Byron Alfredo Lawrence (born 12 March 1996) is an English footballer who plays for side Needham Market, where he plays as a midfielder.
Playing career
Ipswich Town
Born in Cambridge, Lawrence came through the youth system at Histon, before joining Ipswich Town's Academy in 2010 at the age of 14.
2010–11 season
Lawrence was involved with Ipswich's under-18 side immediately after joining, scoring in a 2–1 friendly win over Bury Town on 10 August 2010. He scored twice in the under-18s 2–1 win at West Ham United on 9 October, before netting again in Town's 3–2 defeat to Southampton a week later. He scored four goals in 13 under-18 appearances during the 2010–11 season.
2011–12 season
Lawrence was called up by first-team manager Paul Jewell for their League Cup clash with Northampton Town on 9 August 2011, but was an unused substitute in the match. He had impressed Jewell with his performances in the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland and against Manchester United at under-15 level over the summer. Lawrence returned to action with the under-18s, scoring the third goal in their 3–0 home win against Leicester City on 17 September. He signed a two-year scholarship with Ipswich in November 2011, where Paul Jewell revealed that Lawrence had been training with the first-team. Jewell said of Lawrence that "he reminds me of Jack Wilshere. He's built that way, he uses his body and he's a clever player."
Lawrence scored the opening goal in an eventual 3–1 FA Youth Cup defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor on 13 January 2012. He also appeared for the Ipswich Town Reserves side for the first time in 2012, playing in a 1–0 win over Crystal Palace at Playford Road on 21 February. Jewell then stated that he intended to hand some game time to Lawrence before the end of the season in April 2012. He eventually became Town's second youngest-ever debutant on 28 April 2012, replacing Jay Emmanuel-Thomas after 79 minutes in the Blues' 3–2 win over already-relegated Doncaster Rovers. He ended the 2011–12 season with 22 under-18 games and two goals to his name, with two reserve appearances in addition to his substitute appearance for the first-team.
2012–13 season
Paul Jewell included Lawrence in his squad for a pre-season tour of the Netherlands in July 2012. He featured in the first half of a 1–1 draw with Eerste Divisie side Helmond Sport on 17 July, and on their return to England, he appeared in a first-team 2–0 friendly win at Cambridge United on 25 July. He scored a brace for the reserve side in a 6–1 hammering of A.F.C. Sudbury on 1 August, before featuring for 22 minutes as a second-half substitute in Town's 3–1 friendly win against West Ham at Portman Road three days later. He was again named on the bench for the League Cup clash with Carlisle United on 29 August, but was unused in the 2–1 defeat after extra time. He scored for the under-18 side in a 3–2 home defeat by Colchester United on 6 October, before he netted a late equaliser in the under-21s 2–2 draw with Brentford at Griffin Park on 30 October. He grabbed a goal in a 4–2 win for the under-18s against Brighton & Hove Albion on 2 February 2013, and was on target again in a 3–1 reverse at Bristol City on 16 February.
Lawrence captained the under-21 side to a 4–3 win at Portman Road over Colchester on 25 February, while his next goal arrived against the same opposition at under-17 level with a penalty on 4 May as Town fell to a 3–1 defeat. He travelled with the under-17 side on their tour of Belgium in May 2013, where he scored in their 1–1 draw with Mons. He netted two further goals in the competition, one against Gent from the penalty spot, and another in a 2–1 defeat to Sint-Truiden, meaning Town finished seventh overall. His campaign ended with three goals in 23 reserve team appearances, and three goals in eight youth team appearances.
2013–14 season
Lawrence began the 2013–14 season once again with pre-season alongside the first-team squad. He appeared in their tour of Ireland, starting the second half in Town's 2–0 victory over Shelbourne on 6 July. He again started the second-half squad for Ipswich's 2–1 friendly win at Crawley Town on 10 July, before making an appearance as a substitute in their 2–1 win at Gillingham on 16 July. He was also involved in the 3–0 win at the Colchester Community Stadium against Colchester on 23 July. Seven days later, he faced the same opposition for the under-21 side at Playford Road as Town won 1–0.
