Quick Facts
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James Lawrence (16 February 1879 – 21 November 1934) was a Scottish football player and manager. A goalkeeper, he played for Newcastle United between 1904 and 1922.
Career
Playing career
Born in Glasgow, Lawrence's first club was Partick Athletic, from where he moved to Glasgow Perthshire. Although still connected to Glasgow Perthshire, he played three matches in 1904 for Edinburgh side Hibernian when their regular custodian Harry Rennie was unavailable. He played with Newcastle for eighteen years after joining the Tyneside club in 1904 and still holds the record for making the most appearances for them - 432 league appearances, 496 matches in total.
He was thought to have been born in 1885, and used this year in his registration documents with Newcastle United, but sports historian Andy Mitchell found that he was in fact born six years earlier. This discovery makes him Newcastle United's oldest ever player.
With Newcastle he won the English Championship of 1905, 1907 and 1909, and the FA Challenge Cup of 1910. In the years 1905, 1906 1908 and 1911 he also reached the Cup final.
In 1911 he also represented the Scottish national team on one occasion. In a match for the British Home ChampionshipScotland then drew 1-1 with England at Goodison Park in Liverpool.
Management
Lawrence showed an aptitude for administration when Chairman of The Players' Union in his later days at Newcastle and after his playing retirement Lawrence moved into management. His first appointment was with then Second Division side South Shields (1922–1923) before joining Preston North End. He stayed with the Lilywhites until 1925, when he relocated to Germany to manage Karlsruher FV. With this club he won the regional championships of Württemberg/Baden in 1926 and of Baden in 1928, 1929 and 1931 which qualified the club to participate in the matches for the German football championship.
Lawrence later returned to Scotland and in 1933 was elected chairman of Stranraer. He died while in office a year later.
Honours
As a player
Newcastle United
- Football League championship: 1908–09
- FA Cup winner: 1910
- FA Cup finalist: 1908, 1911