James Lawrence (footballer)

James Alexander Lawrence (born 22 August 1992) is a professional footballer who plays for Anderlecht and the Wales national team.

James Lawrence

Personal information
Full name	James Alexander Lawrence
Date of birth	(1992-08-22) 22 August 1992
Place of birth	Henley-on-Thames, England
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Playing position(s)	Centre back, defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team	Anderlecht
Number	3
Youth career
2001–2003	Arsenal
2005–2006	Queens Park Rangers
2008–2009	HFC Haarlem
2009–2011	Ajax
2011–2012	Sparta Rotterdam
2012–2014	RKC Waalwijk
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2018	AS Trenčín	86	(5)
2018–	Anderlecht	23	(0)
2019–2020	→ St. Pauli (loan)	14	(1)
National team^‡
2018–	Wales	5	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 July 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15:15, 21 November 2019 (UTC)

Lawrence has previously played for St. Pauli, Anderlecht, AS Trenčín and youth teams at Arsenal, Queens Park Rangers, Ajax Amsterdam and Sparta Rotterdam.

Club career

Early career

Lawrence's early youth career included English clubs Enfield, Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers. In 2008 his family moved to the Netherlands where he joined Haarlem.[2] In 2009 Lawrence left Haarlem to join Ajax with whom he won the Netherlands U19 First Division Championship in 2010–11 and was coached by Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp.[2] Lawrence then had spells with Jong Sparta Rotterdam and Jong RKC Waalwijk whilst he was enrolled at the Johan Cruyff Institute in Amsterdam.

AS Trenčín

Lawrence transferred to AS Trenčín on 13 August 2014 aged 21 and scored on his debut the same day in a Slovnaft Cup match against ŠK Strážske.[3] Four days later, Lawrence made his Fortuna Liga debut in a 4–2 win against Košice. On 1 May 2015 Lawrence helped AS Trenčín to a maiden Slovak Cup, beating Senica in the final.[4] In May 2015 AS Trenčín became Fortuna Liga Champions for the first time[5] with Lawrence thus achieving the league and cup double in his first senior season.[6]

The AS Trenčín champions of 2014–15, with an average age of 21.74, were recognised as having been the youngest champions across 31 top division European leagues from 2009–2017 by the CIES Football Observatory.[7]

Lawrence missed the end of the 2014–15 season and the beginning of the 2015–16 season due to an injury sustained in the 2015 Cup Final, returning on 13 October 2015 when he scored in a 3–0 win over Blava Jaslovské Bohunice in the 4th round of the Slovak Cup. A 3–1 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Slovnaft Cup Final on 29 April 2016 secured a second Slovak Cup for Lawrence and AS Trenčín. On 8 May 2016, AS Trenčín beat Slovan Bratislava 4–0 to become Fortuna Liga Champions for the second year in succession.[8]

Anderlecht

On 29 August 2018, Lawrence joined Anderlecht.[9] Lawrence played 23 league matches for Anderlecht during the 2018–19 season with Anderlecht finishing in fourth place in the Jupiler Pro League and in sixth place in the play-offs, missing out on UEFA competition for the first time in 56 years.[10]

FC St. Pauli

On 22 August 2019, Lawrence joined 2. Bundesliga side St. Pauli on loan from Anderlecht until the end of the 2019–20 season.[11][12] Lawrence made his debut for St. Pauli on 26 August 2019, scoring in a 2–1 win over Holstein Kiel.

International career

On 5 November 2018 Lawrence was called up for the Wales squad for the first time and he started his first game for the national side in a friendly against Albania on 20 November 2018.[13] His first competitive game for Wales was in a 1–0 win against Slovakia at Cardiff City Stadium on 24 March 2019.[14]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 28 June 2020[1]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		Continental		International		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
AS Trenčín	2014–15	Fortuna Liga	18	0	7	1	0	0	-		25	1
	2015–16		15	1	5	1	0	0	-		20	2
	2016–17		25	3	4	1	5	2	-		34	6
	2017–18		25	1	2	0	2	0	-		29	1
	2018–19		3	0	0	0	6	1	-		9	1
	Total		86	5	18	3	13	3	-	-	117	11
Anderlecht	2018–19	Belgian First Division A	23	0	0	0	3	0	5	0	31	0
	Total		23	0	0	0	3	0	5	0	31	0
FC St. Pauli (loan)	2019–20	2. Bundesliga	14	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	1
	Total		14	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	1
Career total			123	5	18	3	16	3	5	0	162	12

Honours

AS Trenčín[15]

• Fortuna Liga: 2014–15, 2015–16
• Slovak Cup: 2014–15, 2015–16

References

1. "J.Lawrence". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
2. "Who is James Lawrence? His heart scare at Ajax and life in Slovakia". Sky Sports. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
3. "www.futbalnet.sk". Retrieved 18 July 2015.
4. "AS Trenčín win maiden Slovak Cup". Retrieved 2 May 2015.
5. "Trenčín seal historic Slovakian double". Retrieved 21 May 2015.
6. "Jamie Lawrence has eyes on Slovakian double after mastering his own destiny". Retrieved 12 July 2015.
7. "Reports – CIES". CIES. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
8. "Trenčín ... take title". Retrieved 17 May 2016.
9. "WELKOM JAMES ALEXANDER LAWRENCE!". Anderlecht. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
10. "Anderlecht miss out on Europe ahead of Kompany arrival". Reuters. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
11. "James Lawrence: Anderlecht defender joins Bundesliga 2 side St Pauli". BBC. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
12. "Der FC St. Pauli leiht Innenverteidiger James Lawrence vom Anderlecht aus" (in German). FC St. Pauli. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
13. "Mixed feelings for Wales debutant Lawrence". BBC Sport. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
14. "Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
15. "Brits Abroad: 8 Lesser Known Stars Making a Success of Their Footballing Careers Overseas". 90 Min. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2019.

External links

• Profile