Laurence Wilson
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Laurence Thomas Wilson (born 10 October 1986) is an English retired
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who last played for Connah's Quay Nomads. He was on the books at Everton as a teenager, and was capped by
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
at all youth levels up to and including under-19.


Playing career


Everton

Wilson is a graduate of the Everton F.C. Academy. He usually plays on the right wing, but can also play left-back. In November 2004, Wilson signed an 18-month professional contract with Everton. In the summer of 2005, he signed a contract extension with the club. He never played for the first-team, but he did make it to the bench, and was an unused substitute in the Champions League qualifier against Villarreal.


Mansfield Town

In January 2006, Wilson joined
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
on loan until the end of the season. He made his
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
debut in a 2–2 draw at
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
in February 2006 as a substitute and started the remaining 14 games of Mansfield's season afterwards, scoring in a 2–2 derby draw at Notts County. Following this, Wilson had his loan spell with Mansfield Town extended until the end of the season. Wilson became a crowd favourite at Field Mill. It was widely believed that he would join Mansfield permanently if he was released by Everton, especially after commenting that "Mansfield is just the type of club I would like to join if things don't work out t Everton I've enjoyed playing here and the fans have been good to me." Wilson was indeed released by Everton at the end of the 2005–06 season, and was offered a two-year contract by Mansfield. However, to the disappointment of the Mansfield fans, it was announced on 11 May 2006 that Wilson had snubbed the Stags and signed for
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 ...
rivals Chester City – one of the clubs closest geographically to Everton.


Chester City

Wilson made his league debut for Chester City where he set up a header for
Drewe Broughton Drewe Oliver Broughton (born 25 October 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He made over 540 senior appearances for 21 different clubs, scoring 116 goals, in a career spanning 17 years. Career Earlier ye ...
, in a 2–0 opening day of the season, win over Accrington Stanley on 5 August 2006. Then in a 0–0 draw against Notts County on 12 September 2006, he kept the club a clean sheet throughout the match and was named Man of the Match as a result. He started 34 of Chester's 46 league games, scoring in a 4–1 win over Lincoln City on 9 December 2006. He also found the net four times in cup football, which were against Stockport County, Clevedon Town,
Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
and
Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
. However, he started every match until he was sent–off, in a 3–0 loss against
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...
on Boxing Day, resulting him serving a one match suspension. Although he missed out two matches, due to injury later in the 2006–08 season he would predominantly play in the left wing back slot for the remainder of the season. Following the arrival of Bobby Williamson as Chester manager in May 2007, the side switched from a regular 3–5–2 formation to 4–4–2, with Wilson playing in the left-back slot. He remained a first-choice player during 2007–08 and scored a spectacular 30-yard free kick in Chester's 2–1 win at
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...
on 27 September 2007. After suffering an injury in late–December, Wilson scored on his return on 8 January 2008, in a 3–3 draw against Accrington Stanley. However, he then received a red card for a second bookable offence, in a 4–0 loss against
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
on 29 January 2008. Despite this, Wilson returned to the first team and regained his first team place for the rest of the season; eventually making forty–four appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. At the start of the 2008–09 season, Wilson continued to be in a first team regular. However, he began facing his own injury concern which last between September and November. After returning to the first team, Wilson was suspended twice and another was on 27 January 2009, in a 3–0 loss against
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
. After the match, Manager Mark Wright wasn't happy towards Wilson's sending off, stating that it was a disgrace and that he "cost us
hester Hester is both a female given name and a surname. As a given name Hester is a variant of Esther. As a surname it is of Germanic origin and uncertain meaning, possible roots being the Middle High German ''heister'' beech tree indicating residence ne ...
dearly." For this, Wilson served a three match suspension. As a result, he 2008–09 campaign saw Wilson score once in 34 league appearances as the club suffered relegation from League Two. Following the final match of the season, Wilson was released from his contract at Chester. Wilson later reflected about the club's relegation.


Morecambe

On 14 July 2009, Wilson signed a two-year deal with League Two side
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
after leaving Chester. Wilson made his Morecambe debut in the opening game of the season, starting the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
. Between 22 August 2009 and 5 September 2009, he set up two goals in two separate weeks against
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...
and
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
. Wilson then scored his Morecambe goal on 21 November 2009, in a 1–0 win over
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
, followed up by scoring, in a 4–0 win over
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 ...
three days later. Three weeks later, on 12 December 2009, he scored again, in a 5–0 win over
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
. Since making his debut for the club, Wilson started every match until he was suspended in January for picking five yellow cards this season. Despite suffering setbacks of another suspension and ankle injury, Wilson finished his first season, making forty–six appearances and scoring three times in all competitions. In the 2010–11 season, Wilson started the first four matches until he received a red card for a second bookable offence, in a 4–0 loss against
Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...
on 6 September 2010. For his performance, he served a three match suspension. After returning to the first team from suspension, Wilson regained his first team place and it wasn't until on 8 January 2011 when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Shrewsbury Town, followed up by scoring a brace, in a 2–1 win over
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
. However, in a 3–0 loss against Wycombe Wanderers on 26 March 2011, Wilson suffered an injury in the first half and was sidelined for several weeks. Although he returned to the first team for the rest of the game, Wilson went on to make forty–one appearances and scoring three times in all competitions. On 6 June 2011, he signed a contract extension with the club, keeping until the end of the 2011–12 season. In the 2011–12 season, Wilson continued to cement his first team place and started the season well when he scored in a 2–0 win over Northampton Town on 27 August 2011. Two weeks later, on 11 September 2011, Wilson scored, as well as, assisting a goal, in a 6–0 win over Crawley Town. Then, he scored on 22 October 2011, in a 4–0 win over
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
, followed up by scoring a brace, in a 3–3 draw against Rotherham United. He also scored in the first round of the FA Cup, in a 2–1 loss against
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
on 13 November 2011. However, as the 2011–12 season progressed, his season was later overshadowed with injuries. Nevertheless, he finished the season, making thirty–four appearances and scoring six times in all competitions. His time with them saw him consistently earn a place in the starting line-up, accumulating a total of 111 appearances and scoring 11 goals.


Rotherham United

At the end of the 2011–12 season Wilson signed for Rotherham United, signing a one–year contract, on 21 June 2012. Upon joining Rotherham United, Wilson said "it took two minutes" to convince him to join the club. Upon joining the club, Wilson was given a number three shirt ahead of the new season. Wilson made his Rotherham United debut in the first round of League Cup against Hull City, where he started the game before coming off in the 13th minute, as they went on to lose in the penalty–shootout after playing 120 minutes. He then started the whole game in the opening game of the season, in a 3–0 win over Burton Albion. Wilson then started every match since the start of the season as a left–back, until he suffered a knee injury that sidelined for several weeks and even though he recovered, he never played for Rotherham United's first team again. Although he returned from injury, Wilson's contract was terminated by mutual consent on 23 November 2012. On 23 November 2012, WilsonIt was later revealed that Wilson left early over family reason and desire "to move back home to Liverpool." Following his release, Wilson returned to Morecambe, where he played in the club's reserve match.


Accrington Stanley

In January 2013, he signed for Accrington Stanley until the end of the season. Wilson made his Accrington Stanley debut two days later on 5 January 2013 after signing for the club, starting the game before being substituted in the 61st minute, in a 2–0 loss against
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
. Since making his Accrington Stanley debut, Wilson quickly became a first team regular for the side and he went on to make nineteen appearances for the side at the end of the 2012–13 season. For his performance, Wilson signed a contract extension. In the 2013–14 season, Wilson continued to be a first team regular at the start of the season until he suffered an injury that kept him out for several months. Although he returned to the first team, in a 1–1 draw against Wycombe Wanderers on 2 November 2013, his return was short–lived when he suffered another injury. Having lost his first team place throughout 2013, he then came on as a second–half substitute, in his first appearances in months, where he set up one of the goals, in a 3–3 draw against Newport County on 11 January 2014. He also set up another goal, in a 3–2 loss against
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
on 8 February 2014. However, in a 0–0 draw against Bury on 18 February 2014, he received a straight red card a foul in the first half, resulting him serving a three match ban. Unfortunately, once again, Wilson suffered another injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. Despite this, Lawrence went on to make sixteen appearances in all competitions. At the end of the 2013–14 season, he was released by the club.


Morecambe (second spell)

On 16 July 2014, Wilson re–joined Morecambe for the second time of his career, signing a one–year contract. Wilson made his Morecambe debut for the second time of his career, in a 3–0 win over Dagenham & Redbridge in the opening game of the season. After missing one game in the follow-up, due to the club's rotation that left him out of the starting eleven, he returned to the first team on 19 August 2011, in a 1–0 win over Oxford United in the follow-up match. However, Wilson's return was short–lived when he suffered an ankle ligament injury during a 2–1 win over Cambridge United on 23 August 2014. After two months with an injury, he returned to training in mid–October and returned to the first team from injury, in a 2–0 loss against Exeter City on 26 October 2014. He then scored his first goal for the club on 7 March 2015, in a 3–2 win over Luton Town. Despite suffering an injury during the 2014–15 season, Wilson went on to make thirty–six appearances and scoring once in all competitions. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Wilson was awarded for the Goal of the Season, which was against Luton Town on 7 March 2015 and earned himself a contract extension after being trigged for another season. At the start of the 2015–16 season, Wilson continued to retained his left–position until he suffered injuries at the start of September. His injury plagued suffer much further that sidelined him for two months. It wasn't until on 21 November 2015 when he made his first team return, in a 0–0 draw against
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
. Although he had a hand of first team for the next two months between November and January, Wilson soon lost his first team place to
Luke Conlan Luke Vincent Conlan (born 31 October 1994) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for NIFL Premiership side Cliftonville. Club career Born in Portaferry, County Down, Conlan attended St Columba's School in the to ...
for the rest of the season, as well as, his own injury concern. Despite this, Wilson went on to make twenty–two appearances in all competitions. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Wilson was released by the club on 6 May 2016, with one game left to go.


Bangor City

Wilson joined Welsh Premier League side
Bangor City Bangor City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Bangor) are an inactive Welsh football club from the City of Bangor, Gwynedd. They started the 2021–22 season in the Cymru North the second level of the Welsh football league system, but ...
on 9 August 2016. Three days after signing for the club, Wilson made his Bangor City debut in the opening game of the season, in a 2–1 win over Cefn Druids. However, he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for seven weeks. It wasn't until October when he returned to training from injury. It wasn't until on 9 April 2017 when he scored his first Bangor City goal, in a 3–2 win over
Cardiff Metropolitan University , image_name = Shield of Cardiff Metropolitan University.svg , image_size = 150px , motto = cy, Gorau Meddiant Gwybodaeth , mottoeng = The most valuable possession is knowledge , established = 2011 – Car ...
. Despite suffering another injury later in the season, Wilson helped the side qualify for the UEFA Europa League next season. At the end of the 2016–17 season, making seventeen appearances and scoring once, Wilson signed a one–year contract extension with the club.


Connah's Quay Nomads

In May 2018, he signed for Connah's Quay Nomads. He made his competitive debut in a 3-1
Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
defeat to Shakhtyor Soligorsk. He made a total of 22 competitive appearances and scored one goal before leaving the club in January 2019 and retired from football.


International career

Wilson was a runner up in the 2005 European Under-19 Championship when England U19 lost against France. Wilson previously appeared for England U18 in March 2004.


Career statistics

:A.  The "Other" column constitutes appearances (including substitutes) and goals in the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
.


Personal life

Despite starting out at Everton, Wilson grew up supporting
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. In February 2011, Wilson became a father when his partner gave birth, which caused him to miss a match, in a 2–0 loss against Lincoln City on 12 February 2011.


References


External links

*
England FA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Laurence 1986 births Footballers from Huyton Living people Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football midfielders Men's association football utility players English men's footballers Everton F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Morecambe F.C. players Rotherham United F.C. players English Football League players England men's youth international footballers Accrington Stanley F.C. players Bangor City F.C. players Cymru Premier players Connah's Quay Nomads F.C. players