Promotion expert Lawrence

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.”

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,” …

continue reading in source www.skysports.com