Alan A'Court facts for kids

Alan A'Court (born September 30, 1934 – died December 14, 2009) was a talented English footballer. He was best known for playing as a winger for the famous Liverpool team. Alan also proudly played for the England five times, even representing his country at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

Alan A'Court's Football Journey

Alan A'Court was born in Rainhill, England. He started his football journey as an amateur player at Prescot Cables. Soon, the manager of Liverpool, Don Welsh, noticed his skills and signed him. Alan made his first team debut for Liverpool on February 7, 1953. In this game, Liverpool won 3–2. A month later, on March 14, he scored his first goal for the club. This helped Liverpool win 2–0 against Sunderland.

Alan joined Liverpool in September 1952 when he was 18 years old. He chose Liverpool over other big clubs like Everton and Bolton Wanderers. Just six months after joining, he was playing for the first team. In his second season, Liverpool was moved down to the Second Division.

Even though Liverpool was in the Second Division, Alan became a regular player. He played in 33 league and cup games that season. He continued to play well, even as Liverpool tried to get back into the top league. By the time he was 24, Alan had played 200 league games for Liverpool. He was the youngest player to reach this milestone, a record that still stands today!

Alan was a strong and talented player. He could have left Liverpool to play for teams in the top league. However, he stayed loyal to Liverpool. His loyalty paid off in the 1961–62 season. Under the guidance of manager Bill Shankly, Alan and his teammates celebrated getting promoted back to the First Division. They finished eight points clear of the second-placed team. In Liverpool's first season back in the top league, Alan played 23 times. He helped the team finish in eighth place.

Playing for England

While Liverpool was still in the Second Division, Alan's skills caught the eye of the England manager, Walter Winterbottom. Walter was looking for a player to replace an injured teammate. Alan, a left winger, earned his first of five caps (appearances for the national team) on November 6, 1957. This was in a match against Northern Ireland at Wembley. Alan scored his only goal for England in this game, but England still lost 3–2.

The biggest moment of his career was representing England at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. He played in England's last three matches. These included games against Brazil (a 0–0 draw), Austria (a 2–2 draw), and a play-off game against the USSR (which England lost 0–1). It was very impressive that he played in the World Cup while his club team was in the Second Division!

Unfortunately, injuries started to affect Alan's career. He missed the entire 1963–64 season, which was when Liverpool won the championship. Because of his injuries, Liverpool signed a new player, Peter Thompson. After playing 382 games and scoring 63 goals for Liverpool, Alan was allowed to leave. He joined Tranmere Rovers in October 1964 for £4,500. Alan's last game for Liverpool was a special one. It was Liverpool's first ever European match at Anfield on September 14, 1964. Liverpool won this game 6–1 against KR Reykjavik from Iceland.

Coaching Career

After his playing days, Alan became a player-coach at Norwich City. He then took on various coaching jobs around the world, including in Zambia and New Zealand. In 1969, he became an assistant manager at Stoke City. In January 1978, Alan was put in charge of Stoke City as a caretaker manager for a short time. He managed only one match, an FA Cup game against Blyth Spartans, which Stoke lost 3–2.

After his time at Stoke, Alan became an assistant manager at Crewe Alexandra. He then worked as a sports staff member at North Staffordshire Polytechnic. He also managed Nantwich Town from September 1983 to April 1984.

Life After Football

After finally retiring from football, Alan A'Court ran a shop that sold tobacco and newspapers. He passed away from cancer on December 14, 2009.