Tom Alexander

Name:	Thomas Erskine Alexander (some sources list him as Tony)
Born:	1873, Ballynashee, Ballyclare
Died:	20 October 1939, Belfast
Position:	Left-Half
Representative Honours:	Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1895)

Club Honours: (with Cliftonville) Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1893/94; Irish League Runner-Up 1895/96, 1896/97*, 1897/98*; City Cup Runner-Up 1894/95, 1896/97*; Charity Cup Runner-Up 1894/95, 1895/96.

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Cliftonville	1893/94-1899/00	-	Amateur	-	-	-
TOTALS		£10,000		-	-	-

Biography:
Tom Alexander was one of eleven children born between 1862 and 1883. After being orphaned the children relocated from Ballyclare to Belfast where they were well cared for by their maternal relatives, the Erskines.

After a season with Cliftonville Olympic Alexander graduated to the firstteam in 1893 and played regularly for a few seasons. He claimed just one winner's medal - in an 1894 Co. Antrim Shield Final win over Belfast Celtic. He also collected seven silvers in other competitions, three as a result of second/third place play-offs (see above *).

Alexander's later career was hindered by work commitments and he eventually became the Belfast City Coroner.

Obituary from The Irish News

Ireland Full Cap Details:

1

30-03-1895

Scotland

A

L

0-3

BC

(c.22 years)

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Adapted from information supplied by George Glass. Photograph supplied by Roy Cathcart.

Jim "Bummer" Allen

One of the multi-talented stars of the era of amateur sportmen, "Bummer" Allen helped put Limavady on the footballing map, only for the club to be lost to Junior football following the foundation of the Irish League.

Name:	James Allen
Born:	12 May 1859, Limavady
Position:	Back
Representative Honours:	Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1887); Co. Londonderry Representative (1887/88, 1888/89, 1889/90).

Club Honours: (with Limavady) Irish Cup Runner-Up 1884/85, 1885/86; North West Cup Winner 1887, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1893, Runner-Up 1892, 1894.

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Limavady Wanderers	1882/83	1882	Amateur	0/0	-	-
Alexander	1883/84	1883	Amateur	0/0	-	-
Limavady	1884/85-1893/94	1884	Amateur	0/0	-	-
TOTALS		£10,000		0/0	-	-

Biography:
Jim "Bummer" Allen was recognised for his strong play and heading ability. He combined his football with cricket and when Limavady Wanderers Cricket Club members formed a football club in 1882 it was Allen who became the club's representative at the Irish FA. In 1883 he joined local rivals Alexander and continued to play for Limavady following their formation by the amalgamation of Alexander and Wanderers in 1884.

Allen was twice an Irish Cup runner-up, losing out to Distillery in the 1885 and 1886 finals. He had more joy in the North West Cup and he was the only player to play in each final from 1887 to 1894, claiming a record (equal with Matt Douglas) six winner's medals. In 1888 Limavady completed a North West Senior Football and Cricket Cup double!

Aside from his single Ireland cap, in a 7-0 defeat by England in 1887, the highlight of Allen's footballing career must have been Limavady's January 1886 trip to England, where they defeated Everton 1-0 at Anfield - the only Irish side ever to do so.

Ireland Full Cap Details:

1

05-02-1887

England

A

L

0-7

BC

(27 years, 269 days)

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Additional details by George Glass.

Billy Anderson

A star of Linfield's successful side of the late 1890s and early 1900s, William Anderson picked up Irish League and Irish Cup titles as well as four Irish caps...

Name:	William John Stewart Anderson
Born:	14 February 1877, Holywood
Died:	28 April 1938, Portadown
Position:	Half-Back
Representative Honours:	Ireland: 4 Full Caps (1898-99); Irish League: 2 Caps (1906-10).

Club Honours: (with Linfield) Irish League Champion 1897/98, 1903/04, 1906/07, 1907/08, 1910/11; Irish Cup Winner 1897/98, 1903/04; City Cup Winner 1897/98, 1903/04; Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1903/04, 1905/06, 1906/07, Runner-Up 1896/97; Charity Cup Winner 1904/05; (with Cliftonville) Irish Cup Winner 1900/01; City Cup Runner-Up 1900/01; Co. Antrim Shield Runner-Up 1900/01.

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Linfield	1896/97-1897/98	-	-	*55/0	-	-
Cliftonville	1898/99-1901/02	1898	Amateur	-	-	-
Linfield	1903/04-1907/08	-	-	*133/1	-	-
Linfield	1910/11-1911/12	-	-	*22/0	-	-
TOTALS		£10,000		210/1	-	-

* All domestic games.

Biography:
Winner of four caps for Ireland, all in the right-half position, Billy Anderson played all the games in the 1897/98 Home Nations Championship, and won his final cap the following year against Scotland after moving from Linfield to Cliftonville.

A hard-worker in the middle of the park, Anderson rarely found himself in a goalscoring position. His only goal for Linfield came when he scored the third in a 7-0 win over King's Own Scottish Borderers on 20th February 1904 in an Irish League match. He had already scored for Cliftonville in a 5-0 City Cup win over Belfast Celtic on 15th December 1900.

Northern Ireland Full Cap Details:

1	19-02-1898	Wales	A	W	1-0	BC	(21 years, 5 days)
2	05-03-1898	England	H	L	2-3	BC
3	26-03-1898	Scotland	H	L	0-3	BC
4	25-03-1899	Scotland	A	L	1-9	BC	(22 years, 39 days)

Summary: 4/0. Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 3.

Irish League Match Details:

1	13-10-1906	Football League	H	L	0-6
2	08-10-1910	Football League	H	L	2-6

Summary: 2/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 2.

Additional details by George Glass. Photo kindly forwarded by Billy's grandson, William.

Cecil Allan

Like many others in football, Cecil Allan must have looked back on his career and wondered what might have been if not for a cruel injury...

Name:	Cecil A. Allan
Born:	1 August 1914, Belfast
Died:	11 May 2003, Colchester (England)
Height:	5.09 ft
Weight:	11.00 st
Position:	Left-Back
Representative Honours:	Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1935), 1 Amateur Cap (1935); Irish League: 2 Caps (1935).

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup		Other
Linfield	-	-	-	-	-		-
Cliftonville	34/35	-	Amateur	-	-		-
Chelsea	-	Mar-36	£3,000	0/0	-		-
Colchester United	39/40	-	-	16/0	(Southern League)
Dundela	40/41	-	Guest	-	-		-
Bangor	41/42	Jan-40	Guest	-	-		-
Crewe Alexandra	43/44	-	Guest	-	-		-
Colchester Casuals	-	-	-	-	-		-
TOTALS		£10,000		16/0	-	-

Biography:

The youngest of nine brothers Cecil Allan was orphaned by the time he was seven-years-old. His mother died when he was four and his English-born father, who had worked on the Titanic, was killed as an innocent passer-by in the centre of Belfast during a gun battle between the IRA and the "Black and Tans".

Allan played with Linfield Swifts before making the firstteam with Cliftonville where he developed into one of the most promising young defenders in the Irish League. At the time Cliftonville were an amateur side, and the young Allan followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming an apprentice at Harland & Wolff.

Allan made his full international début in October 1935, against England at Windsor Park. As an amateur he could not receive payment for the appearance, but the £10 left for him at a Belfast jewellers was used to buy a ring with the IFA badge and match details inscribed on it. During that same season he picked up Inter-League honours, most notably in a 2-1 victory over the Football League at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool. Shortly afterwards he was snapped up by Chelsea, but on his debut for the reserves he damaged his cartilage and never made the first XI.

His movement still restricted by the cartilage operation, which also left him with 22 stitches on his leg, Allan moved on to Southern League side Colchester United for the princely sum of £2,000 in 1938, and made a total of 16 first-team appearances spanning the Second World War. On leaving Colchester in 1946 he signed for Colchester Casuals as captain and coach, where future Newcastle forward Vic Keeble and West Ham defender John Bond began their careers.

Married to a local woman, who was an accomplished swimmer and diver to Olympic standard, Allan settled in the area and returned to his sheet metal work roots. He also kept himself busy as manager of the works football team and pianist with the works dance band.

Cecil Allan passed away in his sleep, at the age of 88, in May 2003.

Ireland Full Cap Details:

1

19-10-1935

England

H

L

1-3

BC

(21 years, 79 days)

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Ireland Amateur Cap Details:

1

16-02-1935

England

H

L

2-4

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Irish League Match Details:

1	25-09-1935	Football League	A	W	2-1
2	23-10-1935	Scottish League	H	L	2-3

Summary: 2/0. Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Additional information and picture supplied by George Glass.