Dick Allman

Dick Allman

Personal information
Full name	Messina Wilson Allman
Date of birth	1883
Place of birth	Burslem, England
Date of death	1943 (aged 59–60)
Place of death	Croydon, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Burslem Park Boys
	Burslem Higherhave
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1903–1905	Burslem Port Vale	35	(11)
1905–1907	Reading	61	(17)
1907	Portsmouth	1	(0)
1907–1908	Plymouth Argyle	21	(7)
1908	Stoke	0	(0)
1908	Liverpool	1	(0)
1908	Grantham	0	(0)
1909	Wrexham	0	(0)
1910	Ton Pentre	0	(0)
1911–1912	Leicester Fosse	7	(3)
1912–1915	Croydon Common	79	(21)
1919–1920	Crystal Palace	0	(0)
1920	Maidstone United	0	(0)
Total		205	(59)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Messina Wilson "Dick" Allman (1883–1943) was an English footballer who played as a forward.

He turned professional with Burslem Port Vale in April 1903, before joining Reading in May 1905. Two years later he signed with Portsmouth via Plymouth Argyle, and helped the "Greens" to finish as Southern League runners-up in 1907–08. He joined Stoke in May 1908, before moving on to Liverpool two months later. He then had spells with Grantham, Wrexham, and Ton Pentre; scoring the winning goal for Wrexham in the 1910 Welsh Cup final. He joined Leicester Fosse in November 1911, before transferring to Croydon Common in June 1912. He helped Croydon to win the Southern League Division Two title in 1913–14. After a spell guesting for Arsenal during World War I, he ended his career after the war with non-playing spells with Crystal Palace and Maidstone United.

Playing career

Allman signed for Football League Second Division club Burslem Port Vale in April 1903, having previously played for local minor-league sides Burslem Park Boys and Burslem Higherhave. He scored his first goal at the Athletic Ground on 16 January 1904, in a 2–2 draw with Burnley, and finished the 1903–04 campaign with three goals in nine appearances. He hit eight goals in 29 games in 1904–05 to finish as the club's top scorer.

He transferred to Reading in May 1905. He scored ten goals in 25 Southern League games in 1905–06 and then seven goals in 36 games in 1906–07. He then departed Elm Park, and started the 1907–08 season at Portsmouth, but moved on to Plymouth Argyle in December 1907 after finding his first team opportunities at Fratton Park limited. He scored six goals in 19 league games to help the "Greens" to finish as runners-up in the Southern League.

Allman returned to Staffordshire in May 1908 to sign with Stoke, but never featured at the Victoria Ground, and so instead moved on to Liverpool two months later. He played one First Division game for the "Reds", before he left Anfield. He spent the next few years with non-league sides Grantham, Wrexham, and Ton Pentre, and scored the winning goal for Wrexham over Chester in the 1910 Welsh Cup final. He joined Leicester Fosse in November 1911. He scored three goals in seven Second Division games in 1911–12, before leaving Filbert Street for Croydon Common in June 1912. He scored 18 goals in 43 games in 1912–13, before hitting 13 goals in 42 games in 1913–14 to help the club to the Division Two title. He then hit three goals in 28 appearances in 1914–15, and was the last player to score a goal for Croydon Common. He guested for Arsenal during World War I, and also saw action in France in 1915. After the war he served Crystal Palace and Maidstone United as a reserve player.

Statistics

• Sourced from Dick Allman at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Burslem Port Vale	1903–04	Second Division	8	3	1	0	9	3
	1904–05	Second Division	27	8	0	0	27	8
	Total		35	11	1	0	36	11
Liverpool	1908–09	First Division	1	0	0	0	1	0
Leicester Fosse	1911–12	Second Division	7	3	0	0	7	3

Honours

with Portsmouth

• Southern Football League runner-up: 1907–08

with Wrexham

• Welsh Cup winner: 1910

with Croydon Common

• Southern Football League Division Two champion: 1913–14