Lawrie Sanchez

Club career

Sanchez began his playing career as a midfielder at Reading in 1977 and remained there until 1984 before being bought by Wimbledon for £30,000, where he became a regular in a successful side. He scored the goal to secure the victory which got the Dons promoted to the First Division against Huddersfield Town in May 1986. His most famous moment as a player came in 1988, when he scored with a header the goal that won Wimbledon the FA Cup in 1988 against Liverpool. It was not an easy game, as Peter Beardsley had found the net two minutes before Sanchez scored, only to have his goal disallowed. Liverpool came close to jeopardising Wimbledon's dream again in the second half when they were awarded a penalty, only for John Aldridge's shot to be saved by Dons goalkeeper Dave Beasant. During the 1993–94 season Sanchez left Wimbledon for newly promoted Swindon Town, who ended the season relegated with a mere five wins from 42 games and conceding 100 goals. He played just eight league games for the Wiltshire club and left them after only a few months to be player/manager at Sligo Rovers in Ireland. He scored his last goal in professional football against then Champions Shamrock Rovers on the 3rd of December 1994. Sanchez is believed to be the first player to be sent off for a professional foul, after committing a deliberate handball in a Football League Trophy match against Oxford United in 1982.

International career

In 1977, he represented England…

Sligo Rovers

He became player-manager of League of Ireland club Sligo Rovers in 1994, and in his first season led them to the semi-final of the 1995 FAI Cup. He also managed them in the Cup Winners' Cup against Club Brugge.

Wimbledon

In 1995, he returned to Wimbledon and became the reserve team manager, winning the Football Combination in his first season in charge. After two years in charge of the reserves, he stepped up to be first team coach under Joe Kinnear.

Wycombe Wanderers

He became manager at Wycombe Wanderers in February 1999, and with only 18 games left he rescued the team from imminent relegation. In 2001, he guided the club (then in the Second Division) to its greatest moment, reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, where they played Liverpool; Wycombe lost 2–1, having held Liverpool to 0–0 for most of the match. During this campaign, Sanchez famously signed Roy Essandoh after the striker answered a plea from the club for an available striker due to a number of club players being unavailable. Roy's famous winner for Wycombe Wanderers against Leicester City at Filbert Street has since become a goal of FA Cup folklore. After finishing 12th in 2002 and 11th in 2003, the upward progress came to an end with the collapse of the OnDigital TV deal and the subsequent loss of both revenue and players. After a poor start to the 2003–04 season, Sanchez was sacked by the club on 30 September 2003.

Northern Ireland national team

Sanchez was…

Sanchez was born in London, the son of an Ecuadorian father and a Northern Irish mother. He was educated at Presentation College, an independent school in Reading, Berkshire, and went on to take a BSc degree in management science at Loughborough University while a Reading F.C. player. He was married to Heather, who died of cancer in 1998; the couple had a son, Jack. In 2004, Sanchez became patron of a Northern Ireland-based cancer charity.

Wimbledon

FA Cup: 1987–88 Football League Second Division promotion: 1985–86 Reading

Football League Fourth Division: 1978–79; promotion: 1983–84