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2 0 0 8 H A R T W I C K S O C C E R One on One With Matt Lawrence Matt Lawrence `96 has put together a solid professional resume in his native England. Recently Hartwick Soccer captain Liam Parrington ’11 had the opportunity to sit down with Matt Lawrence ‘96 and ask him about his soccer experiences since his graduation from Hartwick College. A professional career that has spanned 13 years has included an FA Cup Final appearance and stints at Crystal Palace, Millwall, Fulham, and Wycombe Football Clubs. Having worked under several high profile managers, Lawrence has enjoyed many career highlights as a player after leading the ‘Wick to Final 8 and Final 16 appearances during his four years in the United States. Parrington was excited to put Matt on the spot and also try to discover some additional details about his own coach’s college exploits. What has been your greatest soccer achievement to date? Playing in the 2004 FA Cup Final, and subsequently playing in the UEFA Cup the following year. But I always regard avoiding relegation with Wycombe Wanderers, in my second spell with the club, as my greatest achievement. When I re-signed for Wycombe in November we only had 3 points, and were basically dead and buried. We avoided relegation on the last day of the season away to Lincoln City. We scored in the 82nd minute to win 1-0. The adrenaline rush at the end of that game was like no other I have experienced. I just sat down for about 20 minutes and didn’t say a word. The relief was just unbelievable. How did it feel captaining the Millwall team in the 2004 English FA Cup Final arguably the most high-profile, visible game in world football each year? Captaining teams has never really been on my agenda, I’ve kind of fallen into the role on a few occasions. The almost surreal experience of walking out alongside Roy Keane, with Alex Ferguson just ahead of him, and 70 odd thousand people in the stadium is indescribable. It was a great, proud day, but I think family and friends around me felt more than I did. The whole day just passed by in a blur. I think you need to have a few big occasions like that to really come to terms with them, and not be adversely affected by the whole experience. It’s tough to do yourself justice when everything is seemingly going on around you. Who did you exchange shirts with after the game? Nobody. They (Manchester United players) wouldn’t swap shirts on the pitch, and most of the lads went into their dressing room to get shirts. That wasn’t for me; we’d just got beat 3-0, and then you have to go scrabbling around their dressing room for shirts. That was a bit too demoralizing / embarrassing for me. I kept my own shirt and have that framed in my house. Who is the best player you have ever played against and why? David Ginola when he was at Spurs. He played left-wing, and I played right-back. He had an aura of greatness surrounding him. I was quite early on in my career, and I think he had me beaten before the game even started. That, and the fact that he had two great feet, could take you inside or out, was strong, good on the ball, great passer, would shoot from anywhere, had a great physique, and was generally a better player than I. None of that helped either!! What has been the most important goal you have scored? Goals? I don’t do goals. I guess the one this season when I scored the equalizer against Sheffield Wednesday in the 92nd minute. That goal gave us a point toward our play-off push. Apart from that, God only knows! What would you have done if you had not become a successful footballer? That’s a question I’m still asking myself for when I finish playing. I hope to embark on a career within the field of journalism, and I guess I would 4
2 0 0 8 H A R T W I C K S O C C E R have tried that if I hadn’t played football. Football and music journalism are what I hope to concentrate on. What did you major in at Hartwick College? American Literature, and minored in journalism/creative writing. Why did you choose to come to America and did you always intend to return home to play? I never believed I would be good enough to return home to play football. If I thought that I would have stayed at home at the age of 18 to pursue a football career. Throughout my final years in high school I had always wanted to go to the United States and did not even apply to universities in England. I was lucky enough to get into the England Schoolboys U18 team and I was recruited by Mooch Myernick ’77 to attend Hartwick. In relation to my pro career, I graduated from Hartwick six months early (Christmas ’95), and gave myself until the end of the English football season to secure a professional contract. If I had not I was going to return to the US to play and/or do my master’s degree. Luckily enough, Wycombe signed me in February 1996. How did Hartwick prepare you for a successful 13 year professional career? I’ve always said it, and still do, that I learned more about the bare bones of football from Jim Lennox than I have from any other coach/manager since. And considering I’ve worked with Kevin Keegan, Ray Wilkins, Dennis Wise, Neil Warnock, Laurie Sanchez, and Mark McGhee to name a few, that is some statement. I have found that things I learned at Hartwick have remained in use throughout every day of my football career. Managers have always said that I’m an intelligent footballer, and read the game very well. The base for that is obviously a natural understanding, but has been massively topped up by everything Jim Lennox and Carl Rees ’88 taught me at Hartwick. I think the whole Hartwick experience toughened me up, and saw me mature quicker than I would have done at home (being 3,000 miles away from your family tends to do that!), so I guess returning home to play football was relatively easy. To get paid to do something you love; it can’t be that tough, can it? What advice, from your own firsthand experiences, would you pass on to young players embarking on a college career? First and foremost, savor every minute, because it will pass you by so quickly. A freshman student-athlete one minute to being a graduating senior the next. Also, learn how to balance your studies with the football. Ultimately, I considered football the most important part of my college career, but that didn’t stop me enjoying classes and graduating with a decent G.P.A. For the international student-athlete, and for me personally, it was hard dealing with such a short season. The spring was always a time for me to focus on classes, but also maintain my fitness, and not get caught up too much in the college social scene. Easier said than done! Overall, you just have to come to terms with the fact that you are all of a sudden your own boss. If you don’t want to go to class, you don’t have to. If you want to go out every night of the week, you can. It is important to take ownership of your own decisions. So, it’s just finding a decent level of maturity as quickly as you can; and combining football, your studies, and the social component of college as quickly and effectively as possible. And now to the really important stuff… what was Mac (Ian McIntyre) really like in college? He was my roommate/house-mate for all four years at Hartwick, so I guess that tells you that his company was bearable. I certainly wouldn’t have had such a good time at the ‘Wick if it hadn’t been for him/our friendship. He was my roommate, social wingman, pool playing partner, teammate, confidante all rolled into one. He had the annoying habit of being liked by everyone from referees to girls, from professors to soccer coaches. Specifically as a football player; he was the catalyst for our successful seasons. He was a great captain and brought everyone together, fighting for the same cause. Our teams had tremendous team spirit, and that was very much down to his personality/captaincy. But enough of the niceties he was also under the thumb of a sorority sister for a good part of our college career… this was pre-Jenn obviously so he eventually sorted himself out. I was always the better pool player. And finally Mac always tells the boys that you were overrated and he was definitely the better player. This is your chance to set the record straight… He probably was at college. He probably had the greater influence on the team’s success as a whole. As I’ve said he was a pivotal figure regarding team morale etc. He also scored more goals, and had better stats which is very important in the U.S.! He was in all the teams of the year the All-American teams and all that jazz. I think I was probably lucky to get into the New York State team! Not that I’m bitter or anything! I like to think we were both very important figures in the team while we were at Hartwick. You might need to refer this question to Jim Lennox for the final call. It certainly would be no disgrace for me to say that Ian was the better player....but as they say, ‘the cream always rises to the top!’ 5
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This is Hartwick College

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