Friday 12 August 2016 06:48, UK
As Bristol Rovers prepare to face Cardiff City in the EFL Cup on Sky Sports this Thursday, Adam Bate caught up with Rovers veteran Liam Lawrence to discuss his time in Greece, the reunion with the Bluebirds and an impressive knack of winning promotion...
"Is it six or seven now?" laughs Liam Lawrence. It's six, but when you've won promotion as many times as he has, it's easy to lose count. He's become something of an expert. The first was with Mansfield Town, the club where his career began, and they've just kept coming.
The 34-year-old has helped take Sunderland to the Premier League twice and Stoke once. That's a long way away for current club Bristol Rovers, but they are on the way up after back-to-back promotions. Lawrence missed the first. He was busy doing it with Shrewsbury.
In between it all, there was the financial crisis at Portsmouth and even time for a spell in Greece with PAOK Salonika. It was there that Lawrence found himself hiding away in the mountains on police advice as the "crazy" fans of a rival club lay in wait for the team.
When things didn't go well, the home support were little better. "I knew it would be different but there was so much passion, it was intense," he tells Sky Sports. "If you don't get results, then there's a backlash from the supporters."
I knew it would be different but there was so much passion, it was intense.
For the most part, Lawrence avoided that fate, with the highlight being a brilliant volleyed goal against local rival Aris. He still moved on soon after that 2012/13 season. "You have to be mentally strong to cope with the things that go on out there, but I did enjoy it," he adds.
"Obviously I had to leave Portsmouth with all the financial mess that was going on. My agent rang me and told me he'd spoken to someone in Greece. They were one of the top clubs so I spoke to them, got a feel for the place, and that was it. The lifestyle was good."
Back in the British game - "it was like I'd never left really" - Lawrence had a brief spell in the Championship with Barnsley before returning to where it had all began, in the fourth tier. A successful season at Shrewsbury has been followed by another with Rovers. He's happy.
"We've got a great set of lads which is important and a good staff, so the morale is always high," says the former Republic of Ireland international. "It has been since I've been here for the past six months or so now, to be fair. Pre-season has been good and I've worked hard."
Even so, a minor injury kept Lawrence out of Rovers' opener at Scunthorpe. "It definitely gets tougher," he admits. "You have to manage yourself. You can't do everything that's going on every day, sometimes you have to take a step back and rest the legs."
So will League One be a problem for Lawrence and for Rovers? They were beaten 3-1 at the weekend and he expects it to be a challenging year. "We found that with Shrewsbury last season," he explains. "We did really well and then we went up and it was tough at times.
"But coming off the back of two promotions, the club is going in the right direction. It's important we keep our feet on the ground and don't get carried away. I have been telling the lads that it's going to be tougher than some people expect."
An early season test in the EFL Cup against Cardiff City, live on Sky Sports, is just the sort of test that's likely to keep expectations in check. And for Lawrence, it's another of his former clubs, having spent a brief period on loan there four years ago.
"I've got fond memories of my time there," he says. "We finished in the play-offs but we were unlucky that we came up against a good West Ham side. They're a good club with a good following and I'm sure they'll bring plenty to our place.
"There have been a lot of changes there and it's been a frustrating time for the supporters but hopefully now they're finding their feet again. I actually think they'll do pretty well this year, fingers crossed. It's going to be a good test for us and we're up for the challenge."
So what does the future hold for Lawrence after football? "I will be going into coaching," he says. "I've just finished my B Licence. I'm already on the ladder in that respect. But for now I just want to concentrate on playing and seeing what Bristol Rovers can achieve."
It remains to be seen whether that includes one more promotion for the road. "I've had a few and I know what it's like to be in the mix at the end of the season. The aim is to finish as high as possible." With Lawrence eyeing promotion number seven, don't rule Rovers out.
