AFCON 2015 violence like a night out – Jamie Lawrence

Pardon the cliché, but it really has been a roller-coaster ride for 44-year-old Jamie Lawrence after his acrimonious departure from non-leaguers Sutton United in October.

Renowned for his multi-coloured hair in the late 90s and 00s with Bradford City, Lawrence - a tireless toiler in his playing days - has worked incredibly hard to establish himself as a well-respected fitness coach and has even opened his own football academy in Tooting. But after leaving Sutton, things looked bleak.

Little did the former Reggae Boy know that a few months later he would be working alongside former Chelsea manager Avram Grant - a man he describes as "100% professional" - and plotting a route to the AFCON final in Equitorial Guinea, via a chaotic semi-final against the tournament hosts which was labelled a 'war zone'.

It was of no real concern for Lawrence though, who described the hectic events in Malabo that night as "a Friday night at the local pub". Well, he was brought up in Balham and spent five years in Bradford...

Firstly, congratulations on reaching the final of the African Nations Cup final

Thanks, it was an unbelievable and unforgettable experience. We weren't expected to do well and after the opening-game defeat it was a great achievement from the boys. We lost the first game 2-1 to Senegal and they scored a last-minute winner, but we told the boys not to get too down. It's something I learnt in my career not to get too down after a defeat and not to get too carried away with winning. That proved correct as we won the second game 1-0 with a last-minute goal ourselves and it took off from there really.

We just kept building momentum and to be fair the boys really bought into want we wanted to do. In the final against Ivory Coast, we were the better team and they were hanging on. They had some big names out there, but they were playing for penalties; we just couldn't get a goal. But the passion for the game out there was phenomenal, it's just on another level. The singing before games and players praying in the build-up - it was just a huge eye-opener.

It's been a whirlwind few months after being sacked at Sutton last year, and then to reach the final of the AFCON with Ghana?

Yes, it's been a fantastic journey to be fair. I was suddenly laid off at Sutton United from my coaching role by Paul Doswell after they lost in the FA Cup. He called me into his office the day after and told me he had to let me go because he had to cut the budget and I would be a victim of those budget cuts. It was disappointing to say the least, and then to make it worse he brought his mate in and paid him more money than I was on! But since then I've obviously gone on to bigger and better things with Ghana.

How did the opportunity with Ghana come about?

It was through Avram's agent Saif Rubie, who I know really well. He informed me Ghana were looking for a fitness coach for the African Nations Cup and I went along to the interview. I never for one minute thought I'd get it but the interview went well and Avram was impressed with what I had to say and I got the job. I can't thank him enough - it was a fantastic experience.

Avram Grant has been in the game a long time and he is a well-respected coach; how was the experience of working with him?

He is the consummate professional and he is a very inspirational character. Even for me, some of the things he said in the dressing room were inspiring. He manages to motivate each and every player and the staff too. He speaks to every player before a game and gives them each a pep talk and goes through their strengths and things they need to improve and focus on. But he also works his socks off. He is very hardworking and his preparation is very thorough. Some days during the tournament the staff would be up until the early hours of the morning watching DVDs of opponents and running through tactics.

He was also fantastic with me on a personal note. I had a few personal issues, as a couple of friends of mine passed away while I was away, and he was very understanding.

There was a lot of media attention on the semi-final and the violence during the game with Equitorial Guinea, what exactly happened?

It was absolute chaos. We were winning the semi-final comfortably and to be brutally honest we were teaching them a footballing lesson really and the Guinea supporters were obviously not happy. I was warming up some of our substitutes on the touchline ready for them to come on and the crowd were throwing bottles and rocks at us and generally anything they could get their hands on. There was a big hold-up in the game and then a helicopter turned up and it was literally blowing the supporters in the stands over. The police then took over, who were a bit heavy-handed and started beating the supporters while chasing them out of the stadium.

From some of the footage it looked a bit hairy, were you worried for your safety?

No, I'm pretty calm under pressure, probably because of my background. It really wasn't a worry for myself, it was a bit like being at the local pub on a Friday night. We just wanted to keep the boys safe.

Did anyone catch your eye at the tournament?

Christian Atsu from Chelsea. He's on loan at Everton but he's a player. He won the 'player of the tournament' and the 'goal of the tournament' and if he can continue to develop the way he is doing at the moment he will become a terrific player.

Wakaso Mubarak is also a fantastic talent. He's another one of the lads from Ghana. He's only 24 - a central midfielder - and plays for Celtic but he's a real talent and he's got a big future.

Unfortunately the tournament finished on a sour note for yourself because didn't you fall ill with malaria?

Yes that's correct, but I can tell you it didn't take the gloss of the experience. We went back to Ghana after the final and the reception was brilliant, there were fans on the tarmac at the airport as we got off the plane. The fans were fantastic, we were treated like heroes, but I had contracted malaria somewhere along the way and I was laid up in hospital in Ghana for a week. It was horrible because I just wanted to get back home to see my family. What I can say is that Ghana really looked after me though, and paid for all my medical expenses while I was in hospital.

You were quoted as saying the Ghana post "could open up so many doors". What does the future hold for you?

I am trying to get a permanent deal sorted with Ghana; we are talking things through. It was such a great experience and the Ghana president is happy and wants me on board so hopefully a contract will get sorted.