Alun Evans

Last updated

Alun Evans
Personal information
Date of birth (1949-04-30) 30 April 1949 (age 74)
Place of birth Kidderminster, England [1]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1964–1967 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1967–1968 Wolverhampton Wanderers 22 (4)
1967 → Los Angeles Wolves (guest)
1968–1972 Liverpool 79 (21)
1972–1975 Aston Villa 60 (11)
1975–1978 Walsall 87 (7)
1978–1982 South Melbourne 104 (36)
1983 Morwell Falcons 23 (4)
1984–1985 Sandringham City TBC (20)
Total375(103)
International career
1968–1969 England Under-23 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alun William Evans (born 30 April 1949) is an English former footballer who made his name as a centre forward in the Liverpool side rebuilt by Bill Shankly at the start of the 1970s. He was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

Contents

Career

Evans began his professional career with Wolverhampton Wanderers, breaking into the first team in the 1967/68 season. He had already appeared for the club on their summer success in winning the United Soccer Association under the guise of the Los Angeles Wolves in Summer 1967.

He only had one full season in Wolves' first team as he swiftly joined Liverpool in September 1968 for £100,000, making him Britain's most expensive teenager. He had caught the eye of manager Bill Shankly after he outran and out-thought Liverpool captain Ron Yeats in a match in 1968. Although only 19, and despite Shankly's known desire to introduce new players gradually to the team, Evans was put straight into the side and stayed there until the end of the season.

He made his debut on 21 September 1968 in a league match against Leicester City at Anfield, scoring in a 4–0 win. Evans went on to feature in 33 league games, scoring seven goals as Liverpool finished runners-up to Leeds.

After an unimpressive 1969–70 campaign, he fared better the next season, scoring frequently in the opening games but suffered from injury and ill-luck which forced him out of the team, including facial scarring after being attacked with broken glass in a nightclub.

He returned to the fray near the end, and bagged a hat-trick during this season in a European Fairs Cup fourth round 1st leg tie at home to German giants Bayern Munich in a 3–0 win that ultimately saw them through 4–1 on aggregate. He also scored a magnificent equaliser against Merseyside rivals Everton as Liverpool came from behind to win their FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. However, Evans played disappointingly in the final and was substituted midway through the second half. Liverpool eventually lost 2–1 to Arsenal after extra time.

His Anfield career did not last much longer, as the signing of Kevin Keegan pushed him aside, and he managed only a handful of appearances in 1971–72. After 111 first team appearances, he departed for Second Division, newly promoted, Aston Villa for £72,000 on 20 June 1972; Evans could have joined the Villa Park club straight from school as he impressed during a trial in 1964, however, he had decided to sign for Midland rivals Wolves.

He remained at Villa Park for just two-and-a-half seasons, before being allowed to leave for fellow Midlanders Walsall for £30,000 on 14 December 1975, after 71 games and 17 goals. Ironically, 5 months after Evans departed, Villa gained the promotion back to the big time they yearned for, finishing runner-up to Manchester United by 3 points. Following two full seasons at Walsall, which included scoring a goal that knocked Leicester out of the F.A. Cup and won 'Goal of the Month' on Match of the Day, the striker ended his career abroad playing in both the US and Australia (with South Melbourne FC, Morwell Falcons and Sandringham City SC).

Honours

Aston Villa

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary McAllister</span> Scottish football player and manager

Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish professional football coach and former player.

Colin John Gibson is an English former footballer. He was an attacking left back who could also play in midfield. In a 17-year career, he scored 34 goals in 448 league and cup appearances, and also won caps for the England under-21 and England B teams.

1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s – 1950s – 1960s – 1970s – 1980s – 1990s – 2000s – 2010s – 2020s

The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.

The 1983–84 season was the 104th season of competitive football in England.

The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in England.

The 1981–82 season was the 102nd season of competitive football in England. It was also the first season that the three-points-for-a-win system was introduced.

The 1974–75 season was the 95th season of competitive football in England.

The 1971–72 season was the 92nd season of competitive football in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Stevenson</span> Scottish footballer and manager

William Stevenson is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. He played for Rangers, Liverpool, Stoke City, Tranmere Rovers and the Vancouver Whitecaps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 FA Cup final</span> Football match

The 1974 FA Cup final was an association football match between Liverpool and Newcastle United on Saturday, 4 May 1974 at Wembley Stadium, London. It was the final match of the 1973–74 FA Cup, the 93rd season of England's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. Liverpool were appearing in their fifth final and Newcastle in their eleventh, which was a record at the time. Liverpool had won the FA Cup once, in 1965, and Newcastle six times, most recently in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Benteke</span> Belgian footballer (born 1990)

Christian Benteke Liolo is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club D.C. United and the Belgium national team.

The 2000–2001 season was Liverpool Football Club's 109th season in existence and their 39th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. This season proved highly successful for Liverpool, with them picking up the League Cup, UEFA Cup and FA Cup under Gerard Houllier, having finished 3rd in the league.

The 1999–2000 season was Liverpool Football Club's 108th season in existence and their 38th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. The club finished fourth in the Premier League, thus qualifying for the 2000–01 UEFA Cup.

The 1996–97 Liverpool F.C. season was the 105th season in the club's existence, and their 35th consecutive year in the top-flight of English football. In addition to the FA Premier League, the club competed in the FA Cup, League Cup, and the Cup Winners' Cup.

The 1998–99 Liverpool F.C. season was the 107th season in the club's existence, and their 37th consecutive year in the top-flight of English football. In addition to the Premier League, the club also competed in the FA Cup, League Cup, and the UEFA Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Liverpool F.C. (1959–1985)</span> History of an English football club

The history of Liverpool Football Club from 1959 to 1985 covers the period from the appointment of Bill Shankly as manager of the then-Second Division club, to the Heysel Stadium disaster and its aftermath.

The 1977–78 season was Arsenal Football Club's 52nd consecutive season in the Football League First Division. It was Terry Neill's second season as manager. Arsenal finished fifth in the league. In cup play, Arsenal reached the semi-finals in the League Cup, losing to the previous season's league and European champions Liverpool. Arsenal were also in the finals of the FA Cup, the first of three consecutive FA Cup finals that Arsenal would reach under Neill. They lost 1-0 to Ipswich.

During the 1985–86 English football season, Aston Villa competed in the Football League First Division.

References

  1. ↑ "Wolves Heroes » Blog Archive » Evans on the Record, Thirty Years On". wolvesheroes.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.