Allan Mansley

Allan Mansley
Personal information
Full name Allan Mansley[1]
Date of birth (1946-08-31)31 August 1946
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Date of death 4 February 2001(2001-02-04) (aged 54)[1]
Place of death Southport, England[1]
Position(s) Left winger
Youth career
Everton
Sheffield Wednesday
Crewe Alexandra
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1966–1967 Skelmersdale United
1967–1968 Blackpool 0 (0)
1968–1971 Brentford 95 (24)
1970 → Fulham (loan) 1 (0)
1971 → Notts County (loan) 0 (0)
1971–1972 Notts County 11 (2)
1971–1972 → Lincoln City (loan) 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Allan Mansley (31 August 1946 – 4 February 2001) was an English professional footballer, best remembered for his four years as a left winger in the Football League with Brentford. In a short league career, he also played for Notts County, Lincoln City and Fulham.

Career

Early years

Mansley began his career as a schoolboy in Liverpool with Everton and later spent time with league clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Crewe Alexandra.[2] He dropped into non-League football in 1966, when he joined Lancashire Combination First Division club Skelmersdale United.[2] He reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup with the team during the 1966–67 season and caught the attention of Football League Second Division club Blackpool, with whom he signed a contract in June 1967.[3] He departed Bloomfield Road in January 1968, after failing to make an appearance for the Tangerines.[1]

Brentford

Mansley dropped down to the Fourth Division to sign for Brentford in January 1968.[2] He quickly established himself in the team and made 19 appearances during what remained of the 1967–68 season.[4] Flourishing under the management of Jimmy Sirrel, he made what would be a career-high 46 appearances during the 1968–69 season, top-scoring with 17 goals.[4] Mansley held a regular place in the team until the appointment of Frank Blunstone as manager in December 1969,[2] under whom he made just seven appearances in what remained of the 1969–70 season.[4] He began the 1970–71 season as a regular in the team, but fell out of favour in late September 1970 and joined Third Division club Fulham in November 1970 as the club's first-ever loan signing.[5] He made just one appearance for the Cottagers before the loan expired.[5] Mansley was released at the end of the 1970–71 season and made 105 appearances and scored 30 goals during 2+1⁄2 years at Griffin Park.[2][4]

Notts County

Mansley joined Third Division club Notts County on loan in March 1971,[6] a move which reunited him with his former Brentford manager Jimmy Sirrel.[2] He failed to make an appearance,[7] but impressed enough to join the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.[6] Mansley failed to make an impression in his only full season at Meadow Lane, making just 14 appearances and scoring two goals.[8] In search of regular football, Mansley signed on loan with Fourth Division club Lincoln City in December 1971 and made three appearances before departing the following month.[2][9]

Personal life

Mansley died in February 2001 of a heart attack.[10]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Brentford 1967–68[4] Fourth Division 19 4 — — 19 4
1968–69[4] 41 14 2 0 3 3 46 17
1969–70[4] 26 6 2 0 3 3 31 9
1970–71[4] 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Total 95 24 4 0 6 6 105 30
Fulham (loan) 1970–71[11] Third Division 1 0 — — 1 0
Notts County 1971–72[8] Third Division 11 2 0 0 3 0 14 2
Lincoln City (loan) 1971–72[9] Fourth Division 3 0 — — 3 0
Career total 110 26 4 4 9 6 123 26

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Allan Mansley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 100. ISBN 0955294916.
  3. ^ "Alan Mansley". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 389–391. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. ^ a b "FFC Facts and Figures". www.fulhamfc.com. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. pp. 29–31. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  7. ^ "1970–71 Notts County FC Match Line-Up's & Details". upthemaggies. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  8. ^ a b "1971–72 Notts County FC Match Line-Ups & Details". upthemaggies. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b Vickers, John. "Allan Mansley". The Lincoln City FC Archive. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  10. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 257.
  11. ^ "Top 10: Loan Stars". fulhamfc.com. Retrieved 15 December 2014.