Why Adrian Alston was a Socceroo trailblazer
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Joe Marston did it with Preston North End in the 50s. Two decades later, 1974 World Cup player Adrian Alston became something of a pioneer when he signed for Luton Town after the World Cup, thus meaning that an Australian international would play in England’s top flight.
Luton had been promoted under the management of Harry Haslam and were to taste top-flight football for the first time since 1960.
But it wasn’t a happy star t- only 9 points in the first 21 games left them rock bottom. But in one of the most competitive seasons of top-flight football in English history, and following a shock win over Derby (who would win the league that season), Luton’s second half form was as good as anybody, only for them to be relegated with 33 points.
This Luton team contained such players as the Futcher brothers (who went on to have long careers), Jimmy Ryan (who’d later manage the Hatters), Peter Anderson, Jimmy Husband (a title-winner with Everton in 1970) and John Aston (a European Cup winner with Manchester United in 1968), while ever-present and wearing no.10 was cultured midfielder Alan West.
Alston played in only half the league games for that season, yet finished as joint top scorer along with Ron Futcher.
It was not a bad return considering, and certainly for one who played for what was regarded as a “minnow” team in a World Cup, which Australia, where the game was struggling for acceptance and still a part-time affair, were considered.
While second half form was too little, too late for Luton, given the quality of some of the above players, it does highlight the strength in depth of the English club game at the time.
To give you a further impression of the strength of domestic club football in Europe, the 1975 European Cup final was played between Bayern Münich and Leeds United- Bayern finished 10th in the Bundesliga, and Leeds 9th in the old English First Division!
The following season, Alston moved to Cardiff City. There he struck a productive partnership with Tony Evans as Cardiff returned to the Second Division. With players as Phil Dwyer, Willie Anderson, Doug Livermore, John Buchanan and Alan Campbell, Cardiff also competed in the European Cup-Winners’ Cup. Alston would have his moment there – he scored in European competition, becoming the first Socceroo to do so.
It was on to the NASL with Tampa Bay Rowdies, before returning to Australia.
Alston has remained involved in the game in the Illawarra region. In a sense, he was a pioneer- someone who’d represented Australia on the world stage, going on to play at the highest level of club football and holding his own.
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July 24th 2010 @ 11:57am
Midfielder said | July 24th 2010 @ 11:57am | Report comment
David
A great read one of the sad things about footballs past management is the lack of knowledge of many of our pass greats…
Adrian Alston was one such player … Joe Marsden you mentioned IMO one of Australia’s greatest ever sports person yet outside a few he is unheard of.
July 24th 2010 @ 12:27pm
Realfootball said | July 24th 2010 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
Wasn’t Alston an English ring-in who had failed to make the grade in England before coming out to Aus in his early 20s? I have dim memories of hearing him speak with a very strong English accent on the tele.
July 24th 2010 @ 12:30pm
apaway said | July 24th 2010 @ 12:30pm | Report comment
Adrian Alston was quite possibly the first Australian international to appear on London Weekend TV’s legendary football show “The Big Match”, hosted by Brian Moore. For any kid growing up in the 70s, this was THE soccer show to watch. In fact, along with, curiously enough, early Saturday morning repeats of the German Bundesliga on Channel 10, it was the ONLY soccer show to watch. Alston was featured a few times playing for Luton Town, and the funny thing is, I don’t think all the commentators were aware that he was Australian (his accent was still pretty English).
Players from outside the British Isles were virtually unheard of in the mid 1970s English game so “Noddy” was very much a pioneer. Thanks for reminding us of his influence, David.
July 24th 2010 @ 1:53pm
David V. said | July 24th 2010 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
Jorge Robledo and Preben Arentoft were but two. In Scotland, Aberdeen had Zoltan Varga for a year.
July 25th 2010 @ 4:05am
Dublin Dave said | July 25th 2010 @ 4:05am | Report comment
Another historical curiousity about the 1970s was the dearth of black players in the football league. Especially in the early part of the decade.
Back then there was a comedy show called “Love thy Neighbour” which by today’s standards would be impossibly risque to show on TV. Its premise was the racial tension between an ordinary English couple and the West Indian neighbours who had moved in next door. It was trying to get a laugh out of what were genuine racial tensions in the UK at the time.
I mention this only because I remember that one of the episodes centred around a home defeat by Manchester United, of whom the white man was a huge fan, to West Ham United. Why to West Ham?
Well, so that it could be written into the script that the Hammers striker Clyde Best scored two goals. Clyde, no relation to George, (that was actually one of the gags from the show) was a Bermudan who was at the time probably the only prominent black player in the Football League.
Of course within a few years, the children of the West Indian immigrants who had come to Britain in the wake of the second world war would grow up and become prominent in the game. Before the decade was out, Viv Anderson would become the first black English soccer international.
And less than 20 years later came the Bosman ruling. So now the English Premier League isn’t really English any more.
July 25th 2010 @ 7:18pm
sheek said | July 25th 2010 @ 7:18pm | Report comment
DD,
I remember ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ as a truly wonderful comedy. The Brits were unbeatable at comedy in the 60s & 70s.
Years later, they brought the English lead down to Australia as a supposed immigrant. When he discovered his new home in Sydney would be in the suburb of Blacktown, you could imagine his reaction!
July 24th 2010 @ 12:35pm
dasilva said | July 24th 2010 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
Thanks for the article David V.
It’s always nice to learn more about past socceroos.
Here is another good article about Adrian Alston (apparently written by Mike Salters who is a renown Australian football blogger although uncredited). Apparently he also was a co-founder of the Cruyff turn as well.
http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/stories/doyouremember/news/newsid=835000.html
July 24th 2010 @ 12:48pm
dasilva said | July 24th 2010 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
Interestingly enough, Adrian Alston regretted his move to England and he wished he took up offers to play in Germany
July 24th 2010 @ 1:52pm
David V. said | July 24th 2010 @ 1:52pm | Report comment
When Alston left for the USA, Cardiff replaced him with the extremely gifted and enigmatic Robin Friday. It was him in a Cardiff shirt that inspired an album cover! Friday didn’t last long but was still voted an all-time cult hero.
July 24th 2010 @ 8:37pm
AA said | July 24th 2010 @ 8:37pm | Report comment
Craig Johnston left Australia for England around 1976 or 1977? Am I right in saying that? Also I seem to recall Ray Baartz getting a Man Utd contract in the mid-1960′s.
There’s a book by Neil Montagna-Wallace which discusses the Socceroos from these days. The book came out around 2003 or 2004.
July 24th 2010 @ 10:36pm
David V. said | July 24th 2010 @ 10:36pm | Report comment
Johnston began his career at Middlesbrough. His sale to Liverpool in 1981 began a terrible decline for Boro that they got out of by the end of the decade.
Alston played in a league with such players as Brooking, Bowles, Hudson, Currie, McKenzie, Birchenall, etc etc. And yet today’s England stars are some kind of “Golden Generation” when they don’t have half the ability or entertainment of those. Not even half.
July 25th 2010 @ 4:10pm
Realfootball said | July 25th 2010 @ 4:10pm | Report comment
I’m sorry gentlemen, but I think we need to tighten up on just what being an “Australian footballer” is. Alston was a full time apprentice at Preston North End, and locally born and raised. He came to Australia as an adult. He was in fact a recycled English footballer. To call him an Australian footballer is really stretching it.
All you could accurately say about Alston is that he was an English footballer who became an Australian citizen as an adult. He was no more Australian in 1974 than Eduardo is Croatian now – less in fact, because the residency qualifications were a lot more relaxed them.
As an Australian kid growing up in the 70s, I recall how conscious I was of the fact that that our 74 team was to a large degree made up by British rejects, A universe away now, thankfully.
July 25th 2010 @ 5:45pm
dasilva said | July 25th 2010 @ 5:45pm | Report comment
I have to strongly disagree with that. So he is a migrants.
Don’t migrants have a right to be considered Australian.
To be honest I considered Eduardo to be Croatian as well (although I don’t recognise the likes of Simunic. I think the nationality of your parents are irrelevant, it’s living in the country and contributing to their society is more important than blood line. Although if Simunic choose to represent Germany, I would have considered him to be German)
After his professional career finish. Adrian Alston moved back to Australia and coached in Australia for the rest of his career .He probably in the end lived much more of his life in Australia than in England. How long does he have to live in Australia until he becomes Australian?
July 25th 2010 @ 7:36pm
Andyroo said | July 25th 2010 @ 7:36pm | Report comment
I think the fact he came back to Australia after he finished in Europe gives him plenty of bonus points and I would definitely consider him Australian now.
But he probably wasn’t really a trail blazer in that he was an Engishman who had been abroad for a while and then came back. I don’t think that would have inspired any English clubs to look at australian raised talent. It may have had the effect in that it showed moving to Australia wasn’t the end of your career though.
July 25th 2010 @ 6:46pm
David V. said | July 25th 2010 @ 6:46pm | Report comment
Given Alston could score goals in a strong First Division (a goal every three games is no disgrace given he played in a struggling side), which was a very strong league at the time (and the same applied to the La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga, and most others of the time) and packed with quality home-grown players, you can say he did not disgrace himself.
July 25th 2010 @ 8:49pm
apaway said | July 25th 2010 @ 8:49pm | Report comment
An “Australian footballer” is one who played for Australia.
July 26th 2010 @ 11:19am
Realfootball said | July 26th 2010 @ 11:19am | Report comment
He was an English footballer who came to Australia as a fully developed player. In those terms, Alston was not what we would now call an Australian footballer. Is Reinaldo at the Roar an Australian footballer? He has been in Australia for as longer or longer than Alston had been then.
Surely, in terms of this post, an “Australian footballer” should be someone who learned the game here ( I wasn’t born here either). Alston was an English player who was here for a short time, then returned to England, with Australian nationality. In 1974 he was only an “Australian football” in terms of nomenclature, not in terms of culture or development.
I stress I am not intending to be xenophobic. I was a migrant kid myself,
July 26th 2010 @ 12:12pm
Towser said | July 26th 2010 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
I think perhaps your line in your first post ” He was no more Australian in 1974 than Eduardo is Croatian now ‘ could have been a little more diplomatic(ie it could be misconstrued),but as a English migrant who came here around the same time & age as Adrian Alston I know the angle your coming from.
,For me to be a “Socceroo Trailblazer” as indicated in this article you need to have learnt the game here.
Otherwise as in Adrian Alstons case its like ” Carrying coals to Newcastle”.
However looking at it from another perspective Adrian & his 1974 Socceroo teamates(whether learning there football here or as in the majority overseas) were real “Socceroo Trailblazers”in that they paved the way for football to produce the home bred players today, who have made their mark at top overseas clubs & the National team.
July 26th 2010 @ 3:27pm
apaway said | July 26th 2010 @ 3:27pm | Report comment
I take your point RF, and in the modern era we won’t have players such as Alston playing for the Socceroos because we have been able to develop the game at a junior level. It’s just that past Socceroos teams have included players who arrived on these shores with a fair football pedigree already in their boots. David Mitchell, Milan Ivanovic, Atti Abonyi and Peter Wilson spring to mind. It would be unfair to regard them as anything less than Australian internationals because we were fortunate enough to have them choose Australia as their home. While Australia might not have been able to claim it developed Alston’s talents from a young age, he is one of a select few who have played in the World Cup finals for Australia. It would be interesting to make a list of the outstanding players (home-grown or imported) who were never able to do that.
July 25th 2010 @ 7:19pm
sheek said | July 25th 2010 @ 7:19pm | Report comment
Good article David V,
the 1974 Socceroos stand up well to history, don’t they….. ?
July 25th 2010 @ 10:02pm
chocolatecoatedballs said | July 25th 2010 @ 10:02pm | Report comment
an interesting read and the comments as well, i was born late 70′s so do not have a lot of memories of the time, other than cat giving birth and my sister being an ass. Though there are some prominent names i have heard of, so where is he now? what is he doing?
July 26th 2010 @ 12:41pm
Art Sapphire said | July 26th 2010 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
David V- I suppose Alston’s one of those English speaking migrants you so highly value.
Not like Branko Buljevic or Attila Abonyi. In your words from John Birmingham’s Fairfax blog.
“The real problem is that we have too many non-English speakers who do not share the same culture, values and work ethic as the majority of Australians.”
I suppose players like – Mustafa Amini and Kamal Ibrahim who are currently playing for the national youth team should not even be here, according to you. Sad.