Robert Allan (10 February 1872 – 14 November 1918) was a Scottish
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 as an
outside-right
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
for
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
and its predecessor club Thames Ironworks. He had previously played for Dundee.
Allan started his career at Dundee, making 11 total appearances and scoring 4 goals, including a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in a
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,King's Park in January 1897. Finding first-team opportunities limited, he joined Thames Ironworks in 1899. There, he made 22 consecutive appearances in the Southern League Division One, between his debut against
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
on 16 December and the end-of-season test match against Fulham on 30 April. Usually occupying the outside-right position, he was also played at
inside-left
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
and at
right-half
A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...
. His only goal came in a 4–1 victory over Southampton on 9 April 1900. He also made seven consecutive appearances in the Thames & Medway Combination. After the winding up of Thames Ironworks and the formation of West Ham United, Allan continued to play for the new club, making 57 appearances over three seasons. His only goal for United came against
Wellingborough Town
Wellingborough Town F.C. is a football club based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. They play in the United Counties Premier Division. The club was formed in 2004 after the previous club bearing the name had folded.
History
The ori ...
on 27 December 1901.
The club handbook from 1900–01 featured the following description of Allan: