Lawless glad to finally be in his prime position Winger feels he’d hit top form before shutdown
IN some ways, Steven Lawless has been a victim of his own success. The Livingston winger, formerly on the books at Partick Thistle, has been in scintillating form for Gary Holt’s side this season as the West Lothian club chalked up a remarkable fifth-place league finish. The 29-year-old has thrived in his favoured role as a winger this year, having spent much of the previous two campaigns filling in further back on the pitch.
Lawless’ versatility seems to have worked against his own interests at times. He says he always knew his biggest strengths suited him to a role in the final third, but conceded that the time spent elsewhere on the park provided a sense of determination to make the most of his chance when he was moved further up the pitch this season.
“The first season I played the majority of my games out of position,” Lawless explained. “We played a 3-5-2 and I was at right wing-back, but it gave me the chance to get further forward. It worked but this year I’ve been put in my correct position and it’s been my best season I’ve had in the SPFL.
“This is the first real year in maybe three seasons that I’ve had a continued run at my natural position so I think that gave me an extra motivation to prove that I could do that position. I think the years not playing there have helped me this season.”
It is an opportunity that he has firmly grasped. Eight goals and six assists in the Premiership this season would suggest that Lawless is thriving in his preferred role as a winger. In fact, only three other players – Celtic trio Odsonne Edouard, Ryan Christie and James Forrest – have got a greater combined goals and assist tally than the Livi man. The ex-Motherwell academy player is even ahead of Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos in this regard – even if the scale of his achievements hadn’t quite sunk in yet.
“I didn’t know that! That’s crazy, I wouldn’t have thought that,” Lawless said. “It’s been a good season and I’ve really enjoyed it. I wasn’t great every game – I had some very, very good runs – but if I was off the boil I always knew I would play the next one because of how much David Martindale trusted me.
“He knew how I could affect the game. A lot of it was geared towards getting me the ball in those positions. In other years I was trying to hold onto the ball but this year I was always looking for a killer pass.”
Lawless’ on-field partnership with Lyndon Dykes has been particularly fruitful, with the winger insisting that the former Queens striker is the perfect foil for him – and a nightmare for opposing defenders to deal with.
“I try to get as close to him as possible,” Lawless explained. “He’s the perfect player for me to play with because he’s the complete opposite of me. He’s rapid which I didn’t expect and he’s very physical. I don’t think
I’ve ever played with a striker who ruffles up the defenders as much as him, he gets under their skin something awful.
“Every defender in the league must hate playing against him. That’s perfect for me. The full-back is worrying about me but it gives me licence to drift into positions beside him. It’s worked perfectly for both of us. He’s a great player to play with and he’s got attributes that are very difficult to find.”