Adrian Alston
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adrian Alston | ||
| Date of birth | 6 February 1949 | ||
| Place of birth | Preston, England | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1968–1969 | South Coast United | ||
| 1970–1972 | St George | ||
| 1974 | Safeway United | 13 | (4) |
| 1974–1975 | Luton Town | 29 | (8) |
| 1975–1976 | Cardiff City | 48 | (16) |
| 1977–1978 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 19 | (8) |
| 1977 | Canberra City | 10 | (3) |
| 1984 | Wollongong City | 1 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1969–1977 | Australia | 43 | (7) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1979 | St. Petersburg Thunder Bolts | ||
| 1997–2004 | Port Kembla | ||
| 2004 | ACT Rockets | ||
| 2004–2005 | Wollongong City | ||
| 2006–2007 | Bulli | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 May 2007. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Adrian Alston (born 6 February 1949 in Preston) is an English-born Australian former professional football (soccer) player. His brother Alex was also a professional footballer.
Career
While playing as an apprentice at his hometown club Preston North End, Alston was offered a chance by South Coast United in Australia and quickly settled in the country. His performances in the 1974 World Cup saw Alston receive offers from a number of clubs in Germany, including Hertha Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt, but instead decided to join Luton Town in The Football League. However Alston spent just one season at Kenilworth Road before Cardiff City manager Jimmy Andrews paid £20,000 to take him to Ninian Park.
He scored twice on his debut in a 4–3 win over Chesterfield and later went on to become the first post-war Cardiff player to score a hat-trick in the FA Cup in a 6–2 win over Exeter City. After helping the club win promotion to Division Two, he struggled to reproduce his form the following year and left Cardiff to play in the NASL for Tampa Bay Rowdies.[1]
International career
He was a member of the Australian 1974 World Cup squad in West Germany. Prior to the Australia side meeting West Germany in the group stage, German manager Helmut Schoen stated[2]
| “ | "We have nothing to fear from Australia....apart from Adrian Alston" | ” |
In total he represented Australia between 1969 and 1977 in 43 official matches, scoring 7 goals.[3] Alston represented New South Wales in 1974 as a player and led the selection of the Illawarra region as coach in 2004.
Honours
- Cardiff City
- Welsh Cup Winner: 1
- 1976
See also
Foreign-born footballers who played for Australia
References
- ↑ Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
- ↑ "Alston:The man Schoen feared". FIFA.com. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
- ↑ Adrian Alston, 11v11.com – Official Website of the Association of Football Statisticians (includes also a match against a selection of the Irish league).
Roberto Mamrud: Australia – Record International Players, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 10 June 2011.
External links
- Adrian Alston: The man Schoen feared, FIFA.com
- David V.: Why Adrian Alston was a Socceroo trailblazer The Roar, 24 July 2010
- Adrian Alston, 11v11.com – Official website of the Association of Football Statisticians (international matches, details)
- André Krüger: Australia – National Team Player Data, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 5 May 2002 (World Cup matches)
- Roberto Mamrud: Australia – Record International Players, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 10 June 2011
- Australian Player Database – AL, OzFootball
- Chris Paraskevas: Exclusive Interview: '74 Socceroo Adrian Alston (Part 1), goal.com, 15 March 2009
- Chris Paraskevas: Exclusive Interview: '74 Socceroo Adrian Alston (Part 2), goal.com, 15 March 2009
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