Paddy McNair

Name: Patrick James Coleman McNair
Born: 27 April 1995, Ballyclare
Height: 6.00 ft
Weight: 11.04 st
Position: Defender / Midfielder

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Under-21, 5 Under-19 Caps, 1 Under-17 Cap, 7 Under-16 Schoolboy Caps.

Club Career:
Teams....... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- League. FA Cup FL Cup Europe
Ballyclare Colts .............. Youth
Manchester U 14/15-15/16 May-11 Youth 15(9)/0 2(0)/0 ...... 1(0)/0
Sunderland.. 16/17-17/18 Aug-16 £5.0m 
Middlesbro' .18/19- date Jul-18 £5.0m

Biography:
Paddy McNair joined Manchester United as a sixteen year-old midfielder in 2011. He was converted to defence when the reserve team where short of players and was promoted to the firstteam squad for the first time in August 2014 when he was an unused sub in a League Cup tie at MK Dons. Just a few weeks later he was again thrust into action due to a shortage of players, starting in the centre of defence for a Premier League match against West Ham at Old Trafford where he put in a man of the match performance in a 2-1 win. In addition, he has also featured at right-back for United's first team.

To date McNair has mostly seen action in midfield for Northern Ireland's age-group teams. He received his first senior call up in November 2014, shortly after his breakthrough at Old Trafford, and was an unused substitute against Romania. He made his senior international debut the following March at right-back in a friendly against Scotland and added a second cap as a midfield against Qatar in May. With Conor McLaughlin suspended for the key Euro 2016 qualifier against Greece, McNair played at right-back in a 3-1 win and retained his place for the following match against Finland.

Throughout the build-up to the 2016 European Championships in France Michael O'Neill employed McNair in a variety of positions, mostly in an eclectic mix midfield roles, both attacking and defensive. He started the opening match of the tournament against Poland, but was one of the victims of an unsuccessful tactical try-out that led to an underwhelming 1-0 defeat. His only other outing in France was as a late sub in the 2-0 win over Ukraine.

Back at Old Trafford there was upheaval as Louis Van Gaal made way for Jose Mourinho, a manager renowned for not giving young players a chance. McNair was allowed to leave for Sunderland in a combined deal with Donald Love valued at £5.5 million, though the majority of that was apportioned to McNair. At the Stadium of Light he teamed-up with ex-United boss David Moyes.

ManchesterUnited
IrishFA

Northern Ireland Full Cap Details:
25-03-2015 Scotland..... A L 0-1 FR
31-05-2015 Qatar........ N D 0-0 FR
04-09-2015 Faroe Islands A W 3-1 ECQ sub
08-10-2015 Greece....... H W 3-1 ECQ 
11-10-2015 Finland...... A D 1-1 ECQ
24-03-2016 Wales........ A D 1-1 FR
28-03-2016 Slovenia..... H W 1-0 FR
27-05-2016 Belarus...... H W 3-0 FR
04-06-2016 Slovakia..... A D 0-0 FR
12-06-2016 Poland....... N L 0-1 ECF
16-06-2016 Ukraine...... N W 2-0 ECF sub

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
05-03-2014 Italy. H L 0-2 ECQ sub
09-09-2014 Serbia H L 1-4 ECQ
still active

Lee Camp

Name: Lee Michael John Camp
Born: 22 August 1984, Derby (England)
Height: 5.11 ft
Weight: 11.11 st
Position: Goalkeeper

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 9 Full Caps (2011-2012); England: 5 Under-21 Caps, 1 Under-20 Cap; Football League: Under-21 Representative (2006).
Awards: PFA Football League Championhip Team of the Year 2010.

Club Career:
Teams.........--Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup Other
Derby County..02/03-06/07 Jul-02 Youth .90(1)/0 4(0)/0 2(0)/0 2(0)/0
Burton Albion 02/03 ..... Jan-03 .Loan ..5(0)/0
QPR.......... 03/04 ..... Mar-04 .Loan .12(0)/0
Norwich City. 06/07 ..... Sep-06 .Loan ..3(0)/0
QPR.......... 06/07 ..... Feb-07 .Loan .11(0)/0
QPR.......... 07/08-08/09 Jul-07 £300k .50(0)/0 1(0)/0 2(0)/0
Nott'm Forest 08/09 ..... Oct-08..Loan .15(0)/0
Nott'm Forest 09/10-12/13 Jul-09 £100k 163(0)/0 7(0)/0 4(0)/0 6(0)/0
Norwich City. 12/13 ..... Jan-13..Free ..1(2)/0
West Brom ... 13/14 ..... Sep-13 .Free ..0(0)/0
Bournemouth . 13/14-14/15 Oct-13. Free .42(0)/0 3(0)/0 2(0)/0
Rotherham Utd 15/16-16/17 Aug-15 .Free .59(0)/0 1(0)/0
Cardiff City. 17/18 ..... Jun-17 .Free ..0(0)/0
Sunderland .. 17/18 ..... Jan-18 .Loan .11(1)/0
Birmingham C. 18/19- date Aug-18 .Free

Biography:
A former England Under-21 goalkeeper, Lee Camp declared his interest in playing for Northern Ireland in September 2010 having become frustrated at his failure to break into the England senior squad. Eligible for Northern Ireland through his Belfast-born grandfather, the required FIFA clearance for changing countries was received the following February and he was called into the Northern Ireland squad for the first time for a Euro 2012 double-header against Serbia and Slovenia the following month. After much discussion as to whether he would go straight into the starting eleven, Nigel Worthington's decision was made easier as Maik Taylor withdrew from the squad due to an injury and Camp started in Belgrade.

Northern Ireland's regular number one through the last year of Nigel Worthington's management, Camp's position came under pressure when Roy Carroll returned to the squad. In September 2012, after finding himself relegated to the bench, he withdrew from the international squad for "personal reasons" and he has not returned since. His club career likewise suffered and in January 2013 he was released by new Forest manager Alex McLeish, moving on to Norwich City on a short-term deal.

Camp provided goalkeeping cover for the Canaries for the remainder of the 2012/13 season, making his Premier League debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw at Sunderland following the sending-off of Mark Bunn. When Bunn returned from suspension and regular number one John Ruddy returned to fitness Camp found himself as third choice and his contract was not renewed at the end of the campaign.

Early in the following season he was given the opportunity to remain in the Premier League, again on a short-term contract, with West Brom who were suffering a goalkeeper shortage. He never made it beyond the bench at the Hawthorns and when the club's more established custodians returned to fitness Camp was allowed to go on loan to Bournemouth. After good form with the Cherries his deal was made permanent in the January 2014 transfer window. He played 13 time as Bournemouth claimed promotion to the Premier League for the first time, but having been displaced by Artur Boruc he was released early in that historic campaign and subsequently joined Rotherham.

Soccerbase
Wikipedia

Northern Ireland Cap details:

25-03-2011 Serbia....... A L 1-2 ECQ 
29-03-2011 Slovenia..... H D 0-0 ECQ 
10-08-2011 Faroe Islands H W 4-0 ECQ 
02-09-2011 Serbia....... H L 0-1 ECQ 
06-09-2011 Estonia...... A L 1-4 ECQ 
07-09-2011 Estonia...... H L 1-2 ECQ
29-02-2012 Norway....... H L 0-3 FR
02-06-2012 Netherlands.. A L 0-6 FR
15-08-2012 Finland...... H D 3-3 FR sub

Summary: 8(1)/0. Won 1, Drew 2, Lost 6.

Pictures by Roy Cathcart and @ourweecountry

Liam Bagnall

Name: Liam Bagnall
Born: 17 May 1992, Newry
Height: 5.11 ft
Weight: 10.04 st
Position: Defender

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Under-21 Cap, 17 Under-19 Caps, 11 Under-17 Caps, 7 Under-16 Caps / 1 Goal.
Club Honours: (with Warrenpoint) NIFL Championship Winner 2016/17; Mid Ulster Cup Winner 2016/17.

Club Career:
Teams...... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- League FA Cup FL Cup Europe Other
Windmill Stars ............... Youth (Carnbane League/Mid Ulster League)
Glenavon...................... Youth 0(0)/0
Sunderland .............. 2009 Youth 0(0)/0
Darlington. 11/12 ..... Jan-12 .Loan 2(0)/0 
Warrenpoint 13/14-16/17 Jun-13 .Free 
Cliftonville 17/18-date

Biography:
Liam Bagnall was released by Sunderland at the end of the 2011/12 season.

He joined Warrenpoint Town for their debut season as a senior club in 2013/14.

More to follow.

IFA Website


Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
17-11-2010 Scotland A L 1-3 FR sub
still active

Robbie Weir

Name: Robert J. Weir

Born: 9 December 1988, Belfast

Height: 5.09 ft
Weight: 
Position: Midfielder

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 B Cap (2009), Under-21, Youth.
Club Honours: (with Larne) Irish Cup Runner-Up 2004/05; (with Burton) Football League One Runner-Up 2015/16; Football League Two Champion 2014/15.
Awards: Ulster Young Footballer of the Year 2005.

Club Career:

Teams........ --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup Other

Larne Youth

Larne........ 04/05 ..... c/s-04 Youth

Sunderland .............. May-05 Youth .0 (0)/0

York City.... 10/11 ..... Nov-10 .Loan .5 (0)/0 2(0)/0

Tranmere Rvrs 10/11 ..... Feb-11 .Loan 16 (2)/0

Tranmere Rvrs 11/12 ..... May-11 .Free 29(10)/3 1(0)/0 1(0)/0 2(1)/0
Burton Albion 12/13-15/16 May-12 .Free 153(7)/7 8(0)/0 8(1)/1 7(0)/1
Leyton Orient 16/17 ..... May-16 .Free
Chesterfield. 17/18- date Aug-17 .Free

Biography:
Robbie Weir scored his first Irish Premier League goal for Larne as a fifteen year-old in a 5-2 win over Crusaders in October 2004. By February he had agreed a move to England, Sunderland beating the likes of Fulham, Rangers and Stoke to his signature. He played his final game for Larne in their 2005 Irish Cup final defeat by Portadown.
..
Weir made his senior debut in English football during a loan spell at Blue Square Bet Premier side, York City, where he played in the same team as Northern Ireland keeper, Michael Ingham. In February 2011 Weir then joined Tranmere on loan until the end of the season before making the deal permanent in May.

After a full season with Tranmere Weir moved on to Burton Albion and he helped them to successive promotions in 2015 and 2016 that saw them arrive in the Championship for the first time. However, he had lost his place in the starting eleven mid-way through the 2015/16 campaign and was released that summer. He then dropped down to League Two with Leyton Orient where he was immediately appointed captain.

More to follow.

Northern Ireland B Cap Details:

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:

Trevor Carson

(theGAWA)

Name: Trevor Carson
Born: 5 March 1988, Killyleagh
Height: 6.00ft
Weight: 14.01 st
Position: Goalkeeper

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 B Cap (2009), 15 Under-21 Caps, 2 Under-20 Caps, 9 Under-19 Caps, 2 Under-18 Caps, 8 Under-17 Caps.
Club Honours: (with Motherwell) Scottish Cup Runner-Up 2017/18; League Cup Runner-Up 2017/18.

Club Career:
Teams....... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- -League- FA Cup FL Cup Other
Sunderland.............. Nov-04 Youth .0(0)/ 0
Chesterfield 08/09 ..... Aug-08 .Loan 18(0)/ 0 2(0)/0
Lincoln City 10/11 ..... Jan-11 .Loan 16(0)/ 0
Brentford .. 10/11 ..... Mar-11 .Loan .1(0)/ 0 
Bury ....... 11/12 ..... Sep-11 .Loan .8(0)/ 0
Hull City .. 11/12 ..... Jan-12 .Loan .0(0)/ 0 
Bury ....... 11/12 ..... Feb-12 .Loan .9(0)/ 0 
Bury ....... 12/13-13/14 May-12 .Free 44(0)/ 0 3(0)/0 1(0)/0 2(0)/0
Portsmouth . 13/14 ..... Oct-13 .Loan 37(0)/ 0 1(0)/0 ...... 2(0)/0
Cheltenham T 14/15 ..... Jun-14 .Free 46(0)/ 0 2(0)/0 1(0)/0 2(0)/0
Hartlepool U 15/16-16/17 Jun-15 .Free 57(0)/ 0 6(0)/0
Motherwell . 17/18- date Jun-17 £ 10k

Biography:

First called-up to the senior squad in February 2010, it would be a full eight years before Trevor Carson made his debut against Korea in 2018.

More to follow.

IrishFA
Soccerbase
Wikipedia

Northern Ireland Full Cap Details:
24-03-2018 Korea Rep. H 2 W-1 FR
still active

Northern Ireland B Cap Details:
06-05-2009 Scotland.. A L 0-3 FR. sub

Summary: 0(1)/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
14-11-2006 Germany... A L 1-2 FR. sub
06-02-2007 Wales..... H L 0-4 FR. sub
24-03-2007 Romania... A L 0-2 FR. sub
24-05-2007 Scotland.. A L 0-4 FR. sub
16-11-2007 Luxembourg H W 5-0 ECQ sub
26-03-2008 Romania... H L 1-3 FR
19-08-2008 Poland.... N L 0-1 MT
20-08-2008 Ukraine... A L 1-4 MT
05-09-2008 Germany... A L 0-3 FR
18-11-2008 Scotland.. A W 3-1 FR
31-03-2009 Ukraine... A D 1-1 FR
04-09-2009 Czech Rep. A L 0-2 ECQ
08-09-2009 Iceland... H L 2-6 ECQ
13-11-2009 Germany... H D 1-1 ECQ
17-11-2009 Czech Rep. A L 1-2 ECQ

Summary: 10(5)/0. Won 2, Drew 2, Lost 11.

Norman Clarke

Name: Norman Samson Clarke
Born: 1 April 1942, Ballyloughan (Ballymena)
Height: 5.10 ft
Weight: 11.00 st
Position: Outside-Left

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 2 Under-23 Caps (1962-1963), 6 Amateur Caps (1959-1961), Youth; Irish League: 2 Caps (1960-1961).
Club Honours: (with Ballymena) Irish Cup Runner-Up 1958/59; Ulster Cup Winner 1960/61.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Other
Ballymena United	58/59-61/62	-	Amateur	*144/33	-	-	-
Sunderland	62/63	Feb-62	£6,000	4/ 0	-	1/0	-
Ballymena United	66/67-68/69	-	-	*84/15	-	-	-
TOTALS	-	£-		232/48	-	1/0	-

* all games.

Biography:
Honoured at multiple representative levels while still with Ballymena, Norman Clarke is still regarded as one of the Braidmen's greatest players. A product of Boys' Brigade football, he was just two weeks past his seventeenth birthday when he played in the 1-1 Irish Cup Final draw with Glenavon in April 1959, and in the 2-0 replay defeat a week-and-a-half later. Indeed, many of his earliest mid-week appearances necessitated him leaving Ballymena Academy to make kick-off. Early in the 1960/61 season he got his hand on a first senior winner's medal in a 3-1 Ulster Cup Final win over Glenavon.

Described as a "magician" and compared to George Best, Clarke was still just eighteen when honoured for the first time by the Irish League. He shared wing duties at inter-league level with Linfield's Bobby Braithwaite and Distillery's Ken Hamilton, and was thus limited to just two appearances - 2-1 and 7-0 defeats by the Scottish League in 1960 and 1961. In February 1962 he added an Under-23 cap, in a 0-0 draw with Wales, to those he had already won at Youth and Amateur level.

Just a few weeks after his first Under-23 cap Clarke made a £6,000 transfer to Sunderland. He had to wait until August 1962 for his Black Cats' debut. In the heat of a north-east derby with Middlesbrough he put in an excellent performance in a 3-1 win. He held on to his place for the opening weeks of the season before being displaced by George Mulhall. Clarke remained understudy to Mulhall for the remainder of his time at Roker Park, playing just once after the arrival of his more expensive counterpart in a League Cup match against Portsmouth in November.

Clarke did add a second Under-23 cap to his collection while at Sunderland, in a 5-1 defeat by Wales. He remained a popular figure at Roker Park and when a knee injury forced him to retire at the age of just 23 he was sadly missed. He returned to Ballymena as a player and caretaker manager in the late-sixties.

Northern Ireland Under-23 Caps:
07-02-1962 Wales... H D 0-0 FR
27-02-1963 Wales... A L 1-5 FR

Summary: 2/0. Won 0, Drew 1, Lost 1.

Northern Ireland Amateur Caps:
17-01-1959 Wales... A W 4-3 
21-02-1959 Scotland H D 0-0
26-09-1959 England. H D 1-1
16-01-1960 Wales... H W 3-2
25-04-1960 Scotland A L 0-2
30-09-1961 England. H L 0-3

Summary 6/0. Won 2, Drew 2, Lost 2.

Ballymena stats from Neil Coleman - The Official History of Ballymena United FC.

Jimmy O'Neill

Name: James O’Neill
Born: 24 November 1941, Larne
Height: 5.11 ft
Weight: 11.09 st
Position: Centre-Forward

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1962), 1 Under-23 Cap (1962), 3 Schoolboy Caps (1956-1957).
Club Honours: (with Coleraine) City Cup Winner 1968/69; Ulster Cup Winner 1968/69.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Europe	Other
Mayharaming Juniors		-	Youth	-	-	-	-	-
Sunderland	61/62	Nov-58	-	7(0)/ 6	-	-	-	-
Walsall	62/63-64/65	Dec-62	-	38(0)/13	1(0)/0	-	-	-
Hakoah	1965 - 1966	May-65	-	(Australian Victorian State League)
Darlington	67/68	Oct-67	-	20(3)/ 4	1(0)/0	-	-	-
Coleraine	-	Jun-68	-	-	-	-	-	-
Hakoah	1970	-	-	(Australian Victorian State League)
TOTALS	-	£-		65(3)/23	2(0)/0	-	-	-

Biography:Jimmy O’Neill made a sensational breakthrough at Sunderland in the second half of the 1961/62 season. On his debut, against Bristol Rovers in January 1962, he scored twice in a 6-1 win. He was then dropped for the next game. A month later he made a scoring return to the first eleven, but was again dropped for the next match. He was then given a five game run in the side that yielded three goals, but that proved to be it for his Roker Park career. The man who prevented O’Neill from having a sustained impact in the Sunderland number nine shirt? Brian Clough, whose return of 54 goals from 61 matches in the famous red-and-white-stripes perhaps excuses O’Neill’s under-utilisation.

Of course Northern Ireland couldn’t ignore a player of such striking ability and in February 1962 he led the line for the Under-23 team that drew 0-0 with Wales. Two months later he again faced Wales for his Full international debut, this time however he finished on the end of a 4-0 defeat. Also capped while a schoolboy at Larne Tech, O’Neill was raised in Magheramorne on the shores of Larne Lough. He was first sent to Sunderland in 1957, signing on his sixteenth birthday in November 1961. He left Roker Park, frustrated, in December 1962, signing with Walsall. Ironically, that very month, Clough suffered an injury that effectively ended his career – what might have been?

O’Neill had joined a Walsall side struggling in the relegation places in Division Two. He was generally employed by the Saddlers in an advanced “midfield” role, scoring seven times in twenty appearances in that first campaign. The most notable of those goals was the winner against a Chelsea side set for promotion and featuring England ‘keeper Peter Bonetti. Still, it was not enough, and Walsall dropped in to Division Three. Noted as a player of high quality, who on his day could light up any match, O’Neill’s impact on Division Three was limited by injury and illness to just eighteen appearances and six goals in two seasons.

In 1965 O’Neill moved to Australia, playing two seasons with Hakoah. He returned to England for a brief Football League swansong with Fourth Division Darlington. Later he had a brief but prolific spell with Coleraine before a second spell with Hakoah.

Northern Ireland Cap details:
11-04-1962 Wales... A L 0-4 BC

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Ian Lawther

Name: William Ian Lawther
Born: 20 October 1939, Belfast
Died: 25th April 2010
Height: 5.09½ ft
Weight: 11.09 st
Position: Centre-Forward

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 4 Full Caps (1960-1962), 2 ‘B’ Caps (1959-1960), 2 Youth Caps.
Club Honours: (with Halifax) Football League Division Four Runners-Up 1968/69 (promoted).

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Other
Manchester.Utd	-	-	Youth	-	-	-	-
East Belfast	-	-	-	(Amateur League)
Crusaders	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sunderland	59/60-60/61	Mar-58	-	75 (0)/ 41	7(0)/2	1(0)/ 1	-
Blackburn Rvrs	61/62-62/63	Jul-61	£18k	59 (0)/ 21	5(0)/1	11(0)/10	-
Scunthorpe Utd	63/64-64/65	Jul-63	£12k	60 (0)/ 22	3(0)/1	4(0)/ 0	-
Brentford	64/65-67/68	Nov-64	£15k	138 (1)/ 43	7(0)/0	6(0)/ 1	-
Halifax Town	68/69-70/71	Aug-68	£3k	87(14)/ 24	9(0)/2	2(0)/ 1	-
Stockport Co.	71/72-75/76	Jul-71	-	158 (6)/ 29	7(0)/1	12(0)/ 4	-
Bangor City	-	1976	-	(Northern Premier League)
TOTALS	-	£48k		577(21)/180	38(0)/7	36(0)/17	-

Biography:
Ian Lawther was on the books of Manchester United as a fifteen year-old but homesick, he returned to Belfast within a couple of months. Although United retained his registration for a period he could not be persuaded to return to Old Trafford and after featuring with East Belfast he instead joined Crusaders.

At eighteen Lawther had another go at English football, joining a fast-declining Sunderland. He broke into the first-team at the start of the 1959/60 season, making his Second Division debut at Aston Villa on 31 August. In a remarkable first season in League football he scored seventeen times and he added another 24 in his second campaign. Lawther was also the scorer of Sunderland's first ever League Cup goal, in a 4-3 defeat at Brentford in October 1960.

Form such as this could not be ignored by the Irish selectors and after two 'B' caps, Lawther was awarded his international debut against Wales in April 1960. He failed to transfer his club-form to the international stage as he never scored or finished on the winning side in a Northern Ireland jersey during an international career that yielded just four caps.

In July 1961 there was a mass-movement of centre-forwards in the English game. Blackburn Rovers sold Derek Dougan to Aston Villa for £20,000 with Blackburn bringing in the £18,000 Lawther as replacement. Sunderland then filled their number nine shirt with a £45,000 move for a certain Brian Clough.

Lawther's goalscoring exploits transferred only fitfully to the top-flight, though he was used by Blackburn more often as an inside-forward than his previously favoured centre-forward role. Two seasons at Ewood Park brought a respectable 21 league goals, among them a goal in a 3-0 win at Old Trafford in October 1962. Much more remarkable was his run of goals in the League Cup, five in each season as Rovers reached the semi-finals in 1962 (losing out 4-3 on aggregate to Fourth Division Rochdale) and the quarter-finals in 1963 (where Lawther's ex-club Sunderland won 3-2 at Roker Park).

In the summer of 1963 Blackburn decided to look elsewhere for their goals and Lawther was allowed to join Second Division Scunthorpe United in a £12,000 deal. He got off to a flyer for the Iron, netting three times in his first five games, but he finished the season with just nine goals as Scunthorpe were relegated. Lawther hit form in the Third Division, scoring thirteen times before a mid-season move to Brentford.

Lawther's transfer to Brentford throws up something of an oddity. He actually signed for the club at the House of Commons where the Bees' chairman, Jack Dunnett, was a sitting MP and supplied a gold pen for the occasion - possibly a unique occurrence in football! Lawther's good form continued at Griffin Park as he took his 1964/65 season tally to 24. Thereafter Brentford and Lawther began to struggle and the team were relegated to Division Four in 1966.

A high point of Lawther's career arrived during his first season at Halifax Town. The 1968/69 campaign brought the Shaymen what would be their only ever promotion within the Football League as they finished as Fourth Division runners-up under the guidance of Alan Ball (Senior), father of the England World Cup winner. Lawther contributed fourteen of their 53 goals.

Lawther wound down his League career with Stockport County where he played mainly as a midfielder. He came to the public's attention once more when he was sent-off for retaliating against Terry Neill, who had brought him down during an FA Cup tie between Stockport and Hull City in January 1973. It was only the testimony at an FA disciplinary hearing by John Bingham, a Methodist minister and former referee, that saved Lawther from further punishment. During his five seasons at Edgeley Park the Hatters were forced to apply for re-election to the Football League on three occasions, though they were successful every time.

With his playing days over Lawther ran a tailor's shop in Halifax and later settled in Swindon. He passed away in April 2010 at the age of 70.

Note:
Goalscoring ran in Lawther's family. His uncle was Fred Roberts, also an Irish international, who famously netted a British and Irish record 96 goals for Glentoran during the 1930/31 season.

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
06-04-1960 Wales...... A L 2-3 BC
25-04-1961 Italy...... A L 2-3 FR
07-10-1961 Scotland... H L 1-6 BC
09-05-1962 Netherlands A L 0-4 FR

Summary: 4/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 4.

Northern Ireland B Cap Details:
11-11-1959 France..... H D 1-1 FR
16-03-1960 France..... A L 0-5 FR

Summary: 2/0. Won 0, Drew 1, Lost 1.