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Fullname: George Horsburgh Allan
aka: George Allan, Dod Allan
Born: 23 April 1875
Died: 17 October 1899
Birthplace: Linlithgow Bridge
Signed: 1 May 1897 (from Liverpool)
Left: 20 Apr 1898 (to Liverpool)
Position: Centre-forward
Debut: Celtic 4-1 Hibernian, League, 4 Sep 1897
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 1
International Goals: 0
Biog
Centre-forward George Allan (“Dod Allan“) stayed at Parkhead for just one prolific season, with his goals helping the Bhoys to their fourth championship.
The Linlithgow Bridge-born player moved back home to Scotland from Liverpool when he joined the Bhoys in 1897. He made his debut on 4th September 1897 in a 4-1 league victory over Hibernian at Celtic Park.
He got his first goals for the club when he struck twice in a 6-1 home triumph over near neighbours Clyde on 25th September 1897, and if Clyde thought they were off the hook, George Allan scored five goals against them in a 9-1 pummelling on Christmas Day (so little festive cheer for the Bully Wee).
Already a Scotland international (his sole appearance was a 2-1 win over England at Crystal Palace just a few weeks before signing for Celtic), George Allan showed his prowess in front of goals by hitting 16 goals in 19 league & Scottish Cup appearances for Celtic to finish the club’s top scorer that season. He helped Celtic to the club’s fourth league championship in 1898.
He was described as “a dribbler of versatility“, and combined with his goal scoring ability, it was clear that he was a superb young talent.
Despite this success, the powerful runner is said to not have enjoyed Celtic’s patient passing game, and after just a year in Glasgow he returned to Merseyside (pictured in his Liverpool kit on the right). Liverpool held his registration and gladly paid £50 to have him back much to Celtic’s loss.
Interestingly, after his departure that season, Celtic hit a very poor streak in the post-season local Glasgow League competition, losing four games and drawing one out of the next five. So his departure looks to have had an immediate negative impact.
At Liverpool, he ended up in a comical situation where in one match the opposition goalkeeper (the then famous ‘Fatty‘ Foulkes) had got wound up into a fury, then grabbed George Allan and turned him upside down. The referee signalled for a penalty to Liverpool which they converted to win 2-1; George Allan had scored the other one.
Incredibly he still holds a Liverpool record, reaching 20 goals in a season in the fastest number of games for any player in their club’s history.
Sadly little more than a year after returning to England, George Allan contracted tuberculosis (the “great white plague“) and he died soon after at the family home in Earlsferry in Fife in 1899. He is buried in Linlithgow Cemetery.
He died at the young age of 24 years old. With his remarkable record, we can only now imagine what a great talent was lost to the game due to his illness and then premature death.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1897-98 | 17 | 2 | n/a | n/a | 19 |
| Goals: | 15 | 1 | – | – | 16 |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish League
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1) Liverpool Mercury reported his death on 17th of October 1899:
“George Allan, Liverpool’s centre forward, died at Elie, Fifeshire, yesterday morning. Allan was discovered and developed by Liverpool Football Club, and played for Scotland vs. England two years ago. He afterwards joined the Celtic for a season, but returned to Liverpool a year ago. He was the pivot in the team which took Liverpool into the semi-final stage of the Association Cup ties and ran up for the League championship. During the summer he was taken seriously ill, and although it was hoped a few weeks ago that he would recover, he has at length succumbed. Allan was a model centre forward, and Liverpool have suffered severly in losing him.”
2) George Allan – As a rule he was a scrupulous player
Copyright – Manchester Courier, 23-10-1899 – Transcribed by Kjell Hanssen (https://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/385)
No doubt to many the news of the death of George Allan, Liverpool’s late and great centre forward, came as a surprise. It is only six months since he was seen in his famous duel with William Foulkes, the massive Sheffield United goalkeeper, in the historic replayed semi-final tie at Fallowfield. At the end of the season his apparently and sturdy frame and constitution betrayed weakness, and decay supervened with startling rapidity. Tom Watson, the secretary of the Liverpool F.C., saw him only a fortnight ago, and described the transformation as truly shocking. He had in the course of a few short months sunk from a lusty youth to a stooping ecrepid, wizened, and prematurely old man.
Allan joined Liverpool in his nineteeth year, and under the tuition of a greast master like James Ross he developed into about the best centre forward of the day, and not very much inferior to John Goodall and Hugh Campbell when in their prime. He was a wonderfully accurate and forcible shot. His most dangerous aim was when he almost had his back to the goal. He would swing with a half-turn and give the ball a mighty crack with all his weight and force. Few goalkeepers could divine where this particular shot would drive, and even if they happened by chance to be in the right spot it was more by good luck than anything else if they succeeded in stopping it. Allan was only 24 years old. As a rule he was a scrupulous player, but, like others, he occasionally took the prospects of defeat with a rather bad grace.
3) George Allan’s and Fatty Foulke’s legendary duel
https://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/2234
George Allan
Forward George Allan signed for Liverpool from Scotland’s Leith Athletic at 20-years-old in September 1895. He became an instant hero for the Liverpool faithful as his 25 league goals in 20 games was a major factor in Liverpool getting out of the 2nd division in the 1895-1896 season at the first time of asking after being relegated the year before. George Allan was so described by a journalist: “A model centre; of fine physique, great speed and no fear”.
There’s a sad end to the story of one of Liverpool’s first star forwards as Allan died of tuberculosis only 24 years old.
Liverpool Mercury reported his death on 17th of October 1899: “George Allan, Liverpool’s centre forward, died at Elie, Fifeshire, yesterday morning. Allan was discovered and developed by Liverpool Football Club, and played for Scotland vs. England two years ago. He afterwards joined the Celtic for a season, but returned to Liverpool a year ago. He was the pivot in the team which took Liverpool into the semi-final stage of the Association Cup ties and ran up for the League championship. During the summer he was taken seriously ill, and although it was hoped a few weeks ago that he would recover, he has at length succumbed. Allan was a model centre forward, and Liverpool have suffered severly in losing him.”
Allan left Liverpool for Celtic in April 1897 where he won the championship, but a year later he returned to Liverpool. Allan had played 7 games in his second spell at Liverpool when he was involved in a colorful incident with Sheffield United’s goalkeeper, William “Fatty” Foulke which gained legendary status.
Foulke was over 20 stone (125 kilos) and very difficult to say the least to charge him off the ball or into the goal as was allowed to do to goalkeepers in those days. Along with “Fatty” he also earned the nickname “Colossus”: “I don’t mind what they call me as long as they don’t call me late for my lunch”, he said. Foulke was involved in a lot of controversial incidents in his career. He once took to swinging on the crossbar in mid game which resulted in him breaking it in two and once charged around butt-naked after a match searching for the referee to protest a controversial equalizer. Foulke is a Sheffield United legend and won one league championship and two FA Cups in his 352 games for the Blades. His heavy drinking contributed to “his ponderous girth” and eventually lead to him dying of liver disease only at 42-years old.
Foulke was a giant among men!
Having introduced the two protagonists: the burly Allan against grizzly Foulke, the scene is set for 29th of October 1898. Liverpool and then League champions Sheffield United were playing at Anfield. Unlike his contemporaries Allan was not afraid of the Sheffield United goalkeeper and when Foulke seized the ball, Allan used all his might to rattle him. It was reported that “Allan charged Foulke in the goalmouth, and the big man, losing his temper, seized him by the leg and turned him upside down.” The referee wasn’t too keen on Foulke’s reaction and awarded Liverpool a penalty, from which Andrew McCowie scored. Liverpool won the game 2-1, with none other than Allan scoring the other goal for Liverpool.
After he retired from football William Foulke gave a different version of this legendary incident when he was interviewed by the London Evening News: “You may have heard that there was a very great rivalry between the old Liverpool centre forward Allan and myself, that prior to one match we breathed fire and slaughter at each other, that at last he made a rush at me as I was saving a shot, and that I dropped the ball, caught him by the middle, turned him clean over in a twinkling, and stood him on his head, giving him such a shock that he never played again.
Well, the story is one which might be described as a “bit of each”. In reality, Allan and I were quite good friends off the field… What actually happened on the occasion referred to was that Allan (a big strong chap, mind you) once bore down on me with all his weight when I was saving. I bent forward to protect myself, and Allan, striking my shoulder, flew right over me and fell heavily. He had a shaking up, I admit, but quite the worst thing about the whole business was that the referee gave a penalty against us and it cost Sheffield United the match.”
Copyright – Arnie at LFChistory.net (editor@lfchistory.net)
George Allan Memorial Football Festival 2018 in Linlithgow
https://www.linlithgowgazette.co.uk/lifestyle/george-allan-memorial-football-festival-2018-in-linlithgow-1-4746022
In his memory…Brig United players with the George Allan Trophy which they won for a second consecutive year at the memorial football festival in the Linlithgow Bridge player’s name. (Pic: Martine Stead)
Julie Currie
Published: 16:01 Monday 28 May 2018
George Allan would surely have been proud to see the silky skills on display at Prestonfield on Sunday, May 20.
But it wasn’t the Rosey Posey’s first team who were in action – it was, in fact, 120 or so young football stars in the making.
Twelve teams from local primary schools met at the Rose’s ground to compete in the annual seven-a-side George Allan Memorial Football Festival.
Budding young footballers from schools in the Linlithgow area were joined by pupils from Grange PS in Bo’ness for the event’s 28th staging.
The festival has two league sections, named after the first Scottish Cup-winning captains of Linlithgow Rose.
In the developmental Reston League, at the Social Club end, Dynamo Springfield won the George Allan Shield – beating the Linlithgow Leopards one-nil in the final.
Record…has been retained by former Liverpool star George Allan, from Linlithgow Bridge, despite Mohamed Salah’s scorching 2018 season.
Record…has been retained by former Liverpool star George Allan, from Linlithgow Bridge, despite Mohamed Salah’s scorching 2018 season.
And in the more advanced Gallagher League at the Academy end, Brig United and Borussia Springfield emerged at the top of a closely contested section to meet each other in the final.
Hopes of a Springfield double were not to be, however, and the well-drilled team from the Brig school won by two goals to nil to take the George Allan Trophy home for the second consecutive year.
Prizes were presented by Georgina Waugh, George Allan’s great-niece.
Special award winners in the Reston League were Reuben Kennedy from Linlithgow Leopards and Euan Johnstone from Springfield Dynamo and, in the Gallagher League, Kerr Robertson from Brig United and Liam Cairns from St Joseph’s Reds.
And the Georgina Waugh Trophy for Fair Play was awarded to Linlithgow Tigers.
Festival organiser Murdoch Kennedy said: “I’d like to thank the hosts, Linlithgow Rose FC supporters, Linlithgow Rose Community FC and our sponsors The Walk For Jock who helped make this year’s event another great success.
“I’d also like to thank the 200 or so mums, dads, grans and grandads who came along to support the teams.
“We can only hope that one of the youngsters in the tournament will one day walk in George’s footsteps as a Scottish internationalist.
“It’s not happened yet but that’s our ultimate goal!”
First established in 1991, the festival honours the memory of Linlithgow Bridge footballer, George “Dod” Allan, a star centre forward on both sides of the border who, in 1897, became Liverpool FC’s first Scottish internationalist.
Explaining the festival’s roots, Murdoch said: “In 1988, while researching the history of Linlithgow Rose FC in the Journal and Gazette archives, I came across an 1897 report about George Allan who had played in the England v Scotland international at Crystal Palace in London.
“I did some research to find out more about him as he appeared to have been forgotten about locally.
“This culminated in an article in the Lithca Lore Four publication in 1989.
“Two years later, after a discussion with Linlithgow Bridge Community Council on ways to honour this forgotten son of the Brig, then chairman Simon Mason suggested we should have an annual football tournament, involving local primaries.
“The first festival was staged in 1991 and it has gone from strength to strength ever since.”
On the cusp of a glittering career, George Allan sadly died of tuberculosis in 1899, aged just 24.
However, almost 129 years after his tragic death, he has been making headlines again – thanks to Liverpool player Mohammed Salah’s incredible 2017-18 season.
Murdoch added: “Salah has broken goal scoring records all season and picked up several major awards.
“However, when he scored in the 5-0 rout of Porto in the Champions League on February 14, on his 26th appearance, it was reported by Sky Sports News and other media outlets that he was only the second-fastest Liverpool player to reach 20 goals in a season.
“That particular record is still held by George Allan, who reached the milestone in 19 appearances in 1895.
“Stephen Done, the historian and museum curator of Liverpool Football Club, has told me that George Allan has never been forgotten by the club.
“His name regularly crops up in the club’s publications.