*by Kristupas Kamarauskas
FK Sūduva have emerged as one of the biggest stories of the Toplyga season, sitting at the top of the table with a six-point advantage over Kauno Žalgiris. At the heart of their unexpected title challenge is captain Steve Lawson, whose influence has extended far beyond his usual defensive midfield role.
The 32-year-old Togo international has scored six league goals and added an assist this season, making him Sūduva’s leading scorer despite spending most of his career much further away from the opposition goal. His consistency has also earned him five Team of the Week selections, including another after Matchday 29.
Sūduva’s rise has been particularly striking considering where the club found itself less than two years ago. In 2024 the season ended with a tense relegation play-off, but under head coach Donatas Vencevičius they have transformed from a side fighting for survival into genuine title contenders.
For Lawson, however, the turnaround has not come from one dramatic tactical adjustment. Instead, he points towards the understanding that has developed between the players.
“This season, we have the chance to have a very good connection between all the players and the goals can come from everybody,” Lawson told Baltic Football News. “We know each other very well, so we can easily anticipate where the ball will go next by looking at which of our teammates has it.”
That chemistry has helped Lawson produce one of the most productive seasons of his career. Although naturally more comfortable as a defensive midfielder, he has repeatedly found himself arriving in dangerous positions and providing decisive moments.
Yet when asked what has made Sūduva so difficult to stop this season, Lawson immediately turned towards the atmosphere within the squad.
“I think the season we’re currently having is just the continuity of the last one. All the players are hard workers and ready to go in the same direction,” he explained. “We also have an amazing atmosphere in the changing room. I never feel like I’m going to work. Every day I feel like I’m going to play football with my friends.”
Vencevičius has played an important role in creating that environment. Lawson describes a coach who gives his players freedom without allowing standards to drop.
“The coach gives us a lot of freedom but knows how to keep us focused at the same time. We listen to him the same way he listens to us, and that makes us respect him,” Lawson said. “We can all be ourselves and have fun, but we know that when the job has to be done, we must do it seriously.”
That mentality is a long way from the situation Sūduva faced at the end of 2024. Their top-flight status was hanging by a thread in the relegation play-off when Lawson stepped forward in stoppage time to keep their hopes alive before later converting again in the penalty shootout.
Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the pressure, those are precisely the moments Lawson says he enjoys most.
“To win a trophy, to avoid relegation in the last game, all these situations give me excitement, and it’s to feel this kind of emotion that I play football,” he said. “The higher the stakes, the more motivated and excited I feel. In those moments I always think about the good scenario possible. It keeps me away from the stress.”
Since then, significant changes have also taken place away from the pitch. Mantas Agentas became club president and took over from long-serving president Vidmantas Murauskas, with Sūduva signalling ambitions to return to the upper levels of Lithuanian football and European competition.
The club has also refreshed its visual identity, embracing its connection with Marijampolė and the “Cats” nickname through a redesigned crest featuring claw marks.
Lawson says the players have noticed the increased ambition around the club, but importantly, not as additional pressure.
“Of course. We all felt the difference. We can clearly see that the president has ambition and wants to build something big,” he said. “But he never puts more pressure on us to achieve his personal goals. I feel more like we are all in the same boat together and he is leading and helping us to become better.”
Lawson’s own career has taken him through several very different football cultures before bringing him to Lithuania. Born in France, he came through the lower divisions there before moving to Swiss club Le Mont. After the club’s bankruptcy, he joined Neuchatel Xamax in 2017 and helped them win the Swiss Challenge League and earn promotion.
That period also coincided with his breakthrough at international level. Lawson received his first Togo call-up in August 2017 and made his debut the following month in a 2-0 victory over Niger.
Later came spells in Scotland with Livingston and Hamilton Academical, followed by Tunisian top-flight club Stade Tunisien. Having experienced football in five different countries, Lawson sees elements of several leagues in Lithuania.
“Lithuanian football is a little bit similar to the type of football played in Switzerland. In France it is more tactical, in Scotland the intensity is very high and in Tunisia very technical,” he explained. “But the atmosphere in Scottish stadiums is unmatched. People there love football.”
His favourite footballing memory, however, still comes from Switzerland.
“I have enjoyed all the places I played in, but because I won a trophy there, I will say my best experience was in Switzerland.”
There is also one Lithuanian away trip Lawson particularly enjoys, although his reasoning is partly practical. Living only around ten minutes from Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, a visit to one of the biggest stadiums in the country is effectively his shortest journey of the season.
“I like the challenge and I can also be a lazy guy,” he joked. “I live 10 minutes away from Darius and Girėnas Stadium, so it’s the closest trip from my house and also the biggest stadium. So I’m always happy to play there.”
Since arriving at Sūduva in 2024, Lawson has now accumulated 14 goal contributions across 82 Toplyga appearances. More importantly, his time in Marijampolė has tracked the club’s transformation from relegation anxiety to the possibility of becoming Lithuanian champions.
With the title race entering its decisive stage, Lawson is well aware of how quickly fortunes can change. His message to the supporters who stayed with the club during its more difficult period was therefore simple.
“I would just like to thank all the people who supported us during our tough times and keep supporting us,” Lawson said. “It means a lot and we will do our best to make them proud of Sūduva.”
Sūduva return to action on today when they travel to face FK TransINVEST.
