The Bluebirds and Addicks share a manager etched into the history of the two clubs, having won promotion during his time in both the Welsh and English capitals.
After a semi-professional playing career around South London, Lennie Lawrence started his coaching career in Devon with Plymouth Argyle. He was placed as caretaker manager of the Pilgrims after Mike Kelly left the club, before moving back to his role as assistant. Lawrence got his first taste of promotion coaching at Lincoln City in 1980/81.
It was then that Lawrence made the step that would shape the rest of his long and successful career. Originally moving to Charlton Athletic to take charge of the reserve team, in 1982 he was promoted to manage the First Team. Lawrence appointed another famous name in Cardiff City history, future Bluebirds boss Eddie May, as his assistant. The pair’s first season at The Valley was complicated; the club made an over-ambitious move for Barcelona striker Allan Simonsen, but despite him scoring nine goals in 16 games, the Addicks could only manage a 17th place finish.
Charlton were forced to leave The Valley at the beginning of the 1985/86 season due to safety concerns and played their home matches elsewhere for the first time, entering the first groundshare in the Football League in 36 years when they shared Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace. Against the odds, Lawrence guided Charlton to promotion. His side were victorious in 22 matches, which included winning the ‘home fixture’ against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Lawrence had ended the Addicks’ 29-year absence from the top flight in some of the most difficult conditions. He also had an eye for developing young talent during this period, handing 17-year-old Rob Lee his Charlton debut in 1983. Lee would go on to make 343 appearances for the club, scoring 65 goals and winning both the Young Player of the Year Award in 1984 and the Player of the Year Award in 1991, before moving onto Newcastle United.
During their time in the First Division, Lawrence’s men suffered several narrow escapes from relegation, including a Play-Off victory over Leeds United in 1987 to keep their place in the top tier. That same year, Lawrence took Athletic back to Wembley for the first time since 1947. They faced Blackburn Rovers in the Full Members’ Cup Final but ultimately fell to a 1-0 defeat in front of 40,000.
Charlton’s third term spent in the First Division was the most successful, which saw them finish in 14th place. However, the following season saw Lawrence’s four-year stay at the height of English football come to an end. They endured a worrying start to the campaign with only one win in nine matches, and their poor form continued for most of the season. The Addicks could only find seven victories and were ultimately relegated by 13 points alongside Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday.
Lawrence remained in charge for a single season following Charlton’s return to the second tier, but it was a disappointing one. His side struggled and drew 17 matches, eventually finishing 16th. After a turbulent nine years in Southeast London, which included a promotion, relegation and even a groundshare with a rival, Lawrence decided that it was time to move on.
After leaving Charlton, he moved to Middlesbrough and won promotion to the new Premier League at the first attempt. He also spent time at Bradford City, Luton Town and Grimsby Town. After leaving Blundell Park, he joined Cardiff City, originally as a consultant before taking over the role as manager from Alan Cork in February 2002.
He said: "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relishing getting back in the front line. Cardiff have got massive potential, and we're still hopeful that we can finish in the Play-Offs. We've got 13 games to go and realistically we've got to win seven or eight of those at least. We haven't given that up yet, but we really need a couple of wins this week."
Lawrence’s new side did indeed make the bright start he was hoping for: City in fact went unbeaten for the remainder of the Division Two season, winning ten and drawing three of those final 13 games to finish in fourth spot. However, it was Stoke City who would defeat the Bluebirds in the Play-Offs and eventually earn promotion.
Buoyed by the impact of the new boss, City made a blistering start to the 2002/03 season, losing just twice in their first 17 matches. However, the end of the campaign was tense; Lawrence’s side couldn’t find a win in their last five matches of the season and only made the top six by a single point. They would start their Play-Off battle against Bristol City, and re-found their stride at the best time. A Peter Thorne goal was enough to send them to the Millennium Stadium to face Queens Park Rangers. As we all know, a famous late extra time winner from Andy Campbell was enough to send the Bluebirds to the second tier.
Lawrence’s men had an impressive season after winning promotion. They finished in 13th place, 14 points clear of the drop. The 2004/05 season, spent in the newly renamed Championship, was less comfortable; the Bluebirds finished in 16th place but only four points from safety.
Lennie's knack for spotting Academy talent followed him from South London to South Wales. In September 2004, he handed 17-year-old Joe Ledley his First Team debut in a League Cup tie against MK Dons; the Cardiff-born midfielder had been in City's youth ranks since the age of nine. Ledley went on to become a full Welsh international with over 50 caps, and enjoyed a long career including spells at Celtic and Crystal Palace, and also made a single appearance for the Addicks in 2019.
2004/05 was Lawrence’s final season in charge in the Welsh capital, with Dave Jones taking over ahead of 2005/06. Despite only spending a few seasons with the Bluebirds, Lawrence and his promotion-winning side will always be remembered in City history.
He briefly returned to South Wales in 2016 as assistant manager to Paul Trollope, and since then has acted as a consultant for several sides across the football pyramid, including Hartlepool United, where he is currently a non-executive director having also acted as caretaker manager only two years ago.