Tony Allen (footballer)

Tony Allen

Personal information
Full name	Anthony Allen
Date of birth	(1939-11-27) 27 November 1939 (age 77)
Place of birth	Stoke-on-Trent, England
Playing position	Left back
Youth career
	Stoke Boy's Brigade
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1957–1970	Stoke City	417	(2)
1970–1971	Bury	29	(0)
1971–1973	Hellenic
1973	Stafford Rangers
Total		446	(2)
National team
–	England under-23
1959	England	3	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Anthony Allen (born 27 November 1939) is a former English footballer who played most of his club career as a left back for Stoke City between 1957 and 1970. He also made three appearances for England in 1959, before his twentieth birthday.

Allen was born in Stoke-on-Trent, and after playing football for his schools and the Boys Brigade, he was signed by Stoke City as an amateur, before turning professional on his seventeenth birthday in November 1956. He instantly became a regular under Frank Taylor establishing himself at Left back with ease. Although playing outside the top division, his talents were soon spotted by the England selectors. After winning caps at youth and under-23 levels, he was called up for the full international side for a British Home Championship match against Wales in place of Jimmy Armfield on 17 October 1959. The match was drawn 1–1 and Allen was retained for the next two matches, against Sweden (a 2–3 defeat) and Northern Ireland (won 2–1). For the next international match the following April, Ray Wilson was preferred at left-back, remaining first choice for most of the next decade. Although he received further caps at under-23 level (earning seven in all) Allen was never selected again for the full England eleven. He remains one of only two players of modern times (the other being Nick Pickering) to have only played for England while still in his teens.

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