| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Allan | ||
| Place of birth | Cardenden, Scotland | ||
| Playing position | Full Back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Dunfermline Athletic | |||
| East Fife | |||
| 1913-1922 | Bury | 132 | (1) |
| 1922-1923 | Reading | ||
| 1923-1928 | J&P Coats | 120 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
James “Jock” Allan is a deceased Scottish football full back who began his career in the Scottish League before moving to The Football League. After he was banned for life by the Football Association for match fixing, he moved to the United States where he spent five seasons in the American Soccer League.
Allan began his professional career with Dunfermline Athletic before moving to East Fife F.C. On May 10, 1913, he transferred to Bury F.C. and remained with the team until 1923. On May 1, 1920, Bury tied at Coventry City F.C. That tie allowed Coventry to remain in the Football League at the expense of Lincoln City F.C. It eventually came to light that Coventry and Bury had conspired to fix the match. On March 30, 1923, after investigating the allegations, the Football Association Management Committee announced that Allan and several other players, managers and executives were banned for life.[1] By then Allan had transferred to Reading F.C., but was immediately released by the team.
Following his suspension by the FA, Allan moved to the United States in 1924 where he signed with J&P Coats of the American Soccer League. He played only three games with Coats at the end of the 1923-1924 season, but became a fixture on the team’s backline for the next three seasons. He saw time in only 13 games during the 1927-1928 season. He left the ASL in 1928.[2]