Farewell to Tommy, the Kop’s sweeper-keeper
The ‘ Flying Pig’ was his playful if unflattering nickname, but Tommy Lawrence’s influence on a Liverpool team that laid the foundations for an era of dominance went beyond the fact that he could throw his bulky frame around to make spectacular saves.
Lawrence, who died yesterday aged 77, was the original sweeperkeeper detailed by Bill Shankly to patrol the 18-yard line and provide Liverpool with a formidable extra layer of defence.
‘The first thing I heard was 30 thousand Koppites yelling, “Lawrence, get back in your goal!”’ the Scotland international recalled in a moving video on the club’s official website. ‘But in the end we were conceding less than anyone.’
Lawrence missed only four league matches in six seasons between 1963 and 1969, including three ever-present campaigns. he won League titles in 1963- 64 and 1965-66 and the FA Cup in 1965.
After joining as an apprentice he made his debut in a 1-0 defeat by West Brom in October 1962 and played 390 matches for Liverpool before moving on to Tranmere.
he continued to attend matches, though, and memorably was stopped in the street by an unwitting BBC reporter in 2015 and asked if he could remember the FA Cup fifthround derby in 1967 at Goodison Park. ‘Yes, I played in it,’ he said. ‘I was Liverpool’s goalkeeper!’
Ray Clemence, who took over from him at Anfield, led the tributes yesterday when he tweeted: ‘ Sad to hear of the passing of LFC legend Tommy Lawrence. A gentleman who I had the privilege of training with. I learnt so much about being a sweeper-keeper from him.’
A statement from Liverpool said: ‘Liverpool Football Club is deeply saddened by the passing of former goalkeeper Tommy Lawrence.
‘Tommy was a key member of Bill Shankly’s first great Reds side in the early 1960s. The thoughts of everybody at the club are with Tommy’s family and friends.’