| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1988-08-20)20 August 1988 (age 37) | ||
| Place of birth | Poulton-le-Fylde, England | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Fleetwood Town (interim manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Farsley Celtic | |||
| 2012–2021 | Bamber Bridge | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2023 | Fleetwood Town (caretaker) | ||
| 2024 | Fleetwood Town (caretaker) | ||
| 2025 | Waterford (caretaker) | ||
| 2025 | Waterford (interim) | ||
| 2026– | Fleetwood Town (interim) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Matthew Lawlor (born 20 August 1988) is an Englishfootball manager and former player. He is the current interim manager ofEFL League Two clubFleetwood Town.
As a player, he played as high as theConference National forFarsley Celtic. As a coach, he held numerous roles at Fleetwood andLeague of Ireland Premier Division partner clubWaterford, including several spells ascaretaker manager of both.
Born inPoulton-le-Fylde inLancashire, Lawlor played as amidfielder and latercentre back forFarsley Celtic in theConference North and laterConference National (2007–08).[1] He then played forBamber Bridge in theNorthern Premier League for nine years, eventually ascaptain.[1]
Lawlor began coaching at age 26, working as a development coach forManchester United in disadvantaged areas.[1] In 2019, he joinedFleetwood Town as a youth coach, and two years later as their head of coaching and player development.[1] He retired from playing in May 2021, aged 32, as he was unable to balance the commitment to Bamber Bridge with coaching Fleetwood's youths and raising his family.[2]
Lawlor became Fleetwood's under-21 manager in December 2022, and becamecaretaker manager of the first team for one match on 5 September 2023 after the departure ofScott Brown. His team won 2–0 at home againstTranmere Rovers in the group stage of theEFL Trophy.[1]
In April 2024, Lawlor moved to Fleetwood's partner club in theLeague of Ireland Premier Division,Waterford, as assistant manager toKeith Long.[3] He returned to Fleetwood as under-21 manager in November that year, and after the dismissal ofCharlie Adam, he was caretaker again on 26 December for a 2–0 home win overChesterfield.[4]
Lawlor went back to Waterford in April 2025 as caretaker manager between the tenures of Long andJohn Coleman, winning three games out of four.[3] After a return to Fleetwood as an individual coach, he went back to being in interim charge of Waterford for the final four games of the season,[3] plus a 2–1 win overBray Wanderers in the promotion/relegation playoffs on 7 November.[5]
Having returned to Fleetwood as part ofPete Wild's coaching staff, Lawlor succeeded him on an interim basis on 26 January 2026, until the end of the season.[6]