| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Edward Allan [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 7 January 1908 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Darlington, England | ||
| Date of death | 1947 (aged 38) | ||
| Place of death | Darlington, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Full back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 193?–1932 | Darlington | 3 | (0) |
| 1932–1934 | Northampton Town | 15 | (0) |
| 1934 | Kidderminster Harriers | ||
| 1934–1937 | Darlington | 66 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Charles Edward Allan (7 January 1908 – 1947) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League as a full back for Darlington and Northampton Town. [3]
Allan was born in 1908 in Darlington, County Durham, [1] to Charles Edward Wheatland Allan, a bricklayer, and his wife, Meggie née Chipchase. He had an older sister, Laura, and a younger brother, John. [4] [5]
Allan joined his home-town club, Darlington of the Third Division North, from minor football in the area. He made his club and Football League debut on 16 April 1932, coming in to play the last three matches at left back, normally occupied by Herbert Brown. [6] He moved on to Third Division South club Northampton Town. [7] He began the season in their London Combination team, and in early September, scored against Fulham's reserves "with a shot which, if not from the half-way line, was taken from a point preciously close to it." [8] He made his first-team debut on 24 December in a 2–2 draw with Norwich City, and played five more matches in the last few weeks of the season. [1] Retained for 1933–34, [9] he played nine games between September and November, [1] but then injury kept him out until nearly the end of the season. [10] He rejected Northampton's offer of terms for another season, and was transfer-listed at a fee of £200. There were no takers, and he dropped out of League football and signed for Kidderminster Harriers of the Birmingham & District League on a month's trial. The trial proved successful, but Allan turned down the terms offered, [11] returned home and rejoined Darlington.
During the second of his five appearances that season, away to Crewe Alexandra on 16 February 1935, he took over in goal after Jack Beby was sent off in the second half: he conceded once, and the match ended as a 4–1 defeat. [12] [13] He played twice at outside right at the start of the 1936–37 season, but did not get a chance in his proper position until mid-November, when he took over at left back from the injured Don Ashman and kept his place to the end of the season. [14] [15] He scored what proved to be his only Football League goal to open the scoring in a 2–1 win against Accrington Stanley in November with a penalty [16] –he missed one against Chester a couple of weeks later. [17] He helped Darlington reach the final of the 1936–37 Third Division North Cup, which they lost 2–1 to Chester, [14] and in March 1936, he was reported as being watched by an unnamed Lancashire-based First Division club. [18] Allan kept his place until March 1937, when a succession of defeats prompted major changes to the eleven. [19] He appeared once more after being dropped, taking his appearances for Darlington in this second spell to 77 in all competitions, [20] and was released on a free transfer at the end of the season. [21]
Allan married Sarah Scott in 1937. [22] The 1939 Register finds him employed as a platelayer in a steel and armaments plant and living with his wife in Temperance Place, Darlington. [23] Allan died in Darlington in 1947 at the age of 38. [1] [24]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Darlington | 1931–32 [6] | Third Division North | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| Northampton Town | 1932–33 [1] | Third Division South | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| 1933–34 [1] | Third Division South | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| Darlington | 1934–35 [13] | Third Division North | 5 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1935–36 [14] | Third Division North | 29 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 [lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| 1936–37 [20] | Third Division North | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 [lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| Total | 66 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 77 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 84 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 95 | 1 | ||
Edward Widdowfield was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Huddersfield Town and Halifax Town. An outside right who became a centre forward, he also played non-league football for Hetton Lyons Welfare, Bishop Auckland, Birtley, Ransome & Marles and Peterborough United.
Samuel Charles Bellamy was an English professional footballer who played as a full back in the Football League for Birmingham.
Harold Dobinson was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward in the Football League for Durham City, Burnley and Queens Park Rangers.
Kenneth Parkinson was an English footballer who made 87 appearances in the Football League playing as a goalkeeper for Darlington in the 1930s. He was on the books of Sheffield Wednesday, without playing for the club's first team, and also played non-league football for Esh Winning and Shrewsbury Town.
Reuben Vine was an English footballer who scored 11 goals from 48 appearances in the Football League playing as an outside left for Darlington between 1929 and 1931. He was on the books of Gateshead without playing for their League team, and played non-league football for Stanley United and Eden Colliery Welfare.
Francis Jardine Wallace was a Scottish professional footballer who made 43 appearances in the English Football League playing as an inside left for Darlington. He also played non-league football for clubs including Tunbridge Wells Rangers, Folkestone and Ramsgate.
Reginald Nevison Siddle was an English footballer who made 31 appearances in the Football League playing at inside right or right half for Darlington. He went on to play non-league football for Spennymoor United.
Alexander Charles Bosomworth was an English footballer who made 43 appearances in the Football League for Darlington and Barrow, playing mainly as an inside forward. He was also on the books of Middlesbrough and Bradford without playing first-team football for either.
Charles Coates was an English footballer who made 46 appearances in the Football League playing as a left-sided forward for Darlington in the 1930s. He also played non-league football in the north east of England, for Hamsteels, Spennymoor United and Horden Colliery Welfare.
John Bennison Wildsmith was an English footballer who played as an inside right or outside right in the Football League for Darlington. He also played for Darlington Grammar School Old Boys, Spennymoor United and City of Durham.
Joseph West (1910–1965) was an English footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Cardiff City and Darlington.
Frank Lawrence Wrightson, also known as Paddy Wrightson, was an English footballer who scored 123 goals from 236 appearances in the Football League playing as an inside forward or centre forward in the 1920s and 1930s.
Donald Ashman was an English footballer who made 252 appearances in the Football League playing at left half or full back for Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers and Darlington in the 1920s and 1930s. He began his career in non-league football with Cockfield.
Reginald Hill was an English footballer who played as a centre half or wing half in the Football League for Carlisle United, Tranmere Rovers, Hartlepools United and Darlington, and in non-league football for Lancaster Town and Wellington Town.
William Laverick was an English footballer who played as an outside left in the Football League for Ashington and Halifax Town. He also played non-league football for clubs including Pelton Fell, Annfield Plain, Darlington, Chester-le-Street Town, West Stanley and Murton Colliery Welfare.
William Cook was an English footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Darlington and Gateshead.
Percy Jameson was an English amateur footballer who played in the Football League for Darlington.
Jack Haycox was an English footballer who scored 47 goals from 97 matches in the Football League playing for Newport County, Bristol City, Torquay United and Northampton Town. Primarily a centre forward, he also played non-league football for All Saints' Old Boys, Evesham Town, Cheltenham Town and Peterborough United.
Sam Rowbotham was an English footballer who played as a centre forward or inside left in the Football League for Rotherham United and Darlington. He also played non-league football for Scarborough and Peterborough United.
John Daglish was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Darlington and Gateshead, and in non-league football for South Moor, West Stanley, Annfield Plain, White-le-Head Rangers, South Shields and Ashington. He played as a wing half, centre half or occasional full back.
Allan made a successful return at left-back after a long absence due to injury.