Adrian Alston
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Adrian Alston[1] | ||
Date of birth | 6 February 1949 | ||
Place of birth | Preston, England | ||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
1967–1968 | Preston North End | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1967–1968 |
Fleetwood | 6 | (3) |
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) |
International career‡ | |||
1969–1977 |
Australia | 37 | (6) |
Managerial career | |||
1983 | Wollongong City | ||
1984–1989 | Corrimal Rangers | ||
1991–2004 | Port Kembla | ||
2004–2005 | Wollongong Wolves | ||
2006–2007 | Bulli | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 May 2007 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 May 2007 |
Adrian Alston (born 6 February 1949) is a former professional
Nicknamed "Noddy" for his heading ability, he made his international debut in 1969 and was instrumental in helping the side qualify for the
He returned to Australia to work as a manager, taking charge of the
Career
Early career
Born in
He settled quickly in the country, scoring the goal that won the
Return to Europe
His performances in the 1974 World Cup saw Alston receive offers from a number of clubs in Germany, including
In his debut season, Alston finished as the club's joint top goalscorer, along with Ron Futcher, in the league as the club suffered relegation. However, Alston spent just one season at Kenilworth Road as the club began to experience financial difficulties resulting in Alston not being paid at times. Alston later described his decision to reject offers from Germany and return to England with Luton as "the biggest mistake I ever made".[5] Cardiff City manager Jimmy Andrews paid £20,000 to take him to Ninian Park with the club also agreeing to pay Alston the wages owed to him by Luton.[11] 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.[13] In his first season, the club won the Welsh Cup, qualifying for the European Cup Winners' Cup the following season. In the first round of the competition, Alston became the first Australian player to score in a European competition when he scored in a 1–0 victory over Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi on 15 September 1976.[11][14]
After helping the club win promotion to
Later career
Alston joined the Rowdies after being spotted by the team's manager
International career
Alston was handed his debut for the
Alston was instrumental in Australia's progress during the qualifying rounds for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, scoring three goals in the group stage and once during the final play-off match against Iran as Australia qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history.[20]
He was named to the squad for the tournament in
Prior to the Australia side meeting West Germany in the group stage, during a press conference, German manager
We have nothing to fear from Australia....apart from Adrian Alston
Alston started all three of Australia's matches at the tournament as they suffered defeats to
International goals
Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Alston goal.
Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 November 1970[19] | Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran, Iran | Iran | 2–? | 2–1 | Friendly |
2 | 17 November 1970[19] | Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Athens, Greece | Greece | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
3 | 11 November 1971[26] | Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia | Israel | 2–2 | 2–2 | |
4 | 11 March 1973[27] | Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney, Australia | Iraq | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifying |
5 | 3–0 | |||||
6 | 13 March 1973[27] | Indonesia | 2–1 | 2–1 | ||
7 | 18 August 1973[27] | Iran | 1–0 | 3–0 |
Coaching career
After suffering the knee injury that ended his career, Alston's son Adrian Jr was diagnosed with Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease, a hip disorder.[4] He soon spent the majority of his earnings made during his football career and moved back to England to set up a hotel with his brother Alec in Blackpool. However, after just four months, Alston grew unsettled and decided to return to Australia, eventually moving to Illawarra.[4] Alston signed a three-year contract with the Wollongong City in 1983. Prior to the season seven of his players were sold to rival league clubs due to Wollongong's financial troubles. Wollongong finished second last in National Soccer League and Alston left the club.[4]
In 1984, he was appointed coach of Corrimal Rangers in the second division in Illawarra regional competition after being recommended by his former Wollongong assistant Terry Hurley. After one season the side was promoted to the Illawarra Premier League, where they signed Alston's former Australian international teammate Attila Abonyi who would score 21 goals for the club in the 1985 season. Alston left the Rangers at the end of the 1989 season after six seasons in charge.[4]
After a year long break from football, Alston was approached by
In 2006, Alston joined Illawarra Premier League club Bulli; during his six seasons with the club, they finished 2nd on three occasions and featured in three Grand Finals.[4] After leaving Bulli, Alston turned down several offers to return to coaching before working as a carer for adults with learning difficulties.[23]
Honours
South Coast United
- National Premier Leagues NSW Division One: 1969[6]
Cardiff City
See also
- Foreign-born footballers who played for Australia
References
- ^ "Adrian Alston". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Adrian Alston". North American Soccer League Players. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Alex Alston". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Arvela, Dylan. "Adrian Alston – the Illawarra's most decorated coach". Medium. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d Micallef, Philip (3 August 2016). "Socceroos Greats – Where are they now: Adrian Alston". The World Game. SBS. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- ^ a b "United glory days to be relived". Illawarra Mercury. Fairfax Media. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ Vyver, James (16 June 2014). "World Cup 2014: Adrian Alston remembers playing in the Socceroos 'class of 74'". ABC Radio Canberra. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ a b Paraskevas, Chris (13 March 2009). "Exclusive Interview: '74 Socceroo Adrian Alston (Part 1)". Goal.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Teams of the Decade – Men's 1971-1980". Football Federation Australia. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Socceroo B Matches for 1970". OzFootball. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Micallef, Philip (3 July 2016). "Socceroos Greats – Where are they now: Adrian Alston". The World Game. SBS. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- Conversant Media. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ^ ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
- ISBN 1-899-46817-X.
- ^ Zalunardo, Paul (15 May 2008). "Cardiff dream comes true for Bluebirds". Illawarra Mercury. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9780702259685.
- ^ "Adrian Alston". Tampa Bay Rowdies. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Socceroo Internationals for 1969". OzFootball. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ a b c "Socceroo Internationals for 1970". OzFootball. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ Krüger, André. "The Socceroos World Cup qualification". The Southern Cross. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ Paraskevas, Chris (15 March 2009). "Exclusive Interview: '74 Socceroo Adrian Alston (Part 2)". Goal.com. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Alston:The man Schoen feared". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
- ^ a b "60 days to go: Adrian Alston's FIFA World Cup story". Football Federation Australia. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Socceroo Internationals for 1974". OzFootball. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Adrian Alston". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ "Socceroo Internationals for 1971". OzFootball. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ a b c "Socceroo Internationals for 1973". OzFootball. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
External links
- André Krüger: Australia – National Team Player Data, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 5 May 2002 (World Cup matches)
- Australian Player Database – AL, OzFootball