Alex Lawless facts for kids

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Alex Lawless

Lawless playing for Luton Town in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Alexander Graham Lawless
Date of birth	(1985-03-26) 26 March 1985 (age 40)
Place of birth	Tonypandy, Wales
Height	5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m)
Playing position	Right-back, midfielder
Club information
Current club	Luton Town (Under-18s academy coach)
Youth career
0000–2002	Cardiff City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2003	Ton Pentre	33	(10)
2003–2005	Fulham	0	(0)
2005–2006	Torquay United	14	(0)
2006–2009	Forest Green Rovers	102	(8)
2009–2011	York City	51	(4)
2010–2011	→ Luton Town (loan)	5	(1)
2011–2016	Luton Town	164	(17)
2016–2017	Yeovil Town	33	(1)
2017–2019	Leyton Orient	44	(0)
2019–2020	Ebbsfleet United	11	(0)
Total		457	(41)
National team
2003	Wales U19	1	(0)
2006	Wales U21	1	(0)
2007–2008	Wales semi-pro	2	(1)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Alexander Graham Lawless (born 26 March 1985) is a Welsh former professional footballer. He now works as an Under-18s Academy Assistant Coach at Luton Town. Alex played as a right-back or midfielder. He played for several teams in the English Football League, including Torquay United, Luton Town, and Yeovil Town.

Lawless started his football journey in the youth system at Cardiff City. He then played for Welsh Football League club Ton Pentre. In 2003, he joined Premier League club Fulham. After leaving Fulham in 2005, he spent a season with Torquay United. He then moved to Forest Green Rovers in the Conference National. He played there for three seasons and was even named the club's Players' Player of the Season in 2007–08. He also played in the final of the Conference League Cup.

In 2009, Alex joined York City. He played for them in the 2010 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley Stadium. Later, in 2010, he joined Luton Town, first on loan, then permanently. After two attempts to get promoted, Lawless and Luton Town finally won the Conference Premier title in the 2013–14 season. This meant they moved up to League Two.

Alex also represented Wales at different age levels. He played for the under-19 team twice. He also played once for the under-21 team in 2006. He made two appearances for the semi-pro team. He played against Italy in 2007 and scored a goal against England C in 2008.

Alex Lawless's Club Career

Starting Out in Football

Alex Lawless was born in Tonypandy, Wales. He went to Tonypandy Comprehensive School. He began his football career in the youth team at Cardiff City. After leaving Cardiff, he focused on his school studies. Later, he played for Welsh Football League Division One club Ton Pentre. He played 33 league games and scored 10 goals in the 2002–03 season. This included scoring two goals in a big 9–0 win.

After a six-week trial, he signed a professional contract with Premier League club Fulham in August 2003.

Time at Torquay United

Fulham released Alex in May 2005. He then had a trial with League Two club Torquay United in July. Lawless signed for Torquay for free. The manager, Leroy Rosenior, asked fans to be patient with young players like Alex.

He played his first game for Torquay on 6 August 2005. It was a 0–0 draw against Notts County. He had to leave the game early due to an injury. He returned from injury in September 2005. This was in a 2–1 win against Shrewsbury Town. He got another injury in November 2005. He came back to play in December 2005. He scored an own goal against Wycombe Wanderers in December 2005. This meant the game ended in a 2–2 draw. His last game for Torquay in that season was in February 2006. He was released by Torquay after playing 16 games.

Playing for Forest Green Rovers

Lawless playing for Forest Green Rovers in 2009

Alex joined Conference National club Forest Green Rovers in August 2006. He played his first game for them on 12 August 2006. Alex scored his first goal for the club in February 2007. It was a "spectacular" long-range shot. He finished the 2006–07 season with 40 games and one goal.

He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Crawley Town in February 2008. Lawless played 41 games and scored three goals in the 2007–08 season. Forest Green finished eighth, their highest ever position. He won the Player of the Season award for his great performances.

At the start of the 2008–09 season, he played as a right-back. He scored a goal from 20 yards in a 1–1 draw. He had some injuries during this season, including a hip injury and an ankle injury. He also scored a "fierce" long-range goal in a 1–0 win against Mansfield Town in November 2008.

In an FA Cup game in January 2009, Alex scored against Championship team Derby County. Forest Green was winning 2–0, but they ended up losing 4–3. He missed some games due to a hamstring injury. He returned to play in the 2009 Conference League Cup Final. Forest Green lost this final on a penalty shoot-out. His season ended early when he broke his leg in April 2009. He played 39 games and scored six goals that season.

Moving to York City

Lawless playing for York City in 2009

Alex signed a one-year contract with York City in June 2009. He chose York even though two other Football League clubs wanted him. He played his first game for York on 8 August 2009. He missed a game in September 2009 due to a virus. He scored his first goal for York in a 1–0 win against Gateshead in November 2009.

He injured his hamstring in February 2010. He returned as a substitute in March. He played in both games of York's play-off semi-final win against Luton Town. York won 2–0 overall. He started in the 2010 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley Stadium on 16 May. York lost this final 3–1. He played 45 games and scored one goal for York that season.

He played his first game of the 2010–11 season in August 2010. He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win against Tamworth in September 2010.

Joining Luton Town

On 8 November 2010, Lawless joined Luton Town, first on a loan. He was set to join them permanently in January 2011. York City did not want him to leave, but Luton offered more money. He played his first game for Luton on 11 November 2010. In the next game, Alex scored his first goal for Luton. It was the winning goal in a 1–0 victory.

Alex signed a permanent contract with Luton in January 2011. He played a bigger role in the team after another midfielder left. He scored a "superb" goal from 35 yards in a play-off semi-final game. Luton won that game 3–0. He played in the 2011 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley. He missed the first penalty kick in the shoot-out, and Luton lost 4–3.

Lawless playing for Luton Town in 2011

In September 2011, Alex broke his hand after hitting a wall. This happened during a game against his old club, York. He was out for about a month and was fined by Luton. He played in Luton's 2012 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley in May 2012. They lost 2–1 to York City. Alex signed a new one-year contract with Luton in July 2012.

The manager, Paul Buckle, praised Alex for his "quality" and "hard work" in December 2012. This was after Alex played his 100th game for the club. He scored the winning goal in Luton's 1–0 FA Cup win against Championship team Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2013. He was even voted the competition's Player of the Round. Alex played 48 games and scored five goals that season.

His great performances led to him being voted the Player of the Season by both fans and teammates for the 2012–13 season. He signed a new two-year contract with Luton in May 2013.

Alex had a groin injury at the start of the 2013–14 season. He made his first start in September in a 3–0 win against Dartford. In that game, he scored one goal and helped set up another. This win helped Luton start a 27-game unbeaten run in the league. Alex was a big part of this, scoring five more goals and getting 10 assists. He played 32 games and scored six goals that season. He missed the end of the season due to injury. On 15 April 2014, Luton won the Conference Premier title and were promoted to League Two. This was Alex's first title and promotion as a player.

Alex had many injuries during the 2014–15 season. He played 15 league games and scored three goals. Even with limited playing time, his contract was extended until the end of the 2015–16 season.

On 10 May 2016, it was announced that Alex's contract would not be renewed. He had played 203 games and scored 22 goals for Luton since 2010. He left the club when his contract ended.

Later Career Teams

On 29 July 2016, Alex signed a one-year contract with League Two club Yeovil Town. He was released by Yeovil at the end of the 2016–17 season.

On 11 July 2017, Alex signed a two-year contract with National League club Leyton Orient. He was released at the end of the 2018–19 season.

Lawless then signed for National League club Ebbsfleet United on 27 June 2019.

Playing for Wales

Alex Lawless played once for the Wales national under-19 team on 24 September 2003. He came on as a substitute in a 2–1 win against Greece. He played his only game for the under-21 team in a 1–0 loss to Northern Ireland in February 2006.

He played his first game for the Wales semi-pro team in a 4–2 loss to Italy in November 2007. He also played for the semi-pro team against England C in February 2008. He scored a goal from 20 yards in their 2–1 loss. He was supposed to play against Finland in November, but he missed the game due to an injury.

How Alex Lawless Plays

Alex Lawless can play in many different positions. He can play as a right or left midfielder, a central midfielder, or a right-back. He is comfortable in all these roles, but he prefers to play in midfield. He has also played as a second striker.

When he plays as a right midfielder, he is described as "skilful." People say he is "comfortable on the ball, a good passer, mobile and with an eye for goal." A manager named Graham Westley said Alex was a player who always played well. When Alex signed for York, manager Martin Foyle said he was a "great all-rounder" and a "technically good footballer." His teammate Richard Brodie praised Alex's teamwork in midfield.

Alex Lawless's Life Outside Football

After joining York City in 2009, Alex lived in a house with some of his teammates. Alex is interested in art. He studied art for his GCSE. He once said he might want to make a living from art one day, but football was his main focus. He is a fan of Manchester United. People first noticed his interest in art when he painted a picture of the manager, Alex Ferguson.

Career statistics

Honours

Luton Town

• Conference Premier: 2013–14

Leyton Orient

• National League: 2018–19

Individual

• Luton Town Player of the Season: 2012–13

See Also

• List of Wales international footballers