| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Allen [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 30 March 1949 | ||
| Place of birth | South Shields, England | ||
| Position(s) | Left back, Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1966–1967 | Middlesbrough | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1967–1971 | Middlesbrough | 35 | (0) |
| 1971–1979 | Brentford | 205 | (11) |
| Whitby Town | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Michael Allen (born 30 March 1949) is an English retired professional footballer who made over 230 appearances in the Football League, most notably for Brentford. A left back, he also played League football for Middlesbrough.
Born in South Shields, Allen began his career at Middlesbrough in 1966 and made his professional debut on 30 December 1967, [1] in a 2–1 Second Division defeat to Bolton Wanderers. [2] He scored his only goal for the club in a 1–1 FA Cup third round draw with Millwall on 4 January 1969. [2] Allen failed to break through into the first team, with his best tally being 15 appearances during the 1969–70 season. [2] He departed Ayresome Park a few months into the 1971–72 season, having made 38 appearances and scored one goal for Middlesbrough. [2]
Allen dropped through the leagues to join Fourth Division high-flyers Brentford in October 1971, for a £10,000 fee. [3] Operating as a midfielder, his 33 appearances during the 1971–72 season helped the club to a third-place finish and promotion to the Third Division. [4] The Bees were relegated straight back to the Fourth Division and after moving to his preferred left back position in 1974, [4] Allen put in a Player of the Year award-winning season in 1975–76, when he missed only one league match. [3] Allen helped the club secure promotion back to the Third Division in 1977–78, with a fourth-place finish. [3] He made just seven appearances in the Third Division and departed Griffin Park at the end of the 1978–79 season. [3] Allen made 255 appearances and scored 13 goals during nearly 9 years with the Bees. [3]
In 1979, Allen returned to his native northeast and ended his career with a spell as player-coach at Northern League club Whitby Town. [5]
After retiring from football, Allen moved to Marton and worked for ICI Wilton. [6]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Middlesbrough | 1967–68 [2] | Second Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1968–69 [2] | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 1969–70 [2] | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| 1970–71 [2] | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1971–72 [2] | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 35 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 1 | ||
| Brentford | 1971–72 [4] | Fourth Division | 30 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 3 | |
| 1972–73 [4] | Third Division | 26 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 5 | |
| 1973–74 [4] | Fourth Division | 32 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| 1974–75 [4] | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| 1975–76 [4] | 45 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 1 | ||
| 1976–77 [4] | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | ||
| 1977–78 [4] | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 [4] | Third Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 205 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 227 | 13 | ||
| Career total | 240 | 11 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 265 | 14 | ||
Brentford
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