Alan Blackburn

Alan Blackburn (* August 4, 1935 in Pleasly, Derbyshire, England; † January 14, 2014 ) was an English footballer.

Career

Blackburn, who grew up in an orphanage of the charity Barnardo's, was discovered by scouts of the London club West Ham United as a youth soccer players in Hertfordshire. 17 -year-old signed Blackburn his first professional contract with West Ham and made in the season 1953/54, a sensation when he scored 13 goals in the FA Youth Cup and with the reserve team won the title in the London Combination. In December 1954, he was against Derby County his competitive debut for the first team in the Second Division, other missions were due to its beginning in March 1955 military service but limited. For a number of missions he was only towards the end of the 1955/56 season, when he was mustered between 30 March and 28 April in six games, scoring two hits.

After a total of 17 competitive games and 3 goals Blackburn joined in November 1957 for a transfer fee of £ 7,000 in the Third Division North to Halifax Town. At the end of his first season with Halifax after qualifying for the new single-track Third Division until his retirement at the end of the 1960/61 season he was used regularly and scored 35 goals in 124 league games. In the summer of 1961, the striker joined football in the Non -League and joined the FC Margate with gaming operations in the Southern League Division One. Blackburn, who possessed "stand" with a powerful left shot and the ability for head balls in the air, in three seasons at Margate was top scorer of the team, highlights of his four -year stay had a hit in a 3-0 first round victory in the FA Cup 1961 / 62 against the third division Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic and promotion to the Premier Division of the Southern League in 1963.

In the summer of 1965 Blackburn left after 121 goals in 211 official matches Margate after a doctor to treat his ill daughter recommended a move to a more northerly area. He continued his footballer career for another three years in the Southern League at Wellington Town continued before he could finish his career with Knightley in 1968. Lancer was Blackburn in the window cleaning industry operates, already during his time at Margate he led with his teammate Bob Harrop such a company, and later he was also a partner in a farm in Telford.