Now back fit and firing following a lengthy injury lay-off, aleagues.com.au caught up with Perth Glory star Tom Lawrence as he looks to light up the Isuzu UTE A-League in season 2026/27.
Frustrating.
That’s the only word Tom Lawrence can find to describe the second half of his 2025/26 A-Leagues campaign with Perth Glory.
Recruited on a one-year deal from Scottish giants Rangers FC, the Welsh wizard set the league on fire in his first 13 games for the club.
Showcasing a guile and swagger rarely seen from international recruits so early in their A-Leagues careers, Lawrence took to the Isuzu UTE A-League like a duck to water as he scored five goals and two assists in his first 13 games for the club, including a memorable hat-trick away to Melbourne City.
TRANSFER CENTRE: Isuzu UTE A-League 2026-27 Transfer Centre: Your club’s moves
“When I first came, I can’t lie it took me by surprise,” Lawrence said when sitting down to chat with aleagues.com.au Senior Reporter, James Dodd.
“The heat in different states when you’re travelling for away games, and especially Perth, the heat really got me at start. But you quickly get used to that.
“You adapt in training every day and, look, lifestyle-wise, Perth is a beautiful, beautiful city.
“A little bit different to Glasgow!” he adds, with a wry smile.
“But yeah, it’s something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. I mean, having played 15 years in in the UK, in England, in Scotland, I felt the time was right to try something new, and I’m glad I did that.”
Everything was going so well. Until it wasn’t.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL 2026/27 ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE FIXTURE LIST
takes selfie with fans during the round 24 A-League Men match between Perth Glory and Macarthur FC at HBF Park, on April 12, 2026, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images)
In early February Lawrence was listed as a doubt for the Glory’s clash with ladder leaders Newcastle Jets after suffering a foot injury that, on first inspection, was expected to keep him out for several weeks.
However, after further consultation that foot injury would ultimately see him sidelined for close to five months, bringing his bright start to life in Australia to a shuddering halt.
“It was so frustrating. I tore my plantar fascia on the bottom of my foot,” Lawrence explains.
“So originally, I thought, oh, I’ll be out for maybe a number of weeks. But the more I tried to come back – maybe once or twice in that process – it just didn’t heal the way we thought it was going to heal.
“So we had a look at different options, and the last thing you want to do, because I had a partial tear of it, the last thing you want to do is actually go into surgery and self snap it basically.
“That was the other option. I didn’t really want to go down that route, so we came to a decision to let it heal naturally, and that can take a number of months, some sooner than others.
“But then it ended up being a five month injury when you look at it, and it’s so frustrating because you think, oh, it’s (just) at the bottom of your foot.
“But I just couldn’t run without being in pain.
“But now I’m back training now, which is a good thing. It’s going well this pre-season. I’m just edging back into it slowly and not rushing anything so we get it right.”
When you’ve enjoyed the sort of career Lawrence has, regularly playing football every three days or so for the best part of a decade, injuries become part and parcel of the game.
But as the Welsh international admits himself, the hardest part of dealing with this type of injury has been the lack of a target to work towards. Rather than listening solely to the advice provided by physios and the medical department, he had to get used to listening to his body and resist the urge to push himself too hard just to get back onto the pitch.
“Yeah, you’ve hit the nail on the head there because there’s no time limit on it,” the 32-year-old says when asked if not having a traditional injury recovery timeline was the hardest part of his return to full fitness.
A-LEAGUE FEATURES:
MARCONDES: Four Socceroos, a World Cup winner and the call that helped sign Danish ace
OVERY: New Sydney signing targeting Socceroos spot but will need to oust club icon
ALDRED: Brisbane Roar legend opens up over emotional return: ‘Bring me home’
MOREIRA: Mourinho, academia & Portuguese tarts: Meet new Auckland boss Pedro Moreira
“I’m thinking, oh, I can still play a part of this season. And as time goes on, you’re like, I’m going to struggle here.
“If I did go down the surgery route, it was the knock-on effect of if I actually take my plantar fascia away. You know, in an essence, what’s that going to do to the rest of my body?
“So I didn’t really want to do that either. So, look, we came to the right decision. It was just a shame I couldn’t play a part of last season because I think we were in a good position before my injury and everything was looking bright pushing in that top six.
“It was disappointing but look I had to think of the long-term and the club also thought that they wanted me for this season and didn’t want to put any of that in doubt so look I’m back training now and looking forward.”
As it happens, the club had already seen enough from Lawrence’s early season displays to offer the 23-time Wales international a two-year contract extension, especially given reports out of the UK suggested several clubs were already alert to the prospect of bringing Lawrence back.
“Last season I thoroughly enjoyed playing here, and then it took a bit of a turn when I got injured, but we managed to wrap up the contract when I was actually playing and fit last year.
“I love the project (and path) that the club want to go down. I want to be a big part of that, and going forward, I see a bright future for Perth Glory.”
Whilst the career of a professional footballer can see you travel to far flung corners of the earth, it’s safe to say that the young lad born and raised in Wrexham, Wales never really thought he’d be playing professional football on the other side of the world.
Schooled in the Manchester United academy and a United fan since childhood, Lawrence progressed through the ranks at Carrington and eventually made his first team debut in the Premier League in quite surreal circumstances.
Lawrence was named to start the top flight clash against Hull City on May 6, 2014 by Welsh icon Ryan Giggs, who at the time was acting Manchester United interim player-manager following the sacking of David Moyes.
CLICK HERE TO BECOME AN A-LEAGUES CLUB MEMBER
To make things even stranger, Lawrence was then actually subbed off in the second half and replaced by Giggs himself, a surreal moment for a player who had most likely idolised the Welsh winger as a kid.
“When I look back at it, it was a bit of a blur, to be honest,” Lawrence laughs as conversation turns to his time at United.
“Because obviously, I was a Man Utd fan growing up, so I got all my family up when I found out I was going to play.
“When I look back on it now, it’s hard to take in at the time and and whatnot. But yeah, forever proud of that, but If I look back and think now, I don’t really remember much of it, if I’m honest!”
One thing Lawrence certainly does remember though is his first interaction with legendary Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who handed the Glory star his first professional terms as a youngster.
“He gave me my first professional contract, which was a massive thing,” Lawrence says as he reflects on his time at Old Trafford.
“Just going into his office I was like a little boy looking up, saying, ‘Yeah, yeah, whatever you offer me, I’m gonna take!’
“The funny thing was, being a player there, I didn’t think he’d even know who I was, kind of thing, but he knew everything about everyone.
“That was the one big thing that we all knew in the end, and yeah, it was a privilege just to just to get my first professional contract from him, really, because I looked up to him and I was a Man United fan growing up. So yeah, it was special.”
Now 32, Lawrence is aiming to use the experience of growing up in one of the world’s biggest football clubs to help guide his young Perth Glory teammates ahead of the new campaign, especially now he’s locked in for the long term.
“I think that’s why I am where I am now, and the career that I’ve had is because the academy (at Manchester United) there did everything for me,” Lawrence says.
“They made me the player I am today. Look, you don’t realise how hard it is when you’re actually going through that process.
“When you’re going through that academy, you get to under 18 s, and you’re made to feel like probably the best player in the world. That’s each and every one of us. You then take that step from under 18’s to the reserves, and you get taught from being a boy to a man.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL 2026/27 ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE FIXTURE LIST
NEW THREADS: A-Leagues kit – Every team’s new jerseys for the 2026-27 season
“It’s all about that process, and you’re like, all right, okay, this isn’t as easy as what everyone thinks. So that’s something I thoroughly look back on and think, oh, I actually really enjoyed that that part of my career, and it stood me in good shape going forward.
He continued: “A lot of young kids are going to have to play first-team football. That’s just the way it is. So it’s my job as an experienced pro to help them out as much as I can, and not just guide them.
“I don’t want to, as an experienced player, put too much pressure on people. You want them to be free in their playing career.
“If they need help, then I’ll help them every day. But also, you don’t want to put too much pressure on them. You want to keep them free and let them experience it for themselves.”
Now timing his run back to full fitness ahead of the new campaign, Lawrence says the mood around the Glory is refreshed heading into season 2026/27 as Adam Griffiths’ side look to improve on their 11th-place finish last season.
“I think going into any any new season, you want to be aiming high. That’s what I’ll always put forward, and that’s what we want to do this season.
“We don’t know where where the league’s at in terms of each team, what they’re going to be like, but we can just focus on ourselves.
“We’ve got a new group, a lot of new players. So hopefully they’re bedding in quickly, and yeah, we can have a really good season.”
Perth Glory kick off their 2026/27 Isuzu UTE A-League campaign with an away trip to face Macarthur Bulls at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Saturday, October 17.
