Alan Boswell
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alan Henry Boswell[1] | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 8 August 1943||
Place of birth | Walsall, England[1] | ||
Date of death | 24 August 2017 | (aged 74)||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Youth career | |||
1958–1960 | Walsall | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1960–1963 | Walsall | 66 | (0) |
1963–1968 | Shrewsbury Town | 222 | (0) |
1968–1969 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 10 | (0) |
1969–1972 | Bolton Wanderers | 51 | (0) |
1972–1974 | Port Vale | 86 | (0) |
Total | 435 | (0) | |
Managerial career | |||
1976–1977 | Oswestry Town | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Alan Henry Boswell (8 August 1943 – 24 August 2017) was an English football goalkeeper who made 479 league and cup appearances in a 12-year career in the English Football League.
He began his career at Walsall in 1961, before moving on to Shrewsbury Town in 1963. He spent five years at the club, before winning a move to First Division club Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1968. The next year he moved on to Bolton Wanderers, before signing with Port Vale in July 1972. He left Vale Park in May 1974, and later turned out for Oswestry Town, who he managed in the first half of the 1976–77 season.
Career
Walsall
Boswell started his career with home town club
Wolves and Bolton
Boswell signed with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1968, but played just ten First Division games in 1968–69, including a 6–0 defeat to Liverpool at Molineux. He was sold on to Bolton Wanderers at the end of the campaign, who were competing in the Second Division under the stewardship of Nat Lofthouse. The "Trotters" finished 16th in 1969–70, before suffering relegation in last place in 1970–71. In his last season at Burnden Park, 1971–72, Bolton finished seventh in the Third Division.
Port Vale
He moved to
Style of play
Boswell was a goalkeeper ahead of his time, as he was castigated for his teammates for warming up outside the goal area before games, which became common practice after his retirement.[5] He also bought his own kit and wore gloves, which few other goalkeepers did at the time.[5]
Personal and later life
After retiring from football, he ran a
Career statistics
Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Walsall | 1961–62 | Second Division | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
1962–63 | Second Division | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
Total | 66 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 72 | 0 | ||
Shrewsbury Town | 1963–64 | Third Division | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
1964–65 | Third Division | 43 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 0 | |
1965–66 | Third Division | 42 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |
1966–67 | Third Division | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 0 | |
1967–68 | Third Division | 46 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 0 | |
1968–69 | Third Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
Total | 222 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 256 | 0 | ||
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1968–69 | First Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
Bolton Wanderers | 1969–70 | Second Division | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
1970–71 | Second Division | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
Total | 51 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 56 | 0 | ||
Port Vale | 1972–73 | Third Division | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
1973–74 | Third Division | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
Total | 86 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 95 | 0 | ||
Career total | 435 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 479 | 0 |
References
- ^ ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ a b "Alan Boswell interview". onevalefan.co.uk. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "Walsall Player 2. Alan Boswell". Mikes WFC Players History. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Oswestry Town Managers". The New Saints F.C. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ^ a b c Instone, David (18 March 2009). "Wolves Heroes » Blog Archive » Castigated – But Definitely A Visionary". wolvesheroes.com. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ "Faye's devotion to daughter". Shropshire Star. 23 March 2007. Archived from the original on 31 March 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ^ "Alan Boswell". Shrewsbury Town F.C. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
- ^ Alan Boswell at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)