Sweeper Keeper

Author:  Peter Kenny Jones
Published by Pitch Publishing. Buy it here.

Most of the members of Bill Shankly’s first great Liverpool team had autobiographies or biographies published about their professional careers during their playing days or shortly afterwards. There were always two major exceptions; Gordon Milne, whose story was finally told at the end of 2023 when he was closer to 90 than 80 and Tommy Lawrence, whose book was officially published about six months later.

The number of people author Peter Kenny Jones has spoken to as he was doing some extraordinary preparatory work before being able to see this tome in printed form seems to be never-ending. Obviously family members come very high on that long list but there are also lovely contributions from friends, colleagues, team-mates, neighbours and others who just knew him socially or casually. Peter explains this perfectly : “By speaking with those who knew him best inside and outside of football, we can begin to understand how his legacy should be much more than ‘that old bloke the BBC ran into for the famous interview” (in February 2015). Yes, that wonderful thirty seconds of exchange between the former player and presenter Stuart Flinders catapulted Tommy’s name back into the public’s football consciousness and was probably the catalyst for the author wanting to know more about the background of a man who had been stopped at random in the street.

Nobody has a bad word to say about Tommy and especially not in the book’s Foreword by his close friend and team-mate Ian Callaghan, the man who has made more first-team appearances for Liverpool than any other in the club’s history. Cally recalls “Tommy Lawrence was the most friendly guy, he never got upset and very rarely did you see him lose his temper”.

As a football-mad boy who went through his teenage years in the 1960s, I only saw Tommy play seven times between 1966 and 1970 plus maybe a couple more appearances in testimonial matches. He only conceded eight goals in those seven games and that reflected how hard he worked to protect his goal. But the eighth goal I saw go past him was at Watford and it was a goal which changed his life and the direction which LFC would be moving in going forwards.

I only met him once, at a function many former players attended in a lounge of what was then called The Centenary Stand at Anfield late in 1998. A table of some very famous names sat patiently as a long file of supporters went past them looking for a few words, an autograph or to share a memory. Sure, there were men with more medals than him there but nobody in that stellar line-up showed more interest in the people who wanted a few seconds of his time. I will always cherish that brief meeting for his kindness, courtesy and respect towards a complete stranger but I know now that that was the way he behaved towards everybody he met.

The 13 Liverpool matches I attended in the 1960s sky-rocketed to a further 345 in the decade that followed as I got used to watching a rebuilt team with another very influential goalkeeper as its last line of defence. But I never forgot the roots of my early days as a Liverpool supporter and in days when there was less of a media frenzy I tried to follow the fortunes of my early heroes, where they had moved on to and what they were doing. I knew that Tommy had moved on to Tranmere but with no internet or social media it was really hard to find out what these guys were doing after their Liverpool days were over. The beauty about the ignorance of such knowledge is that it has all now been revealed in this quite wonderful book. That so many have taken the time to record their memories of Tommy the man not just Tommy the footballer reflects hugely on how much he was loved and respected by nearly everyone he came into contact with.

This isn’t just a happy story though. There are sad moments that have to be recorded, empty promises that weren’t kept with the latter having a huge effect on how his life would pan out after his playing days were over. But sometimes books have to include The Good, The Bad & The Ugly because without all those parts you don’t get the full story. But the memories here (The Good if you like) from his children, grand-children and team-mates are crucial to the way the reader looks at Tommy Lawrence over fifty years after he pulled on a Liverpool jersey for the final time.

I read this book overnight at a single sitting. It was mesmerising. It is one of those narratives (and not every author can do this) where as you reach the end of a chapter you have to immediately press on with the next one because you need to know what happens next. My life is infinitely better for having read this book. My life is infinitely better for now knowing everything I need to know about the life and times of Thomas Johnstone Lawrence. There were some tough times to be endured but the beauty of this man’s character and personality shine out brightly from every page. This is a wonderful account of a truly extraordinary human being so well done indeed to all those who contributed towards it.

Review by Chris Wood