Background
Allan was born in Ayr, Scotland on 9 October 1857 to William Allan and Helen Ronald. As one of 13 children, he grew up in Tarbolton in South Ayrshire.
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James Allan
Edit ProfileCareer
He also founded Sunderland Albion F.C. and taught in several Sunderland based schools. On 17 October 1879, Allan founded Sunderland and District Teachers" Association Football Club, later to become Sunderland A.F.C. They were formed at Hendon Board School, where Allan was headteacher, and they went on to play at Blue House Field, close to the school.
However, Middlesbrough filed a complaint, that Sunderland had paid three players illegally. After his departure from the club, he formed (and played for) Sunderland Albion F.C. on 13 March 1888, with help from James and John Hartley.
However, in 1892, Sunderland Albion disbanded.
During this period, both clubs endured a strong rivalry. In addition to the Sunderland clubs, he also played for the County Durham and Northumberland County teams.
Achievements
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He was the founder of Sunderland A.F.C., whom he also played for as a forward. He appointed himself as vice-captain of the team, and played their first competitive game against Redcar on 8 November 1884 in the FA Cup. They lost 3–1. Allan scored 12 goals in one match against Castletown in a friendly match, that Sunderland won 23–0. On 3 December 1887, Sunderland faced Middlesbrough in a third round FA Cup replay which they won 4–2. Sunderland were disqualified from the FA Cup, and Allan left the club as a result.
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Born
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Died
October 18, 1911 (aged 54) -
Nationality
United Kingdom