It was quite the journey
An aspiring amateur footballer, aged 16, Alan was offered an apprenticeship with Third Division Bradford Park Avenue, but after a couple of false starts at work he had just secured a job with Bradford Corporation. Conversations with his dad led him to turn the offer down and he worked towards his City and Guilds qualification as a street mason, but football always remained his first love.
In 1967, inspired by a cousin who had travelled through North America, he took off to Canada without telling his parents and spent a year working in factories and on building sites, playing football in his spare time.The wide-open spaces of Canada were very different to 1960s Bradford - the work was gruelling and he was not always made welcome. But it brought an empathy he put to good use when working with young players from abroad who experienced homesickness.
Being in “the right place at the right time” is an enduring theme in Alan’s story. Back in England and following a move to Pateley Bridge with his wife Shirley and family, he spent the 1970s running his own building company and kept a link with football through coaching and part-time physio work at Bradford City.A heads-up from one of his building contacts who was on the board at Halifax Town FC resulted in his first paid role as the team physiotherapist.
Professional qualifications followed and in 1986 Geoff Ladley, the Leeds United physio, recommended Alan to the Leeds manager, Billy Bremner, as his replacement. The rest, as they say, is history.Grass roots supporters will enjoy his stories of the gritty struggles of low budget, lower division football as well as the illustriousness and occasional excesses of the Premier League. Now aged 76, Alan still occasionally shakes his head in wonder at how life has turned out.
“People keep asking me, ‘how the hell did you get from the streets of Bradford to the Premier League, working around the world without ever passing an exam at school?’ he said. “Using words borrowed from the golfer, Howard Clark, ‘Dream, believe, work, achieve’. I truly think that this applies to anyone, anywhere in life, but with a bit of luck thrown in too.
Belgique Dernières Nouvelles, Belgique Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Leeds Bradford Airport issues statement on flights following yellow weather warning for iceThe Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice which is set to cover parts of Yorkshire this weekend - the weather warning has affected flights across the country, so Leeds Bradford Airport has responded.
Lire la suite »
These are the most popular areas in Leeds and Bradford for first time buyersYorkshire estate agents have analysed the most popular areas in Leeds and Bradford for first time buyers based on affordability, location and amenities.
Lire la suite »
Ebanie Bridges' first ever nude via OnlyFans has nod to Leeds United followingLeeds United fans are thrilled to be represented in Ebanie Bridges' first ever nude EbanieBridges lufc
Lire la suite »
Bradford: Motorists urged not to give to roadside beggarsPolice say people begging at junctions and in the road are putting themselves and others at risk.
Lire la suite »
First flights from Leeds to picturesque Norwegian town in over a decade go liveJet2 has announced its first programme of flights and city breaks to Bergen in Norway from Leeds Bradford Airport in over a decade.
Lire la suite »
Leeds restaurant introduces Christmas specials range - featuring pigs in blankets pizzaThe pigs in blankets pizza combines a festive favourite with an Italian classic and the pigs are candied in hot chilli honey 🍕
Lire la suite »