Allan Cockram

Allan Cockram
Personal information
Full name Allan Charles Cockram[1]
Date of birth (1963-10-08) 8 October 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth Kensington, England
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team
 Cambridge University (manager)
Youth career
1975–1981 Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1985 Tottenham Hotspur 2 (0)
1985 San Francisco Flyers
1985 Bristol Rovers 1 (0)
1985 San Jose (indoor)
1985–1986 Farnborough Town
1987–1988 St Albans City 44 (25)
1988–1991 Brentford 90 (14)
1991 Woking
1991–1992 Reading 6 (1)
1992 Farnborough Town
1992 Woking
1992–1996 St Albans City 98 (25)
1996–1997 Chertsey Town
1999–2000 Leatherhead
International career
England Youth
Managerial career
1985 San Francisco Flyers
1994–1996 St Albans City (player-manager)
1996–1997 Chertsey Town (player-manager)
2019– Cambridge University
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Allan Charles Cockram (born 8 October 1963) is an English retired professional footballer who played in the Football League for Tottenham Hotspur, Bristol Rovers, Brentford and Reading as a midfielder or winger. He later player-managed St Albans City and Chertsey Town in non-League football. Cockram is currently manager of Cambridge University.

Playing career

A winger, Cockram joined Tottenham Hotspur as a schoolboy in 1975 and went on to make two first team appearances for the Lilywhites towards the end of the 1983–84 season.[3][4] He was released at the end of the 1984–85 season and a two-year period followed as a football nomad, which included short periods playing for Bristol Rovers and Farnborough Town and two spells in the United States.[5] A move to Isthmian League Premier Division club St Albans City during the latter part of the 1986–87 season, in a bid to return to fitness following an achilles injury,[6] proved to be the turning point in Cockram's career.[3] He was voted the Saints' Player of the Year at the end of the 1987–88 season.[7]

After a successful period training full-time with Brentford during the 1987–88 season,[6] Cockram signed a contract with the club in March 1988.[8] He made 118 appearances and scored 17 goals for the club before his release at the end of the 1990–91 season.[8] After a spell back in non-League football with Woking,[1] Cockram made a return to the Football League with Reading in October 1991 and rejoined St Albans City prior to the beginning of the 1992–93 season.[1][9] He remained at Clarence Park until the end of 1995–96 season and scored 73 goals in 211 appearances across his six seasons with the club.[9] Cockram finished his career with spells at non-League clubs Chertsey Town and Leatherhead.[3]

Managerial and coaching career

Cockram player-managed non-League clubs St Albans City and Chertsey Town.[3] He was later a technical specialist at Philadelphia Union and coached at University College London.[10][11] In 2019, he became manager of Cambridge University.[12]

In 2017, Cockram established Brentford Penguins, a Down Syndrome football club.[11] A documentary film about the club, entitled Mighty Penguins, was released in 2023.[13] Fellow former footballer David Beckham, and his son Romeo, met the Mighty Penguins team in September 2023, and presented Cockram with The Sun's Who Cares Wins Unsung Hero Award.[14]

International career

Cockram represented England Youth.[3]

Personal life

Cockram worked as a firefighter in west London and later became a businessman.[6]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tottenham Hotspur 1983–84[4] First Division 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
Bristol Rovers 1985–86[15] Third Division 1 0 — 1 0 — — 2 0
St Albans City 1986–87[16] Isthmian League Premier Division 11 4 — — — 2[c] 2 13 6
1987–88[17] 33 21 0 0 — — 9[d] 8 42 29
Total 44 25 0 0 — — 11 10 55 35
Brentford 1987–88[18] Third Division 7 2 — — — — 7 2
1988–89[18] 37 7 7 2 3 0 — 4[e] 1 51 10
1989–90[19] 26 2 0 0 2 0 — 3[e] 0 31 2
1990–91[20] 20 3 3 0 0 0 — 6[e] 0 29 3
Total 90 14 10 2 5 0 — 13 1 118 17
Reading 1991–92[21] Third Division 6 1 1 0 — — 1[e] 0 8 1
St Albans City 1992–93[22] Isthmian League Premier Division 35 12 6 3 — — 17[f] 4 58 19
1993–94[23] 28 7 1 0 — — 10[g] 2 39 9
1994–95[24] 15 2 1 0 — — 16[h] 4 32 6
1995–96[25] 20 4 0 0 — — 5[i] 0 25 4
Total 142 50 9 3 — — 60 20 211 73
Career total 241 65 20 5 6 0 0 0 74 21 341 91
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes Football League Cup
  3. ^ 1 appearance and 2 goals in Herts Charity Cup, 1 appearance in Wallspan Floodlit Cup
  4. ^ 2 appearances and 3 goals in Herts Charity Cup, 2 appearances and 2 goals in Isthmian League Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Herts Senior Cup, 1 appearance in FA Trophy, 1 appearance in General Motors Acceptance Challenge Cup, 1 appearance and 2 goals in Wycombe Floodlight Cup
  5. ^ a b c d Appearances in Football League Trophy
  6. ^ 4 appearances and 1 goal in FA Trophy, 3 appearances in Herts Charity Cup, 3 appearances in East Anglian Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Herts Senior Cup, 2 appearances in Eastern Floodlight Cup, 1 appearance in Isthmian League Cup, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Isthmian League Full Members Cup, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Billy Minter Trophy
  7. ^ 3 appearances and 1 goal in Isthmian League Cup, 3 appearances in Isthmian League Full Members Cup, 1 appearance in FA Trophy, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Herts Charity Cup, 1 appearance in Herts Senior Cup, 1 appearance in East Anglian Cup
  8. ^ 3 appearances in Isthmian League Cup, 2 appearances in FA Trophy, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Herts Charity Cup, 2 appearances in Herts Senior Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in London Challenge Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in East Anglian Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Eastern Floodlight Cup, 1 appearance in Isthmian League Full Members Cup
  9. ^ 2 appearances in FA Trophy, 2 appearances in East Anglian Cup, 1 appearance in Eastern Floodlight Cup

Honours

St Albans City

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c "Allan Cockram". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  2. ^ "C and D". The Bristol Rovers History Group. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Allan Cockram". Soccer Sounds. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Allan Cockram". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  5. ^ Goodwin, Bob (16 August 2017). The Spurs Alphabet. Lulu.com. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-9540434-2-1.
  6. ^ a b c "Where Are They Now?". brentfordfc.co.uk. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Player Of The Season". Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  8. ^ a b Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 38. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  9. ^ a b "Allan Cockram". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Ex-Premier League players teach soccer using cages and blindfolds". For The Win. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  11. ^ a b Moore, Tom (2 October 2017). "Bees legend on why he has started a Down's Syndrome Football Club". getwestlondon. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Allan Cockram". Scholar6. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  13. ^ McRae, Donald (28 November 2023). "Kids with Down's have no filter. I love it': Allan Cockram, the man behind the Mighty Penguins". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  14. ^ Nash, George (13 December 2023). "Brentford football club for players with Down's syndrome the subject of new documentary". swlondoner. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Rovers results, appearances and goalscorers 1899 to 2022". The Bristol Rovers History Group. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Season 1986–87 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Season 1987–88 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  18. ^ a b White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 398–400. ISBN 0951526200.
  19. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 431. ISBN 978-1906796716.
  20. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 476. ISBN 9781906796723.
  21. ^ "Reading 1991–92". www.royalsrecord.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  22. ^ "Season 1992–93 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Season 1993–94 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Season 1994–95 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Season 1995–96 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.