Michael Lyons is an English former footballer in the 1970s and 1980s. He is most famous as captain of Everton during this period.
Early life
Lyons was educated at the all-boys' De La Salle School in Liverpool. He was an Everton fan and his dream was to play for the football club.
Club career
Everton
Lyons signed as a professional at Everton in 1970 after having served an apprenticeship at the club. He made his first team debut in the Football League First Division in 1971. Utilized mostly as a defender, Lyons would be pushed forward into an attacking role in the last 10 minutes of a game. Lyons was not considered the most technically gifted of players but more than made up for it by his desire to play for Everton, the club he supported when he was a boy. Lyons' versatility made him a very useful player; he could play anywhere down the middle and was once Everton's top goalscorer.
Lyons moved to Sheffield Wednesday in 1982. He appeared for them 129 times, scoring 12 goals. Lyons helped Wednesday win promotion to the Football LeagueFirst Division.
Lyons became player-manager of Grimsby Town in 1985, replacing David Booth. The side could never get above mid-table and finished 15th. The 1986–87 season began well and most of the season was spent in the top half and on the fringes of the play-off race. However, a run of 8 losses and 2 draws in the last 10 games meant that Grimsby fell from 8th to 21st and the first of two consecutive relegations.
Lyons was appointed coach of Canberra Cosmos in Australia's National Soccer League in 1995. A 9th-place finish in his first season showed sporadic promise, but this was not maintained as the club finished last the following season.
Lyons was appointed as manager of UWA Nedlands Football club in 2013 for the upcoming 13/14 season. A Mixed season saw the first team finishing 7th although injuries plagued the season which could have seen the team finish as high as 4th. http://www.uwanfc.com.au/
Legacy
It was at Everton that Lyons is best remembered and revered for his commitment and dedication to "the cause". Lyons famously dived under Norman Hunter's boot to score from inside the six-yard box in a league game against Leeds United.
