Ian Lawlor

Ian Lawlor

Personal information
Full name	Ian John Lawlor [1]
Date of birth	(1994-10-27) 27 October 1994 (age 30) [2]
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Doncaster Rovers
Number	1
Youth career
	St. Malachy's
0000–2010	Home Farm
2010–2015	Manchester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2017	Manchester City	0	(0)
2015–2016	→ Barnet (loan)	5	(0)
2016	→ Bury (loan)	12	(0)
2017–2021	Doncaster Rovers	70	(0)
2020	→ Scunthorpe United (loan)	4	(0)
2020–2021	→ Oldham Athletic (loan)	30	(0)
2021–2023	Dundee	13	(0)
2023–	Doncaster Rovers	10	(0)
International career‡
2012–2013	Republic of Ireland U19	6	(0)
2014–2016	Republic of Ireland U21	5	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:00, 29 December 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:08, 16 August 2019 (UTC)

Ian John Lawlor (born 27 October 1994) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Doncaster Rovers.

Lawlor was born in Dublin and played youth football with Home Farm and Manchester City before starting his professional career with an emergency loan to Barnet. After spending time on loan at Bury, Lawlor moved to Doncaster Rovers. He would join Oldham Athletic on a season-long loan in 2020. Lawlor then joined Dundee for two seasons, winning the Scottish Championship with them.

Lawlor has played for the Republic of Ireland at youth level and received call-ups to the first team.

Early life

Lawlor's father, John, was a goalkeeper at a junior level and inspired his son, helping him with training beyond that which was scheduled for him. As part of this training, Lawlor would often watch videos of Oliver Kahn.

His first youth club was St. Malachy's in Edenmore, from which he moved to the more high-profile Home Farm academy. Here he was spotted by Manchester City scout Mick Collins. ^[3]

Lawlor went to school at Chanel College in Dublin, playing football for his school team. ^[4]

Playing career

Club

Manchester City

Development side

In Lawlor's first season he suffered a dislocated shoulder, ruling him out for most of the season. ^[5] Lawlor was a regular for Manchester City's development side, initially taking the number one spot following Eirik Johansen's loan to Scunthorpe United. He went on the club's first team tour of Austria in the pre-season of 2012–13 and continued his battle for the under-21 goalkeeping spot against Johansen and Angus Gunn. ^[2] In the 2013–14 season, Lawlor was involved with the first team on the nights of some Champions League matches. ^[6] He also played both legs as the development side lost the Under-21 Premier League Cup final to Reading. ^[7] Lawlor was included in the squad for a 2014–15 pre-season friendly against Sporting Kansas City. ^[8]

2015–16 season

Lawlor received his first experience of playing senior football following an emergency loan move Barnet on 13 December 2015, necessitated by injuries to Graham Stack and Jamie Stephens. He went straight into goal for a match against Yeovil Town. ^[9] Lawlor made a total of 5 appearances, keeping one clean sheet.

His displays at Barnet and youth level then earned him a loan move Bury for the rest of the season on 7 January 2016, a side who had monitored him for some time. ^[10] He made his debut 2 days later in an FA Cup match against Bradford City, in which he kept a clean sheet. ^[11] He made his league debut for the club on 16 January 2016 in a 3–2 loss to Walsall. ^[12] In the FA Cup replay against Bradford City, Lawlor saved two penalties as a 10-man Bury emerged victorious from the shootout. ^[13] In the next round Lawlor conceded a Chuba Akpom hat-trick as Bury went out of the cup to Hull City in the fourth round. ^[14] Lawlor went on to make 12 league appearances, keeping five clean-sheets, and three FA Cup appearances for the Shakers.

2016–17 season

Lawlor joined the Manchester City first team again in pre-season for a match against Bayern Munich, alongside Willy Caballero and fellow youth teamers Angus Gunn and Billy O'Brien. ^[15] Lawlor was assigned the number 45 for the upcoming season. ^[16] Going into the January transfer window Lawlor was linked with a move to League One with Bury and Chesterfield or League Two with Doncaster Rovers and Portsmouth. ^[17]

Doncaster Rovers

2016–17 season

Lawlor was signed by League Two leaders Doncaster Rovers on 13 January 2017 to compete with first team goalkeepers Marko Maroši and Ross Etheridge. ^[18] He made his debut for the club a day later against former loan club Barnet, conceding once in a 3–1 away win to solidify Rovers position at the top of the table. ^[19] Lawlor made his home debut a week later, again conceding once in a 3–1 win over Crewe Alexandra, a match in which he made a string of high-quality first half saves. ^[20] A week later Lawlor kept his first clean sheet for Doncaster in a 3–0 away win against Yeovil Town. ^[21]

Lawlor suffered a minor groin injury against Leyton Orient on 18 March 2017 which resulted in him being substituted at half time. However, he was passed fit for the next match against top of the table rivals Plymouth Argyle. ^{[22] [23]} Promotion was confirmed as Lawlor kept a clean sheet against Mansfield Town on 8 April. ^[24] He missed 2 matches in mid-April due to a chest injury but reclaimed the starting spot on his return. ^{[25] [26]}

Due to Marko Maroši's injury issues and Ross Etheridge's poor form, and subsequent loan spell with Lincoln City, Lawlor established himself as first choice goalkeeper for the remainder of the season, starting a total of 19 league matches from a possible 21 and keeping clean sheets in 5 of those matches. The season ended with promotion, although a poor run of form towards the end of the season saw the club finish third. ^[27]

2017–18 season

Lawlor started his first full season with Doncaster Rovers as the first choice goalkeeper, keeping a clean sheet in the season opener against Gillingham. ^[28] He played his first cup match for the club in an EFL Cup tie against Bradford City on 8 August 2017. ^[29]

Dundee

On 19 July 2021, Lawlor signed a two-year deal with Scottish Premiership side Dundee. ^[30] Lawlor made a debut of sorts for the team in the Scottish Challenge Cup, playing for Dundee B as the one designated 'overage' player in the side. ^[31] Lawlor would make his debut for Dundee in a Scottish Cup victory over Dumbarton. ^[32] Lawlor would make his league debut for Dundee in February 2022, in an away victory against Heart of Midlothian. ^[33]

Lawlor kept a clean sheet in his first game of the 2022–23 season, in a league game against Greenock Morton. ^[34] He would remain Dundee's starting keeper until suffering a concussion during Dundee's Scottish Cup win over Airdrieonians. ^[35] Lawlor would win the Scottish Championship with Dundee at the end of the season. ^[36]

Doncaster Rovers (2nd spell)

On 22 May 2023 following the end of his contract with Dundee, Lawlor would return to Doncaster Rovers on a two-year deal. ^[37] He made his debut on 5 August in the league against Harrogate Town. ^[38]

International

Despite being a regular squad player for the Republic of Ireland's youth teams, it was not until he reached under-19 level that he established himself. ^[3] He made a total of six appearances as an under-19 and made his under-21 debut against Qatar. ^{[39] [40]}

In May 2014, he was called up to the senior squad due to Rob Elliot's unavailability, appearing on the bench for friendlies against Italy, Costa Rica and Portugal. ^[41] In October 2016, Lawlor was called into the senior squad again for World Cup qualifying following an injury to Keiren Westwood. ^[42]

In May 2018, Lawlor was one of six goalkeepers called up to a provisional squad for matches against Celtic, France and United States. ^[43]

Style of play

According to Doncaster Rovers former manager Darren Ferguson, Lawlor is "quick, he's agile for a big lad....He plays at a good tempo and if he has to kick, he kicks a hell of a way. He's got good accuracy....He's got a lot of potential, he's a good size, good with his feet." ^[44]

Personal life

Lawlor struck up a good relationship with fellow Irish goalkeeper Shay Given during their time together at Manchester City, often receiving advice from him. ^[5] He has also developed a good working relationship with Joe Hart. ^[45]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 October 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester City	2015–16 [46]	Premier League	0	0	–		0	0	0	0	–		0	0
	2016–17 [47]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
Barnet (loan)	2015–16 [46]	League Two	5	0	–		–		–		–		5	0
Bury (loan)	2015–16 [46]	League One	12	0	3	0	–		–		–		15	0
Doncaster Rovers	2016–17 [47]	League Two	19	0	–		–		–		–		19	0
	2017–18 [48]	League One	34	0	3	0	2	0	–		0	0	39	0
	2018–19 [49]	League One	10	0	4	0	1	0	–		2 [a]	0	17	0
	2019–20 [50]	League One	7	0	0	0	0	0	–		3 [a]	0	10	0
	2020–21 [51]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0	0	0
	Total		70	0	7	0	3	0	–		5	0	85	0
Scunthorpe United (loan)	2019–20 [50]	League Two	4	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0	4	0
Oldham Athletic (loan)	2020–21 [51]	League Two	30	0	3	0	2	0	–		4 [a]	0	39	0
Dundee	2021–22 [52]	Scottish Premiership	8	0	2	0	0	0	–		0	0	10	0
	2022–23 [53]	Scottish Championship	5	0	1	0	0	0	–		0	0	6	0
	Total		13	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	0
Dundee B [b]	2021–22 [52]	–			–		–		–		1	0	1	0
Doncaster Rovers	2023–24	League Two	10	0	0	0	2	0	–		2 [a]	0	14	0
	2024–25	League Two	0	0	0	0	1	0	–		3 [a]	0	4	0
	Total		10	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	5	0	18	0
Career total			144	0	16	0	8	0	0	0	15	0	183	0

1. Appearance(s) in the Football League Trophy
2. Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup, in which teams from the SPFL Development League compete against senior clubs

Honours

Dundee

• Scottish Championship: 2022–23 ^[36]

References

1. "CLUB LIST OF REGISTERED PLAYERS" (PDF). EFL. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
2. "Ian Lawlor player profile". Manchester City. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
3. Fallon, John (26 May 2014). "Ian Lawlor Factfile". Independent.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
4. Quinn, Caroline (19 May 2010). "Image CQU 4358". www.cquinnphotography.com. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
5. Blake, Ben (27 September 2013). "Interview: Lawlor pulling out all the stops at Man City". The42. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
6. Fallon, John (20 December 2013). "Teen dream comes at a price for Irish players in England". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
7. Watts, Charles (20 April 2014). "Reading FC crowned U21 Premier League Cup champions". getreading. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
8. Gooch, Charles (20 July 2014). "Manchester City releases roster ahead of friendly with Sporting KC". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
9. Bodell, Tom (13 December 2015). "Barnet have signed Manchester City goalkeeper Ian Lawlor on an emergency loan to deputise for the injured Jamie Stephens". Times Series. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
10. "Keeper Lawlor joins Bury". Bury FC. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
11. "Bury 0-0 Bradford City". BBC Sport. 9 January 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
12. "Bury 2-3 Walsall". BBC Sport. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
13. "Bradford City 0-0 Bury (2-4 pens)". BBC Sport. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
14. "Bury 1-3 Hull City: Chuba Akpom scores hat-trick". Sky Sports. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
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29. Sutcliffe, Richard (8 August 2017). "Big Match Verdict: Doncaster Rovers send Bradford City spinning out in 'old fashioned cup tie'". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
30. "Ian joins". dundeefc.co.uk. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
31. Cran, George. "Dundee B 1-2 Peterhead: Blue Toon come from behind to knock Dee youngsters out of Challenge Cup". The Courier. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
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34. "Stalemate between Dundee & Morton at Dens Park". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
35. Robertson, Neil. "Gary Bowyer reveals goalkeeper concussion blow for Dundee ahead of crucial Inverness CT clash". The Courier. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
36. "Dundee back in Premiership after eight-goal epic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
37. "Ian Lawlor returns to Rovers". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
38. "Doncaster Rovers 0-1 Harrogate Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
39. Fogarty, Eugene (17 September 2013). "So About The Irish keeper On The City Bench Tonight". Balls.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
40. "Ian Lawlor". www.fai.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
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42. Blake, Ben (3 October 2016). "Uncapped pair called up as Ireland hit with a string of injuries ahead of World Cup qualifier". The42. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
43. "Graham Burke named in extended Republic of Ireland squad". BBC Sport. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
44. "Doncaster Rovers: Darren Ferguson grabbed the chance to sign Ian Lawlor with both hands". www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
45. Fennessy, Paul (4 October 2016). "All you need to know about the latest 2 uncapped players called up to Ireland's squad". The42. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
46. "Games played by Ian Lawlor in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
47. "Games played by Ian Lawlor in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
48. "Games played by Ian Lawlor in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
49. "Games played by Ian Lawlor in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
50. "Games played by Ian Lawlor in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
51. "Games played by Ian Lawlor in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
52. "Games played by Ian Lawlor in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
53. "Games played by Ian Lawlor in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2022.

External links

• Ian Lawlor on Twitter
• Ian Lawlor at Soccerway