Leslie Oliver Lawrence (born 18 May 1957) is an English former footballer who played as a forward. He scored 105 goals in 395 league and cup games during a twelve-year career in the Football League, most of which was spent in the Fourth Division.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leslie Oliver Lawrence[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 18 May 1957 | ||
| Place of birth | Wolverhampton, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Stourbridge | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1977 | Shrewsbury Town | 14 | (2) |
| 1977 | Telford United | ||
| 1977–1982 | Torquay United | 189 | (46) |
| 1982–1983 | Port Vale | 8 | (0) |
| 1983–1984 | Aldershot | 39 | (23) |
| 1984–1985 | Rochdale | 15 | (4) |
| 1985–1986 | Burnley | 31 | (8) |
| 1986–1988 | Peterborough United | 33 | (8) |
| 1988 | Cambridge United | 13 | (0) |
| 1988 | Kettering Town | ||
| 1988–1989 | Aylesbury United | 24 | (3) |
| 1990–1991 | Bourne Town | 18 | (16) |
| 1992–1994 | Bourne Town | 53 | (29) |
| Total | 437 | (71) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He began his career at Stourbridge before joining Shrewsbury Town in 1970. Two years later he joined Torquay United via Telford United. After 54 goals in 215 league and cup games for Torquay, he signed with Port Vale in July 1982. He played eight games of their promotion winning campaign, before transferring to Aldershot in July 1983. Leaving the "Shots" in 1984, he then spent a season each at Fourth Division sides Rochdale, Burnley, Peterborough United, and Cambridge United, before moving into non-League football with Kettering Town, Aylesbury United and Bourne Town.
Career edit
Lawrence played for Southern League side Stourbridge, before joining Shrewsbury Town of the Third Division. He played 19 league games in 1975–76 and 1976–77, as the "Shrews" lifted the Welsh Cup in 1977 under Alan Durban's stewardship.
He then signed with Mike Green's Fourth Division club Torquay United via non-League Telford United for the 1977–78 campaign. He became the club's top scorer during the 1978–79 season with 19 goals.[3] After finishing ninth in 1979–80, Torquay dropped to 17th in 1980–81. He played 215 games in all competitions, scoring 54 goals.
Lawrence joined John McGrath's Port Vale in July 1982.[4] He made his debut as a substitute in a League Cup round one match against Rochdale on 30 August 1982.[4] He made his full debut in a 2–0 home win over Hereford United on 9 October 1982, but failed to establish himself in the first-team, and made just eight appearances in the 1982–83 Fourth Division promotion winning campaign.[4]
He went on a free transfer in July 1983 and moved on to Aldershot.[4] With 22 goals in 39 league games he helped Len Walker's "Shots" to a fifth-place finish in the Fourth Division in 1983–84, though they were seven points short of Bristol City in the promotion zone. He spent 1984–85 with Vic Halom's Rochdale, scoring four times in 15 league games. He then moved on to Burnley under Martin Buchan and Tommy Cavanagh, playing 31 league games in 1985–86, scoring eight goals. Lawrence then signed with Peterborough United, and scored eight goals in 33 league games in 1986–87 under John Wile and Noel Cantwell. In January 1988, he moved to his seventh different Fourth Division club, after putting pen to paper with Chris Turner's Cambridge United. After 13 goalless league games in 1987–88 he departed the Abbey Stadium for Conference club Kettering Town. He later played for Aylesbury United and Bourne Town before retiring.
Career statistics edit
Source:[5]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Shrewsbury Town | 1975–76 | Third Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1976–77 | Third Division | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | |
| Total | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | ||
| Torquay United | 1977–78 | Fourth Division | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 6 |
| 1978–79 | Fourth Division | 45 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 19 | |
| 1979–80 | Fourth Division | 42 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 49 | 17 | |
| 1980–81 | Fourth Division | 26 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 6 | |
| 1981–82 | Fourth Division | 42 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 49 | 6 | |
| Total | 189 | 46 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 215 | 54 | ||
| Port Vale | 1982–83 | Fourth Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Aldershot | 1983–84 | Fourth Division | 39 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 46 | 25 |
| Rochdale | 1984–85 | Fourth Division | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 5 |
| Burnley | 1984–85 | Third Division | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| 1985–86 | Fourth Division | 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 7 | |
| Total | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 9 | ||
| Peterborough United | 1986–87 | Fourth Division | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 4 |
| 1987–88 | Fourth Division | 21 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 6 | |
| Total | 33 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 44 | 10 | ||
| Cambridge United | 1987–88 | Fourth Division | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Aylesbury United[6] | 1988–89 | Conference | 19 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| 1989–90 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
| Total | 24 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 4 | ||
| Bourne Town | 1990–91[7] | United Counties League Premier Division |
18 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 16 |
| 1992–93[7] | United Counties League Premier Division |
38 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 27 | |
| 1993–94[7] | United Counties League Premier Division |
15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | |
| Total | 71 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 45 | ||
| Career total | 437 | 139 | 21 | 6 | 36 | 9 | 494 | 154 | ||
Honours edit
Shrewsbury Town
- Welsh Cup: 1977
Port Vale
- Football League Fourth Division third-place promotion: 1982–83[8]
References edit
- ^ "Les Lawrence". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ Rollin, Jack, ed. (1980). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 282. ISBN 0362020175.
- ^ Edwards, Leigh (1997). The Definitive Torquay United F.C. The Association of Football Statisticians. p. 57. ISBN 1-899468-08-0.
- ^ a b c d Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 168. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ Les Lawrence at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ "Les Lawrence Profile | Aylesbury United FC". aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
- ^ a b c Jeremy Biggs Hereward Sports UCL Review 1991 p38
- ^ Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Rags to Riches (1979–1990)". The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 258–290. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.