Alexander Begg Allan (born 29 October 1947) is a Scottish former professional footballer. During his career, he made over 50 appearances in the Football League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander Begg Allan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 29 October 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | Forfar, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Rhyl | |||
| 1967–1970 | Cardiff City | 9 | (1) |
| 1970–1974 | Bristol Rovers | 57 | (18) |
| 1973 | → Swansea City (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| Cape Town City | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| Harrogate Railway Athletic | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
After attracting attention as an amateur player, he signed for Cardiff City in 1967 and made his professional debut soon after. However, a broken ankle and strong competition for places limited him to nine league appearances over three seasons. During his time with Cardiff, he became the first player to score a headed hat-trick in a European competition during a match against Mjøndalen IF in 1969.
He moved to Bristol Rovers in 1970 for £12,500, scoring 18 league goals in 57 appearances. After a brief loan spell with Swansea City in 1973, he moved to South Africa.
Early life
editBorn in Forfar,[2] Allan grew up in the village of Killiecrankie. At the age of fifteen, he began working in a mine alongside his father in the nearby town of Tullibody. However, after three months, the family relocated to Yorkshire.[3]
Career
editEarly career
editAllan began his football career as an amateur, featuring for Barnsley and Doncaster Rovers. He was offered a part-time contract with Welsh side Rhyl, managed by Albert Dunlop, who were playing in the Cheshire League. He developed a reputation as a prolific goalscorer for Rhyl, earning himself the nickname "The Boy with the Golden Boots".[3] His form attracted attention from several clubs and Dunlop personally travelled with Allan in an attempt to secure a transfer. The pair later met Tony Kay, who warned Allan that Dunlop was using the transfer as a way of making money for himself. Allan instead returned to Rhyl where the chairman confirmed the suspicions and instead contacted Cardiff City.[3]
Cardiff City
editAfter impressing manager Jimmy Scoular,[4] Allan joined Cardiff in 1967 for a fee of £12,500.[3][5] He made his professional debut for the club on 19 August 1967, the opening day of the 1967–68 season, in a 1–1 draw with Plymouth Argyle. In his second appearance a month later,[6] Allan suffered a broken ankle.[3] After an extended period out, he made his return to the first team over a year later, scoring his first senior professional goal during a 2–0 victory over Bury.[6] Despite scoring eight times in eleven matches during a tour of Mauritius and Zambia on his return,[3][7] Allan found first team opportunities limited due to the presence of several senior forwards at the club, including John Toshack, Brian Clark and Bobby Brown.[4] Allan later stated that he was largely overlooked as "Jimmy Scoular, thought the club could sell John Toshack and kept playing him."[3]
Although he continued to struggle for league appearances during the 1969–70 season,[6] Allan did feature for the club in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. On 1 October 1969, he became the first player to score a headed hat-trick in a European club competition when he achieved the feat during a 5–1 victory over Norwegian side Mjøndalen IF during the second leg of their first round tie.[3][8] All three of the goals were scored during a seven-minute spell of the first half, later described as "a header at the near post, one at the far post and a diving header in the middle."[3]
Later career
editIn March 1970, he left Cardiff to sign for Bristol Rovers,[9] again for a fee of £12,500.[5] In March 1973, he was allowed to join Swansea City on loan, being signed by manager Harry Gregg. He scored one goal in seven league appearances before returning to Bristol.[5] He left Bristol in March 1974, moving to South Africa where he played for Cape Town City.[4] He later had a spell as player-manager of non-league side Harrogate Railway Athletic.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Sandy Allan". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ "Sandy Allan". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Fowlie, Brian (25 August 2013). "How a European hat-trick made Sandy the toast of the valleys". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via Press Reader.
- ^ a b c Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 12. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
- ^ a b c d "Players of the past". Swansea City A.F.C. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Shepherd, Richard (2002). The Definitive: Cardiff City F.C. Nottingham: SoccerData Publications. pp. 67–69. ISBN 1-899-46817-X.
- ^ "Cardiff City's Epic Journeys". South Wales Echo. Cardiff, Wales: MGN Ltd. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2023 – via TheFreeLibrary.
- ^ Shepherd, Richard (21 March 2013). "1964–1973: The Scoular Years". Cardiff City F.C. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- ^ Stephen Byrne; Mike Jay (2014). Bristol Rovers: The official definitive history. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445636191.