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Trevor Lawless

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Trevor Lawless
Personal information
Full name Arthur Trevor Lawless[1]
Date of birth (1932-03-23)23 March 1932[1]
Place of birth Cottam, England
Date of death 19 January 2018(2018-01-19) (aged 85)[2]
Place of death Radcliffe-on-Trent, England
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Blackpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1951–195? Blackpool
195?–1955 Worcester City
1955–1956 Plymouth Argyle 8 (0)
1956–1957 Oldham Athletic 9 (0)
1957–1958 Aldershot 2 (0)
1958–1959 Southport 15 (0)
1959 Ton Pentre
1960–1961 Loughborough United
1963–1966 Stamford
1966–1967 Sutton Town
Total 34 (0)
Managerial career
1960–1961 Loughborough United (player-manager)
1963–1966 Stamford (player-manager)
1966–1967 Sutton Town (player-manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Arthur Trevor Lawless (23 March 1932 – 19 January 2018) was an English professional footballer who played as a defender in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle, Oldham Athletic, Aldershot and Southport. He then went into coaching, and acted as player-coach or player-manager at non-league level.

Life and career

Lawless was born in Cottam, Nottinghamshire, in 1932,[1] and attended King Edward VI Grammar School in nearby Retford.[3] He was on the books of Football League First Division club Blackpool as a junior, without breaking through to the first team,[4] and also played cricket as a fast bowler.[5] In August 1952, he made a single appearance in the Minor Counties Championship for Nottinghamshire second eleven against Lancashire II at Old Trafford; he returned bowling figures of 2/35 and made a duck.[6]

While a student at Worcester Teacher Training College, Lawless played football for Southern League club Worcester City.[5] In 1955, he had a successful trial with Second Division club Plymouth Argyle, and began the season not only in the first team but as its captain. He lost his place after just eight matches,[7] and moved on to Oldham Athletic of the Third Division North in July 1956 for what was reported as a small fee.[8] After three months with no first-team football, he asked for a transfer.[9] He eventually made his debut, playing at right back at home to Barrow on 1 December, and had a run of games at centre half in January,[4] before submitting a second transfer request at the start of February because he wanted to return to the south of England.[10] He took his appearance total to nine by the end of the season,[4] and spent some of the close season on a Football Association coaching course at Lilleshall, with the intention of becoming a full-time coach after his playing career ended.[11]

Lawless signed for Aldershot for the 1957–58 Third Division South season. Two minutes into the opening fixture, against Port Vale, his weak back-pass to his goalkeeper was intercepted by an opponent who scored the only goal of the match.[12] Lawless lost his place, and his Aldershot career continued in the reserves until a dislocated elbow brought it to a temporary halt in November.[4][13] He appeared once more for the first team, in February, but did not defend well,[14] and was given a free transfer at the end of the season.[15]

His next club was Southport,[2] newly placed in the Fourth Division when the regional third tiers were reorganised on a national basis.[16] He initially signed as a full-time professional, but went part-time from 1 September when he was appointed to a teaching post in the town,[17] and later acted as physical training instructor for the local Air Training Corps.[18] Lawless appeared at full back in the first 12 matches of the season but, just as at Aldershot, a defensive mistake against Port Vale cost him his place in the side.[4][19] He returned to the side in January 1959, but was injured in his third game back.[4][20] In February, he asked for a transfer because he was hoping to find a player-manager role.[21]

He took a player-coach position at Welsh League club Ton Pentre while teaching in Hereford, but after a few months had to give it up because he was posted back to Southport.[22] In May 1960, Lawless became player-manager of Loughborough United.[23] He led Loughborough to runners-up in the Central Alliance and to the first round proper of the 1960–61 FA Cup: they drew with King's Lynn, but lost the replay, in which Lawless could not play because he was suspended after being sent off in the previous round.[24] The club then joined the Midland League, and Lawless's contract was terminated in November 1961, not because of failings in his play or his management but because, in the opinion of the committee, his recent sending-off and suspension for use of abusive language brought the club into disrepute.[25] From 1963 to 1966, he was player-manager of Stamford.[26] He then moved on to another Midland League club, Sutton Town, where he was given full charge of all team-related matters,[27] but resigned the following January, "tired of the frustrating struggle to gain players of the right standard."[28]

Lawless died in Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, in 2018 at the age of 85.[1][29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Trevor Lawless". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Trevor Lawless". Port Online. Southport FC Former Players' Association. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Cambridge School Certificate". Nottingham Evening Post. 26 October 1950. p. 5.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Player search: Lawless, AT (Trevor)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Tidmarsh and Collins steer Evesham to another big win". Evesham Standard. 13 May 1955. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Lancashire Second XI v Nottinghamshire Second XI Minor Counties Championship 1952". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Trevor Lawless". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Third Division players' moves". Halifax Daily Courier. 12 July 1956. p. 2.
  9. ^ "Lawless seeks move". Birmingham Post. 2 October 1956. p. 25.
  10. ^ "Lawless wants move". Leicester Evening Mail. 8 February 1957. p. 18.
  11. ^ Morse, Graham (2013). Sir Walter Winterbottom – The Father of Modern English Football. John Blake Publishing. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-78219-377-7.
  12. ^ "Blades lacked edge but took both points". The Star Green 'Un. Sheffield. 24 August 1957. p. 1.
  13. ^ "Strange tidings from Aldershot". The People. London. 6 October 1957. p. 14. All five close-season signings – Walters, Matthews, Weigh, Gregory and Lawless – are currently playing for the reserves.
    Stroller (1 November 1957). "Pompey Res. against nine men". Hampshire Telegraph. p. 9.
  14. ^ "Aldershot 2, Exeter 2". The People. London. 16 February 1958. p. 19.
  15. ^ "Aldershot cut". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 2 May 1958. p. 27.
  16. ^ "Southport". Football Club History Database. Richard Rundle. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  17. ^ "School and Sport". Liverpool Echo. 15 August 1958. p. 14.
  18. ^ "Training instructor". Liverpool Echo. 16 October 1958. p. 3.
  19. ^ "Vale's first home win of the season". Birmingham Post. 30 September 1958. p. 22.
    "Southport changes". Liverpool Echo. 2 October 1958. p. 12.
  20. ^ "Southport 2, Torquay United 2". Sunday Mirror. London. 1 February 1959. p. 30.
  21. ^ "Out of luck". Liverpool Echo. 23 February 1959. p. 12.
  22. ^ "Pentre Loss". Western Mail. Cardiff. 15 December 1959. p. 10.
  23. ^ "Hodges signs for new club". Leicester Evening Mail. 23 May 1960. p. 10.
  24. ^ "The Central Alliance 1947–1962". Non League Matters. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
    "A Cup sensation at Loughborough". Football Post. Nottingham. 22 October 1960. p. 13.
    Wright, Ben (8 November 1960). "Watford take a big gamble. Suspense". Daily Mirror. London. p. 24.
  25. ^ "Why Loughborough Utd. sacked Lawless". Football Post. Nottingham. 18 November 1961. p. 13.
  26. ^ "Stamford sign wing half". Leicester Evening Mail. 29 May 1963. p. 12.
  27. ^ "Sutton's free hand for Lawless". Football Post. Nottingham. 9 April 1966. p. 3. When Trevor Lawless finishes his player manager contract with Stamford this year he will take over as manager of Sutton Town, with complete charge of new signings, team discipline and selection and training.
  28. ^ "Sutton lose Lawless and Jones". Football Post. Nottingham. 7 January 1967. p. 3.
  29. ^ "Arthur Lawless". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  • Trevor Lawless at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
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