Jacob Christopher Lawlor (born 8 April 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for club

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. Lawlor played youth football for

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, but was released at the age of 14, and subsequently played non-league football for Liversedge, Ossett Town and Harrogate Railway Athletic before joining Guiseley in 2013. He had a loan spell at AFC Fylde in 2018, before being released by Guiseley later that year and subsequently joining Salford City in July 2018. However, he joined Wrexham just two months later, having not made an appearance for Salford City. He was released by Wrexham in summer 2020 and joined newly promoted League Two side

Harrogate Town Harrogate Town A.F.C. is a professional association football club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the Sulphurites, due to the ...

. After only one season at Harrogate, Lawlor joined League Two club Hartlepool United.

Career

Early career

Lawlor was born in Halifax and grew up in

Brighouse Brighouse is a town within the metropolitan borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 m ...

. He played youth football with

but was released at the age of 14. He played non-league football for Liversedge, joining the club at the age of 17, but left less than a year later to study at

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

. He joined Ossett Town at the age of 18. After a few years at Ossett Town, he joined Harrogate Railway Athletic in summer 2012.

Guiseley

In February 2013, Lawlor signed for Guiseley of the Conference North. He made his debut for the club against Boston United on 9 February 2013. In summer 2013, he extended his contract with the club for the 2013–14 season. On 23 March 2018, he joined AFC Fylde on loan until the end of the season. He was released by Guiseley at the end of the season.

Salford City and Wrexham

He joined National League club Salford City in July 2018, before moving to fellow National League side Wrexham on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee in September 2018. He was released by Wrexham at the beginning of July 2020.

Harrogate Town

Lawlor signed for

EFL League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

club

in August 2020. He made 17 league appearances across the 2020–21 season, but was released at the end of the season.

Hartlepool United

Lawlor signed for Hartlepool United on 1 August 2021 following a successful trial period, with the length of his contract not disclosed by the club. Lawlor made his Hartlepool debut as a late substitute in a 3–2 defeat to

Barrow Barrow may refer to: Places England * Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria ** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area ** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency) * Barrow, Cheshire * Barrow, Gloucestershire * Barro ...

. Lawlor joined National League club Bromley on a month-long loan on 22 September 2021, but remained an unused substitute through his loan spell.

Darlington

On 12 November 2021, Lawlor joined National League North club

on loan for two months. He was a regular member of the starting eleven, and Darlington's manager, Alun Armstrong, had expected the loan to be extended to the end of the season, but this did not happen. On 19 January 2022, a week after the loan expired, Lawlor's contract with Hartlepool was terminated by mutual consent. The following day, he signed for Darlington for the rest of the season, and remained with the club for the 2022–23 campaign. After the dismissal of manager Alun Armstrong and assistant

Darren Holloway Darren Holloway (born 3 October 1977 in Bishop Auckland, England) is a retired professional footballer. His former clubs include Bradford City (scoring once against Hull), Wimbledon, Scunthorpe United (scoring once against Yeovil), Sunderland a ...

on 6 September 2023, Lawlor was one of a group of three senior players tasked with covering managerial duties until an appointment was made.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawlor, Jake 1991 births Living people English men's footballers Footballers from Halifax, West Yorkshire Men's association football defenders Liversedge F.C. players Ossett Town A.F.C. players Harrogate Railway Athletic F.C. players Guiseley A.F.C. players AFC Fylde players Salford City F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players Harrogate Town A.F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. players Bromley F.C. players Darlington F.C. players National League (English football) players English Football League players Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University