tykes scoring once as the side suffered relegation and at the end of the campaign he was not offered a new contract at
Oakwell.
Shrewsbury Town
On 4 July 2014, Lawrence signed a two-year contract with League Two side
Shrewsbury Town. He made his competitive debut on the first day of the league season on 9 August, as the
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, and set up
James Collins in the 9th minute to open a 2–2 draw away to
AFC Wimbledon.
Having been sent off in a match against
Northampton Town two weeks later, and subsequently serving a three-match suspension, Lawrence did not immediately regain his place in the side, having to wait until he was recalled for a
League Cup third round tie at home against
Norwich City on 23 September 2014. Lawrence had a hand in the winning goal, as his second-half free kick was headed on by
Jermaine Grandison, for
James Collins to loop over Norwich goalkeeper
Declan Rudd.
He scored his first goal for Shrewsbury on 1 November 2014, converting an injury time penalty away from home against
Dagenham and Redbridge to seal a 2–1 win, extending the club's winning sequence in
League Two to five matches, following this with the only goal of the game as Shrewsbury defeated
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
in an FA Cup first round replay at the
New Meadow.
Lawrence scored both goals as Shrewsbury defeated
Oxford United 2–0 on 21 March 2015, a 2nd-minute penalty and a 20-yard late free kick, taking his season tally to six in all competitions. A regular in the side during the season run-in, promotion to
League One was secured in April 2015 after a 1–0 away win at
Cheltenham Town, with the club ending the season as runners-up to
Burton Albion.
Bristol Rovers
Lawrence did not regularly start for Shrewsbury following their promotion and, as one of the club's higher earners, was allowed to join League Two side
Bristol Rovers on a free transfer on 7 January 2016. Lawrence was picked in the Starting XI a number of times and he scored his first goal for the club as his perfectly placed Free-kick saw his side win 3–0 against
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...
. Lawrence helped Rovers achieve automatic promotion seeing his side reach 85 points and overtaking
Accrington Stanley on the last day of the season.
He made four appearances in the 2016–17 season before being told along with five others to find a new club on 19 January 2017 and on 31 January 2017 he left the club by mutual consent.
International career

Lawrence is an Irish citizen through his
County Kerry
County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...
-born
grandfather
Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, or Grandma and Grandpa, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a m ...
. On 16 February 2006, Lawrence received his first international call-up, for the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
in their friendly game against
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
on 3 March, but spent the entire match as an unused substitute. On 18 May 2009, Lawrence was named in the Irish squad for a
friendly with
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
and subsequently made his debut in that match ten days later. Following this, Lawrence was named in the starting eleven for Ireland's friendly against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
on 8 September and scored the only goal of the game, a
free kick in the 37th minute for his first international goal. Lawrence made his competitive international debut in Ireland's penultimate
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
qualifier against
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in
Croke Park
Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...
on 10 October, and provided an assist for his Stoke City teammate
Glenn Whelan to open the scoring in the match, which ended 2–2. He also made a start against
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in the
first-leg of Ireland's crucial 2010 FIFA World Cup play-off on 14 November, which France won 1–0, with
Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly featur ...
netting the only goal. He has not played for Ireland since 29 May 2011.
[
]
Coaching career
In August 2020, Lawrence began coaching at the Stoke City Academy, taking charge of the under-15 team. He moved up to the under-21 side in July 2024, working alongside Ryan Shawcross.
Career statistics
Club
Source:
International
Source:[
]
International goals
Source:
Honours
Mansfield Town
*Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 Football League, 1920–21 and again from 1958–59 Football League, 1958 until 1991–92 Football League, 1992. When the FA Premier League ...
third-place promotion: 2001–02
Sunderland
*Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
winner: 2004–05
Stoke City
*Football League Championship runner-up, second-place promotion: 2007–08
Shrewsbury Town
*Football League Two runner-up, second-place promotion: 2014–15 Football League Two, 2014–15
Bristol Rovers
*Football League Two runner-up, third-place promotion: 2015–16 Football League Two, 2015–16
Republic of Ireland
*Nations Cup (football), Nations Cup: 2011 Nations Cup, 2011
Individual
*PFA Team of the Year#Third Division 31, PFA Division Three Team of the Year: 2004
*PFA Team of the Year#Championship 4, PFA Championship Team of the Year: 2008
*Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
player of the season: 2007–08
*Stoke City F.C. Player of the Year, Stoke City player of the year: 2007–08 Stoke City F.C. season, 2008
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Liam
1981 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Retford
Footballers from Nottinghamshire
English men's footballers
Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
Men's association football wingers
Mansfield Town F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Stoke City F.C. players
Portsmouth F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
PAOK FC players
Barnsley F.C. players
Shrewsbury Town F.C. players
Bristol Rovers F.C. players
Rushall Olympic F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Super League Greece players
Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Irish expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Republic of Ireland men's international footballers
Stoke City F.C. non-playing staff
English people of Irish descent
21st-century English sportsmen
21st-century Irish sportsmen