Past playersChris Lawler

A truly local player made good, the defender progressed through the junior ranks at Anfield before signing professional forms and eventually making his debut for the Reds against West Bromwich Albion in March 1963.

Lawler was a highly accomplished centre-back but settled on the right of the Liverpool defence to make room for Ron Yeats and became a genuine fixture throughout the 1960s; in eight seasons from 1965 to 1973, he missed just three league games.

He preferred to read the game than dive in to tackles but his true quality, despite his defensive starting position, seemed to be finding the back of the net after supporting attacks with a stealthy foray. He scored an incredible 61 goals for the Reds in total.

The right-back was a member of Bill Shankly's starting XI when Liverpool broke their FA Cup hoodoo by beating Leeds United in the 1965 final and added a championship medal the following year as they claimed the title.

Trophies may have dried up in the years that followed but the unassuming Lawler was ever dependable and survived the reshaping conducted by Shankly as the club entered a new decade.

He played every single one of Liverpool's 66 competitive matches during the action-packed 1972-73 campaign and was rewarded handsomely with a second league winner's medal and UEFA Cup success over Borussia Monchengladbach.

A debilitating injury picked up in November 1973 cost Lawler his previously guaranteed berth in Shankly's line-up but the manager showed a touch of sentiment by selecting the Scouser as substitute for the victorious FA Cup final meeting with Newcastle United in 1974.

Having assured his place in a small group of players to have represented the Reds more than 500 times, Lawler featured for the last time in September 1975 before departing to Portsmouth.