Allan Mansley (31 August 1946 – 4 February 2001) was an English professional footballer, best remembered for his four years as a left winger in the Football League with Brentford. In a short league career, he also played for Notts County, Lincoln City and Fulham.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Allan Mansley[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 31 August 1946 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Date of death | 4 February 2001 (aged 54)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Southport, England[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Everton | |||
| Sheffield Wednesday | |||
| Crewe Alexandra | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1966–1967 | Skelmersdale United | ||
| 1967–1968 | Blackpool | 0 | (0) |
| 1968–1971 | Brentford | 95 | (24) |
| 1970 | → Fulham (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1971 | → Notts County (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 1971–1972 | Notts County | 11 | (2) |
| 1971–1972 | → Lincoln City (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editEarly years
editMansley began his career as a schoolboy in Liverpool with Everton and later spent time with league clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Crewe Alexandra.[2] He dropped into non-League football in 1966, when he joined Lancashire Combination First Division club Skelmersdale United.[2] He reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup with the team during the 1966–67 season and caught the attention of Football League Second Division club Blackpool, with whom he signed a contract in June 1967.[3] He departed Bloomfield Road in January 1968, after failing to make an appearance for the Tangerines.[1]
Brentford
editMansley dropped down to the Fourth Division to sign for Brentford in January 1968.[2] He quickly established himself in the team and made 19 appearances during what remained of the 1967–68 season.[4] Flourishing under the management of Jimmy Sirrel, he made what would be a career-high 46 appearances during the 1968–69 season, top-scoring with 17 goals.[4] Mansley held a regular place in the team until the appointment of Frank Blunstone as manager in December 1969,[2] under whom he made just seven appearances in what remained of the 1969–70 season.[4] He began the 1970–71 season as a regular in the team, but fell out of favour in late September 1970 and joined Third Division club Fulham in November 1970 as the club's first-ever loan signing.[5] He made just one appearance for the Cottagers before the loan expired.[5] Mansley was released at the end of the 1970–71 season and made 105 appearances and scored 30 goals during 2+1⁄2 years at Griffin Park.[2][4]
Notts County
editMansley joined Third Division club Notts County on loan in March 1971,[6] a move which reunited him with his former Brentford manager Jimmy Sirrel.[2] He failed to make an appearance,[7] but impressed enough to join the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.[6] Mansley failed to make an impression in his only full season at Meadow Lane, making just 14 appearances and scoring two goals.[8] In search of regular football, Mansley signed on loan with Fourth Division club Lincoln City in December 1971 and made three appearances before departing the following month.[2][9]
Personal life
editMansley died in February 2001 of a heart attack.[10]
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brentford | 1967–68[4] | Fourth Division | 19 | 4 | — | — | 19 | 4 | ||
| 1968–69[4] | 41 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 46 | 17 | ||
| 1969–70[4] | 26 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 9 | ||
| 1970–71[4] | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Total | 95 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 105 | 30 | ||
| Fulham (loan) | 1970–71[11] | Third Division | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Notts County | 1971–72[8] | Third Division | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| Lincoln City (loan) | 1971–72[9] | Fourth Division | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 110 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 123 | 26 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Allan Mansley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 100. ISBN 0955294916.
- ^ "Alan Mansley". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 389–391. ISBN 0951526200.
- ^ a b "FFC Facts and Figures". www.fulhamfc.com. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ a b Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. pp. 29–31. ISBN 978-1906796709.
- ^ "1970–71 Notts County FC Match Line-Up's & Details". upthemaggies. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ a b "1971–72 Notts County FC Match Line-Ups & Details". upthemaggies. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- ^ a b Vickers, John. "Allan Mansley". The Lincoln City FC Archive. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 257.
- ^ "Top 10: Loan Stars". fulhamfc.com. Retrieved 15 December 2014.