Alan James Hawley (born 7 June 1946) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played in the Football League as a

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He made over 340 appearances for Brentford and was added to the club's Hall of Fame in 2013.

Playing career

Brentford

Hawley began his career at Fourth Division club Brentford as an apprentice in June 1962, earning £7 a week. When he made his debut at home to Barrow on 29 September 1962 at the age of 16 years, 3 months and 22 days, Hawley was the youngest player to make his debut for Brentford, but he was unable to break into the team on a regular basis. Hawley had to wait until the 1964–65 season to make his breakthrough and won his first piece of silverware, the

London Challenge Cup The London Challenge Cup was a football tournament formerly organised by the London FA. It was first contested in 1908, and other than during the World Wars, was contested every season until 1974, when the tournament was disbanded. After a 16- ...

. Either side of a long spell out with a cartilage problem, Hawley was an ever-present during the 1967–68 and 1969–70 seasons. After a period on the transfer list, the highlight of Hawley's career came during the 1971–72 season, when he helped the club to a third-place finish, which saw the Bees promoted to the Third Division. He succeeded

Bobby Ross Robert Joseph Ross (born December 23, 1936) is an American former football coach. He served as the head football coach at The Citadel (1973–1977), the University of Maryland, College Park (1982–1986), the Georgia Institute of Technology ...

as captain of the club in 1972 and was awarded a testimonial in May 1974 against

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...

, earning him £1,732. Hawley departed the club at the end of the 1973–74 season, having made 343 appearances and scored four goals for the club. Hawley was added to the Brentford Hall of Fame in 2013, alongside fellow inductees and former teammates

Jackie Graham John Joseph Graham (born 16 July 1946) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager who played as a central midfielder and inside left. He is best remembered for the decade he spent in the Football League with Brentford, for w ...

and Bobby Ross.

Loans

Having gradually fallen out of favour at Griffin Park, Hawley spent time on loan at Fulham (1971), Hillingdon Borough and

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

(1974).

Non-League football

After his departure from Brentford, Hawley played on in non-League football for Hillingdon Borough, Wimbledon,

Kingstonian Kingstonian Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London which currently plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was founded in 1885 by YMC ...

, Walton & Hersham and

Ruislip Manor Ruislip Manor is an area of Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London. It is located approximately west north west of Charing Cross. The construction of a halt on the Metropolitan Railway in the area in 1912 led to the develo ...

Managerial and coaching career

Hawley was named as caretaker manager of Southern League Premier Division club Hillingdon Borough in August 1975 and was named

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the s ...

the following month. He remained in the role until his dismissal in November 1976. Hawley returned to Brentford in the early 1990s, working under Joe Gadston in the club's

youth system In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...

Personal life

Hawley is married with two sons and a daughter. After retiring from football, he taught at the London Oratory School and met his now wife, who owned a

fish and chip shop A fish and chip shop, sometimes referred to as a chip shop, is a (often fast food) restaurant that specialises in selling fish and chips. Usually, fish and chip shops provide takeaway service, although some have seating facilities. Fish and c ...

. After a period working at Heathrow Airport and at a second fish and chip shop in

Earls Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

, Hawley began working full-time in the shops. He and his wife took over the running of the ''Hi-Tide'' fish and chip shop in Aylesbury in 1997.

Career statistics

Honours

Brentford * Football League Fourth Division third-place promotion: 1971–72 *

: 1964–65 Individual * Brentford Hall of Fame

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawley, Alan 1946 births Living people Sportspeople from Woking English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Brentford F.C. players Hillingdon Borough F.C. players Wimbledon F.C. players Walton & Hersham F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players Southern Football League managers Hillingdon Borough F.C. managers Kingstonian F.C. players London Rangers F.C. players Brentford F.C. non-playing staff Schoolteachers from Surrey English football managers