Tommy Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Tommy Lawrence was the goalkeeper in the first great Liverpool
team under manager Bill Shankly
.
, Ayrshire
, Scotland
, The Lawrence family moved to the north-west of England
when Tommy was a child. He worked in a wire factory and played for Warrington Town F.C.
as an amateur until Liverpool manager Phil Taylor offered him a professional contract in 1957 at the age of 17.
It would be another 5 years before he finally made his first team debut under manager Bill Shankly
. His chance came when Shankly chose him to play against West Bromwich Albion
at The Hawthorns
on the 27 October 1962. W.B.A spoilt the day for Lawrence by beating the Reds 1-0. His first clean-sheet came a month later on 17 November when fellow promotion hopefuls Leyton Orient
visited Anfield
. The result was a 5-0 victory for Liverpool with Roger Hunt
scoring a hat-trick
.
Tommy went on to retain the No.1 jersey that season making 35 appearances including 6 ties in Liverpool's run to the FA Cup
semi-final at Hillsborough
. Leicester City
were their opponents and prevented the Reds from reaching the Wembley showdown by winning the game 1-0.
Liverpool had finished in a very respectable 8th place in their first season back in the 1st Division
. However, this achievement was tempered by the fact that their Merseyside
rivals Everton
won the 1962-63 league championship. Shankly's ambition was to make Liverpool into the best side in England, but first he would have to conquer their city rivals.
The following season Lawrence was a major part of Shankly's plan for footballing dominance and he played 40 times out of a possible 42. He also played in 5 cup ties as Liverpool got the better of their local rivals. They also won the 1963-64 league championship, 5 points clear of the Toffees who could only finish 3rd behind the Reds and 1 point adrift of Liverpool's bitter rivals Manchester United
.
In the 1964-65 season Lawrence and Liverpool were unable to repeat the previous season's achievements, finishing in 7th place and a full 17 points behind winners Manchester United. However, Liverpool's run in the F.A Cup took them to Wembley for the first time since their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal
in 1950. The Anfield club had never won the prestigious trophy so the final to be held on the 1 May 1965 assumed great importance, especially for their fans.
On their way to Wembley the Reds overcame West Brom 2-1 away; this after losing 3-0 in the corresponding league fixture 2 months earlier. They then faced Stockport County
and drew 1-1 at home winning 2-0 at Edgeley Park
. Bolton Wanderers
were next and another clean-sheet for Lawrence followed after a 1-0 victory. Liverpool's semi-final conquerors of the previous season followed, Lawrence's goal remained intact as the Reds gained a 0-0 draw with Leicester at Filbert Street
, another clean-sheet followed and Liverpool went through by a goal to nil.
The Semi-final draw was mouth-watering with Man United, Chelsea
and Leeds United joining Liverpool in the last 4. Leeds drew Manchester United and Liverpool faced Chelsea with the tie to be played at Villa Park
on the 27 April. Leeds and United drew 0-0 at Hillsborough so after Lawrence had kept yet another clean-sheet and Liverpool had beat the Stamford Bridge
club 2-0 they had to wait to find out who they would face in the final. Former red Matt Busby
's Man United and Don Revie
's Leeds went head-to-head once more, this time at the City Ground
home of Nottingham Forest
, the champions elect could not prevent the runners-up getting the better of them as Leeds won the tight affair 1-0.
Leeds had conceded just 2 goals during their run to the final but so had Lawrence so a tight game was predicted, this turned out to be the case with Tommy keeping a clean-sheet during the 90 minutes of normal time, unfortunately the Reds frontmen couldn't break through Gary Sprake
's net so the 1965 FA Cup Final went into extra-time. After 3 minutes of the extra period Hunt opened the scoring for Liverpool but the lead lasted just 2 minutes as Lawrence's goal was breached as Billy Bremner
scored the equaliser, the score remained 1-1 and the game looked to be heading for a replay until the 113th minute when Ian St John headed home past a tiring Leeds defence. Liverpool held on to the final whistle and the F.A Cup was heading to Anfield for the very first time with Shankly, Lawrence and the rest of the Liverpool team writing their name down as Liverpool legends forever more.
Lawrence was to enjoy more success the following season as the Reds found their league form once more, winning the 1965/66 title by 6 clear points over a Leeds side that were surely beginning to hate the site of, Shankly must have been overjoyed at the fact that Everton finished a full 20 points adrift of his beloved Liverpool.
Such was his form, consistency and luck (he was rarely injured) that he missed only a handful of games for eight years thereafter. A firm fan favourite he earned the affectionate nickname
The Flying Pig because of his ability to dive around the penalty area despite weighing more than 14 stone
(89 kg).
Lawrence held off the challenge of precocious teenage keeper Ray Clemence
when the youngster arrived from Scunthorpe United
in 1967 but Liverpool were already going through a slump as the team aged. Though Lawrence was not the eldest and as a goalkeeper was considered the sort of player who could carry on for longer than most, he was suddenly removed from the team in favour of Clemence after the notorious 1-0 6th round FA Cup defeat at Watford
in 1970 He played for Liverpool only once again (against Manchester City in a 2-2 draw at Maine Road on 26 April 1971.
During his time at Liverpool, he won 3 caps for Scotland
, his debut came on the 3 June 1963 in a friendly international at Dalymount Park
, Dublin, Unfortunately for Lawrence the Republic of Ireland
won the match 1-0. Tommy never managed to keep a clean-sheet at national level, his 2 other appearances, both 6 years later in 1969, being a 1-1 draw with West Germany
in a World Cup
qualifier and a 5-3 victory over Wales
in a British Home Championship
match, during his last international appearance, against Wales, Lawrence collided with the crossbar thus having to be carried off.
After 390 appearances in the Liverpool goal Lawrence joined Tranmere Rovers
on the 10 November 1971, he then drifted back into the non-league game with Chorley
before retiring. Upon retirement, Lawrence went to work as a quality control
ler back at the same wire
factory he had briefly worked during his youth.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
team under manager Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
.
Life and playing career
Born DalryDalry
Dalry is the name of several places in Scotland:* Dalry, North Ayrshire* Dalry, Edinburgh* St. John's Town of Dalry You may also be looking for Dalrigh or the Battle of Dalrigh...
, Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, The Lawrence family moved to the north-west of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
when Tommy was a child. He worked in a wire factory and played for Warrington Town F.C.
Warrington Town F.C.
Warrington Town F.C. are a football club based in Warrington, Cheshire, England. They were established in 1949 under the name of Stockton Heath Albion. In 1961, they changed to their present name...
as an amateur until Liverpool manager Phil Taylor offered him a professional contract in 1957 at the age of 17.
It would be another 5 years before he finally made his first team debut under manager Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
. His chance came when Shankly chose him to play against West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
at The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...
on the 27 October 1962. W.B.A spoilt the day for Lawrence by beating the Reds 1-0. His first clean-sheet came a month later on 17 November when fellow promotion hopefuls Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
visited Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. The result was a 5-0 victory for Liverpool with Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt
Roger Hunt, MBE is an English former footballer. He was a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup.-Club career:...
scoring a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
.
Tommy went on to retain the No.1 jersey that season making 35 appearances including 6 ties in Liverpool's run to the 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...
semi-final at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
. Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
were their opponents and prevented the Reds from reaching the Wembley showdown by winning the game 1-0.
Liverpool had finished in a very respectable 8th place in their first season back in the 1st Division
Football League First Division
The 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....
. However, this achievement was tempered by the fact that their Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
rivals Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
won the 1962-63 league championship. Shankly's ambition was to make Liverpool into the best side in England, but first he would have to conquer their city rivals.
The following season Lawrence was a major part of Shankly's plan for footballing dominance and he played 40 times out of a possible 42. He also played in 5 cup ties as Liverpool got the better of their local rivals. They also won the 1963-64 league championship, 5 points clear of the Toffees who could only finish 3rd behind the Reds and 1 point adrift of Liverpool's bitter rivals Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
.
In the 1964-65 season Lawrence and Liverpool were unable to repeat the previous season's achievements, finishing in 7th place and a full 17 points behind winners Manchester United. However, Liverpool's run in the F.A Cup took them to Wembley for the first time since their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in 1950. The Anfield club had never won the prestigious trophy so the final to be held on the 1 May 1965 assumed great importance, especially for their fans.
On their way to Wembley the Reds overcame West Brom 2-1 away; this after losing 3-0 in the corresponding league fixture 2 months earlier. They then faced Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
and drew 1-1 at home winning 2-0 at Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park is an association football and rugby union stadium in Stockport, England. The stadium was initially built for the rugby league club Stockport in 1901, but by 1902, the rugby club was defunct and in the same year, Stockport County Football Club, who were looking for a bigger ground,...
. Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
were next and another clean-sheet for Lawrence followed after a 1-0 victory. Liverpool's semi-final conquerors of the previous season followed, Lawrence's goal remained intact as the Reds gained a 0-0 draw with Leicester at Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
, another clean-sheet followed and Liverpool went through by a goal to nil.
The Semi-final draw was mouth-watering with Man United, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Leeds United joining Liverpool in the last 4. Leeds drew Manchester United and Liverpool faced Chelsea with the tie to be played at Villa Park
Villa Park, England
Villa Park is an association football stadium in the district of Witton, Birmingham, England with a seating capacity of 42,786. It has been the home of Aston Villa Football Club since 1897. The team previously played at Aston Park from 1874 to 1876 and Perry Barr from 1876 to 1897...
on the 27 April. Leeds and United drew 0-0 at Hillsborough so after Lawrence had kept yet another clean-sheet and Liverpool had beat the Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
club 2-0 they had to wait to find out who they would face in the final. Former red Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
's Man United and Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
's Leeds went head-to-head once more, this time at the City Ground
City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602 ....
home of Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, the champions elect could not prevent the runners-up getting the better of them as Leeds won the tight affair 1-0.
Leeds had conceded just 2 goals during their run to the final but so had Lawrence so a tight game was predicted, this turned out to be the case with Tommy keeping a clean-sheet during the 90 minutes of normal time, unfortunately the Reds frontmen couldn't break through Gary Sprake
Gary Sprake
Gareth Sprake is a Welsh former professional footballer. A goalkeeper, he played for Leeds United and Birmingham City and also won 37 caps for Wales....
's net so the 1965 FA Cup Final went into extra-time. After 3 minutes of the extra period Hunt opened the scoring for Liverpool but the lead lasted just 2 minutes as Lawrence's goal was breached as Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
scored the equaliser, the score remained 1-1 and the game looked to be heading for a replay until the 113th minute when Ian St John headed home past a tiring Leeds defence. Liverpool held on to the final whistle and the F.A Cup was heading to Anfield for the very first time with Shankly, Lawrence and the rest of the Liverpool team writing their name down as Liverpool legends forever more.
Lawrence was to enjoy more success the following season as the Reds found their league form once more, winning the 1965/66 title by 6 clear points over a Leeds side that were surely beginning to hate the site of, Shankly must have been overjoyed at the fact that Everton finished a full 20 points adrift of his beloved Liverpool.
Such was his form, consistency and luck (he was rarely injured) that he missed only a handful of games for eight years thereafter. A firm fan favourite he earned the affectionate nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
The Flying Pig because of his ability to dive around the penalty area despite weighing more than 14 stone
Stone (weight)
The stone is a units of measurement that was used in many North European countries until the advent of metrication. It value, which ranged from 3 kg to 12 kg, varied from city to city and also often from commodity to commodity...
(89 kg).
Lawrence held off the challenge of precocious teenage keeper Ray Clemence
Ray Clemence
Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Scunthorpe United:...
when the youngster arrived from Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
in 1967 but Liverpool were already going through a slump as the team aged. Though Lawrence was not the eldest and as a goalkeeper was considered the sort of player who could carry on for longer than most, he was suddenly removed from the team in favour of Clemence after the notorious 1-0 6th round FA Cup defeat at Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
in 1970 He played for Liverpool only once again (against Manchester City in a 2-2 draw at Maine Road on 26 April 1971.
During his time at Liverpool, he won 3 caps for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, his debut came on the 3 June 1963 in a friendly international at Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park is an Irish football stadium situated on Dublin's Northside. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as 'Dalyer' by fans, it was also historically the "home of Irish football" holding Irish internationals and FAI Cup...
, Dublin, Unfortunately for Lawrence the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
won the match 1-0. Tommy never managed to keep a clean-sheet at national level, his 2 other appearances, both 6 years later in 1969, being a 1-1 draw with West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifier and a 5-3 victory over Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in a British Home Championship
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
match, during his last international appearance, against Wales, Lawrence collided with the crossbar thus having to be carried off.
After 390 appearances in the Liverpool goal Lawrence joined Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
on the 10 November 1971, he then drifted back into the non-league game with Chorley
Chorley F.C.
Chorley Football Club are a football club from Chorley, Lancashire, England. They were founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to football in 1883. They have reached the FA Cup second round twice in 1986–87 and 1990–91. Their best performance in the FA Trophy was in 1995–96 when they...
before retiring. Upon retirement, Lawrence went to work as a quality control
Quality control
Quality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. This approach places an emphasis on three aspects:...
ler back at the same wire
Wire
A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
factory he had briefly worked during his youth.
Honours
- English ChampionEnglish football championsThe English football champions are the winners of the highest league in English football, which is currently the Premier League. Teams in bold are those who won the double of League Championship and FA Cup, or the European Double of League Championship and European Cup in that season.Following the...
: 1964, 1966 - Charity Shield: 1964,(Shared) 1965 (Shared), 1966
- FA CupFA CupThe 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...
: 1965 - Cup Winners' Cup: Runner-up 1966
- 1st Division Runners up 1968-69