Lawrence’s goal rush

Liam Lawrence celebrates scoring an FA Cup hat-trick agsainst Wycombe in December 2003.

1. A sign of things to come.

Having made a first team place his own in the latter stages of the 2000-01 campaign - after debuting the season previous - Lawrence netted his first ever goal for Mansfield in an otherwise forgettable 3-1 home reverse at the hands of York City in March 2001. His strike gave the Stags a 25th minute lead, only for the Minstermen to reply through Graham Potter, Colin Alcide and Lee Nogan. Still, it was the first goal of many...

2. Winner in the West Country.

With Mansfield going well in their bid for automatic promotion, Lawrence underlined his match-winning ability with a David Beckham-esque free-kick to clinch a 1-0 success at Bristol Rovers in November 2001. It was the fourth victory in as many League games for the Stags, and one of seven away triumphs during the campaign, as they went on to finish third in the table to go up along with Plymouth and Luton.

3. Splintering the Spireites.

When Mansfield made the trip to Saltergate in January 2003, fans were desperate to avenge the 2-0 defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Chesterfield earlier in the season. And they got just what they were yearning for when Lawrence’s headed winner capped a comeback from 1-0 down to win 2-1, aided by former Stag Shayne Bradley’s red card.

4. Hat-trick against the Chairboys.

After drawing a December 2003 FA Cup second round tie in Buckinghamshire 1-1, the Stags brought Wycombe back to Field Mill fully hoping to pull off a minor shock. They were successful largely thanks to Lawrence’s treble, including a last minute penalty winner, which helped Mansfield bounce back from 2-1 down to win 3-2.

5. Sealing a play-off place.

Mansfield needed to beat Huddersfield in May 2004 to ensure a place in the top seven and a spectacular performance, crowned by Lawrence’s rasping killer third goal, clinched that target, stunning the majority of an 18,000-plus crowd. The Terriers, however, got their revenge in the play-off final that followed a few weeks later when the Stags missed out on a place in what is now League One after a disastrous penalty shoot-out.

What are you most memorable Liam Lawrence goals and on-field performances? Email your favourites to [email protected]