Ian Lawson (footballer born 1939)
Encyclopedia
Frederick Ian Allison Lawson (born 24 March 1939) is an English
former professional footballer who played for Burnley
, Leeds United, Crystal Palace
and Port Vale
in the 1950s and 1960s.
after being scouted in a local School's cup final along with James Robson who was picked up on the same day and both soon turned professional. Despite some good times, including a purple patch in the teams 1957 FA Cup
run, Lawson found it hard to break into the highly successful first team. After spending six seasons with Burnley during which he made only 23 appearances, the 23 year old was sold to Leeds United
for £20,000 in March 1962.
He joined Leeds as they battled to avoid relegation to the Third Division
and went straight into the first team, where he scored once in eleven games. He made a bigger impact during the 1963–64 promotion season when he scored eleven goals in 24 matches, but his place in the first team was taken by Alan Peacock
, who joined Leeds in February 1964, and Lawson made only three further appearances for Leeds before joining Crystal Palace
in June 1966 for a fee of £9,000.
He spent a season at Palace before joining Port Vale
in August 1966 for £1,000. He went straight into the first team, making his debut in a 2-1 home win over Southport
on 20 August 1966. However he lost his place the following month and was given a free transfer to Barnsley
in May 1967. He never made a first team appearance for the Tykes before his retirement.
with Leeds United
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former professional footballer who played for Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, Leeds United, Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
and Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in the 1950s and 1960s.
Playing career
Lawson started his career as an amateur at BurnleyBurnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
after being scouted in a local School's cup final along with James Robson who was picked up on the same day and both soon turned professional. Despite some good times, including a purple patch in the teams 1957 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
run, Lawson found it hard to break into the highly successful first team. After spending six seasons with Burnley during which he made only 23 appearances, the 23 year old was sold to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
for £20,000 in March 1962.
He joined Leeds as they battled to avoid relegation to the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
and went straight into the first team, where he scored once in eleven games. He made a bigger impact during the 1963–64 promotion season when he scored eleven goals in 24 matches, but his place in the first team was taken by Alan Peacock
Alan Peacock
Alan Peacock is a former English footballer.He spent the majority of his career at Middlesbrough, also playing for Leeds United and Plymouth Argyle. He joined Middlesbrough in 1954 and became a regular in the side in 1958 alongside Brian Clough. Clough scored the majority of the goals, partly due...
, who joined Leeds in February 1964, and Lawson made only three further appearances for Leeds before joining Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in June 1966 for a fee of £9,000.
He spent a season at Palace before joining Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in August 1966 for £1,000. He went straight into the first team, making his debut in a 2-1 home win over Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
on 20 August 1966. However he lost his place the following month and was given a free transfer to Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
in May 1967. He never made a first team appearance for the Tykes before his retirement.
Playing statistics
| Club | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| |Apps (goals) | Apps (goals) | Apps (goals) | Apps (goals) | |
| Burnley | 23 (7) | |||
| Leeds United | 44 (17) | 3 (1) | 4 (3) | 51 (21) |
| Crystal Palace | 17 (6) | |||
| Port Vale | 8 (0) | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 10 (0) |
| Barnsley | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Total | 92 (30) |
Honours
with Burnley- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
champion: 1959–60
with Leeds United
- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
champion: 1963–64