Ian Lawson

Frederick Ian Allison Lawson (24 March 1939 – February 2024) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Burnley, Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Port Vale in the 1950s and 1960s. He scored 34 goals in 99 league games in a 12-year career in the English Football League. He won the First Division title with Burnley in 1959–60, and won the Second Division title with Leeds United in 1963–64.

Career Burnley Lawson started his career as an amateur at Burnley after being scouted in a local School's cup final, along with James Robson. He scored four goals on his debut in a 7–0 FA Cup victory over Chesterfield. He followed this up with a hat-trick against New Brighton in the following round. Despite some good times, including a purple patch in the "Clarets" 1956–57 FA Cup run, Lawson found it hard to break into the highly successful first-team. During this period Burnley were competing at the top of the First Division and were crowned champions of the English Football League in 1959–60 under the stewardship of Harry Potts. After spending six seasons at Turf Moor, during which he made only 23 appearances, the 23-year-old was sold to Leeds United for £20,000 in March 1962.

Leeds United Lawson joined Leeds as they battled to avoid relegation to the Third Division and went straight into Don Revie's first team, where he scored once in eleven games. He went straight into the first-team, making his debut at Vale Park in a 2–1 win over Southport on 20 August.

Career statistics

Honours Burnley Football League First Division: 1959–60

Leeds United Football League Second Division: 1963–64