'Get In There!'
Tommy Lawton - My Friend, My Father
To be published: October 2010
By Barrie Williams and Tom Lawton Jnr.
Online shop price: £16.99
Tom Lawton Jnr. never saw his Dad play football. If
he had done he would have witnessed England's greatest
goalscorer firing them in from all angles for Burnley, Everton,
Notts County and Arsenal.
In "Get in There" (which Lawton would famously shout as he scored), Tom and his Dad's great friend, former Nottingham Evening Post editor Barrie Williams, have pieced together the story of Tommy Lawton's remarkable life.
Packed with wonderful memories and anecdotes, the book brings the
story of Tommy Lawton to life. The tough, working class background, the
emerging talent, playing for Burnley aged 16, signing for Everton and
practising headers for hours with the great Dixie Dean, starring in England's
greatest ever attack alongside Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortenson.
Beyond Tommy, it encapsulates a footballing heyday when the players
played for a few shillings a week, smoked cigarettes at half-time and went
on holiday to Blackpool if they were lucky.
Pulling on numerous personal memories from both authors, "Get In There" is
a fitting tribute to the memory of the great Tommy Lawton and a superbly
written trip down football's memory lane.
Tommy Lawton scored an unprecedented 22 goals in 23 full international matches for England and 24 goals in 23 wartime internationals. He also represented Great Britain versus Europe in 1947 - see highlights from this game below:
GREAT BRITAIN'S EASY WIN OVER THE REST OF EUROPE
About the author
Barrie Williams was the Editor of the Nottingham Evening Post when, in 1984, he gave Tommy Lawton a job as a soccer writer. The two men became firm friends. Williams left the newspaper industry in 2005 after 43 years as a journalist, which included editing three leading regional daily titles.
Tom Lawton Jnr. has worked in the banking industry since leaving school in 1974.
His sporting career was hampered by a snapped cruciate ligament at the age of 21, but he played rugby for Leicester Tigers, Southend, Essex and Captained United Banks of England.
Married to Gillian, in 1991, they have 14 year old twins, Anthony and Zoё.
Reviews
Duncan Hamilton, William Hill Sports Book of the Year Winner, 2009 and 2007
August 2010
"Compelling, poignant, beautifully told – a truly fantastic and very human story of sudden fame, a ruinous fall and tender redemption that is achingly sad but ultimately uplifting. Anyone who loves the game will find it irresistible. And every Premiership footballer ought to read it and count his blessings."