Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alan Graham Cork | ||
Date of birth | 4 March 1959 | ||
Place of birth | Derby, England | ||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
Playing position | Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Sheffield United (assistant manager) | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
1977–1978 | Derby County | 0 | (0) |
1977 | → Lincoln City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
1978–1992 | Wimbledon | 430 | (145) |
1983 | → Orebro SK (loan) | 15 | (5) |
1992–1994 | Sheffield United | 54 | (7) |
1994–1995 | Fulham | 15 | (3) |
Total | 519 | (160) | |
Teams managed | |||
1997–1998 | Swansea City | ||
2000–2002 | Cardiff City | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
Alan Cork (born 4 March 1959) is an English former professional football player and current assistant manager of Sheffield United. He played as a striker for several clubs, most notably Wimbledon and was most recently a coach at Bolton Wanderers. Cork is a member of the Wimbledon Old Players Association. Cork scored on his Wimbledon Masters XI debut v a Chelsea Legends XI in a charity fixture at Kingsmeadow.
He is the father of Chelsea player Jack.
Contents |
Playing career
Early career
Cork started his career at Derby County. However, despite a loan spell at Lincoln City, Cork failed to break into the Derby first team and subsequently joined Wimbledon on a free transfer in 1978, who were playing in Division Four at the time.
Wimbledon
Cork's contribution to the team helped Wimbledon climb the football league pyramid and eventually gained them entry into the First Division, playing in every division of the Football League in the process. Cork also played sixty minutes of Wimbledon's famous FA Cup triumph over Liverpool in 1988. He is fondly remembered by fans of the club in their Plough Lane days, who used to salute him on the pitch with a chant of 'Alan Cork, Alan Cork, Alan Alan Cork. He's got no hair, but we don't care, Alan Alan Cork', in reference to Cork's baldness.
He spent several more seasons with the club in the top flight before joining Sheffield United on a free transfer in 1992, having spent more than 14 years at Wimbledon during which time he played more first team games and scored more first team goals than any other player in the club's history.
Sheffield Utd. and retirement
He spent two-and-a-half seasons with Sheffield United, including two full seasons in the newly rebranded FA Premier League. He famously grew a beard, and refused to shave until Sheffield United's FA Cup run of 1992-93 had ended. The cup run lasted four months, as the Blades made it all the way to the semi-finals, going out to local rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley. He scored the equalising goal in a 2-1 defeat.
Halfway through the 1994-95 season, he moved to Fulham before retiring after the season aged 36. During his whole career no (significant) transfer fee was paid for him.
Managerial and coaching career
Fulham
Following his retirement he was appointed to the coaching staff at Fulham where he held the positions of youth coach and first team coach, the latter after Micky Adams was appointed manager in 1996. In his role of first team coach he helped Fulham win promotion from Division Three in 1997.
Swansea City
In September 1997, he moved on to Swansea City as assistant manager to Micky Adams. Adams stepped down within two weeks of taking over, and Cork took over for the rest of the season without achieving much success. But many of the players from that period went on to feature in the Swansea side that won the Division Three title under John Hollins two years later.
Chesham United
Cork was appointed player-manager of non-league Chesham United in 1998 where he remained for nearly two years before accepting the role of assistant manager at Cardiff City in the summer of 2000.
Cardiff City
Cork returned to league management in October 2000 with Cardiff City, and guided them to promotion as Division Three runners-up seven months later. Despite this, Cork was never very popular with the supporters, and he was fired the following season in February 2002,[1] after a run of results that left Cardiff very much adrift of the Division Two automatic promotion places. This was despite him leading Cardiff to a famous FA Cup third round win over then Premiership leaders Leeds United some six weeks earlier.
Leicester City
In the summer of 2002 Cork joined Leicester City as assistant manager to Micky Adams.[2] In his first full season he helped them achieve promotion to the Premiership, despite the club spending much of the season in receivership with huge debts. Leicester were saved by a takeover deal but their top flight comeback lasted just one season. He followed Adams out of the Walkers Stadium exit door in October 2004.
Bolton Wanderers
In July 2007 he was employed as a scout by Premier League side Bolton Wanderers who were looking for a number of ex-professionals to join a scouting team led by former Everton manager Colin Harvey. In October 2007 he was appointed to the Bolton backroom team full time when taking up the role of Assistant Head Coach but left in January 2010 when manager Gary Megson was replaced by Owen Coyle.[3]
Sheffield United
On 30 December 2010, he was appointed the assistant manager of Sheffield United, working alongside new manager Micky Adams.[4] This was the fourth club at which he worked as Adams' assistant.
Honours
As a Player
Cups
As a Manager
Promotions
- 2000–01: Division Three Runner Up (promotion to Division Two) - Cardiff City
Statistics
Player
Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
England | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
1977-78 | Derby County | Division 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
1977-78 | Lincoln City | Division 3 | 5 | 0 | ||||||
1977-78 | Wimbledon | Division 4 | 17 | 4 | ||||||
1978-79 | 45 | 22 | ||||||||
1979-80 | Division 3 | 42 | 12 | |||||||
1980-81 | Division 4 | 41 | 23 | |||||||
1981-82 | Division 3 | 6 | 0 | |||||||
1982-83 | Division 4 | 7 | 5 | |||||||
1983-84 | Division 3 | 42 | 29 | |||||||
1984-85 | Division 2 | 28 | 11 | |||||||
1985-86 | 38 | 11 | ||||||||
1986-87 | Division 1 | 30 | 5 | |||||||
1987-88 | 34 | 9 | ||||||||
1988-89 | 25 | 2 | ||||||||
1989-90 | 31 | 5 | ||||||||
1990-91 | 25 | 5 | ||||||||
1991-92 | 19 | 2 | ||||||||
1991-92 | Sheffield United | 8 | 2 | |||||||
1992-93 | Premier League | 27 | 2 | |||||||
1993-94 | 19 | 3 | ||||||||
1993-94 | Fulham | Division 2 | 15 | 3 | ||||||
Total | England | 504 | 155 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
- Blank means unknown (FA- and League Cup)
Manager
Team | Country | From | To | Record | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
Swansea City | 22 October 1997 | 30 June 1998 | 35 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 28.57 | ||
Cardiff City | 3 July 2001 | 17 February 2002 | 40 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 42.5 | ||
Total | 75 | 27 | 21 | 27 | 36 |
Personal life
He has 3 children, the eldest Kayleigh, Chelsea reserve player Jack and youngest son Archie.
References
- ^ "Cork resigns from Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 2002-02-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/cardiff_city/1825843.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
- ^ "Cork joins Foxes". BBC Sport. 2002-06-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leicester_city/2071860.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
- ^ "It's all change at the Reebok". Bolton News. 2010-01-11. http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/4843330.It_s_all_change_at_the_Reebok/?ref=mr. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
- ^ "Micky Adams confirmed as Sheffield United manager". BBC Sport. 30 December 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_utd/9327422.stm. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
|
|