Allan Charles Cockram (born 8 October 1963) is an English retired professional footballer who played in the Football League for Tottenham Hotspur, Bristol Rovers, Brentford and Reading as a midfielder or winger. He later player-managed St Albans City and Chertsey Town in non-League football. Cockram is currently manager of Cambridge University.

Playing career

A winger, Cockram joined Tottenham Hotspur as a schoolboy in 1975 and went on to make two first team appearances for the Lilywhites towards the end of the 1983–84 season.[3][4] He was released at the end of the 1984–85 season and a two-year period followed as a football nomad, which included short periods playing for Bristol Rovers and Farnborough Town and two spells in the United States.[5] A move to Isthmian League Premier Division club St Albans City during the latter part of the 1986–87 season, in a bid to return to fitness following an achilles injury,[6] proved to be the turning point in Cockram's career.[3] He was voted the Saints' Player of the Year at the end of the 1987–88 season.[7]

After a successful period training full-time with Brentford during the 1987–88 season,[6] Cockram signed a contract with the club in March 1988.[8] He made 118 appearances and scored 17 goals for the club before his release at the end of the 1990–91 season.[8] After a spell back in non-League football with Woking,[1] Cockram made a return to the Football League with Reading in October 1991 and rejoined St Albans City prior to the beginning of the 1992–93 season.[1][9] He remained at Clarence Park until the end of 1995–96 season and scored 73 goals in 211 appearances across his six seasons with the club.[9] Cockram finished his career with spells at non-League clubs Chertsey Town and Leatherhead.[3]

Managerial and coaching career

Cockram player-managed non-League clubs St Albans City and Chertsey Town.[3] He was later a technical specialist at Philadelphia Union and coached at University College London.[10][11] In 2019, he became manager of Cambridge University.[12]

In 2017, Cockram established Brentford Penguins, a Down Syndrome football club.[11] A documentary film about the club, entitled Mighty Penguins, was released in 2023.[13] Fellow former footballer David Beckham, and his son Romeo, met the Mighty Penguins team in September 2023, and presented Cockram with The Sun's Who Cares Wins Unsung Hero Award.[14]

International career

Cockram represented England Youth.[3]

Personal life

Cockram worked as a firefighter in west London and later became a businessman.[6]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tottenham Hotspur 1983–84[4] First Division 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
Bristol Rovers 1985–86[15] Third Division 1 0 — 1 0 — — 2 0
St Albans City 1986–87[16] Isthmian League Premier Division 11 4 — — — 2[c] 2 13 6
1987–88[17] 33 21 0 0 — — 9[d] 8 42 29
Total 44 25 0 0 — — 11 10 55 35
Brentford 1987–88[18] Third Division 7 2 — — — — 7 2
1988–89[18] 37 7 7 2 3 0 — 4[e] 1 51 10
1989–90[19] 26 2 0 0 2 0 — 3[e] 0 31 2
1990–91[20] 20 3 3 0 0 0 — 6[e] 0 29 3
Total 90 14 10 2 5 0 — 13 1 118 17
Reading 1991–92[21] Third Division 6 1 1 0 — — 1[e] 0 8 1
St Albans City 1992–93[22] Isthmian League Premier Division 35 12 6 3 — — 17[f] 4 58 19
1993–94[23] 28 7 1 0 — — 10[g] 2 39 9
1994–95[24] 15 2 1 0 — — 16[h] 4 32 6
1995–96[25] 20 4 0 0 — — 5[i] 0 25 4
Total 142 50 9 3 — — 60 20 211 73
Career total 241 65 20 5 6 0 0 0 74 21 341 91
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes Football League Cup
  3. ^ 1 appearance and 2 goals in Herts Charity Cup, 1 appearance in Wallspan Floodlit Cup
  4. ^ 2 appearances and 3 goals in Herts Charity Cup, 2 appearances and 2 goals in Isthmian League Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Herts Senior Cup, 1 appearance in FA Trophy, 1 appearance in General Motors Acceptance Challenge Cup, 1 appearance and 2 goals in Wycombe Floodlight Cup
  5. ^ a b c d Appearances in Football League Trophy
  6. ^ 4 appearances and 1 goal in FA Trophy, 3 appearances in Herts Charity Cup, 3 appearances in East Anglian Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Herts Senior Cup, 2 appearances in Eastern Floodlight Cup, 1 appearance in Isthmian League Cup, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Isthmian League Full Members Cup, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Billy Minter Trophy
  7. ^ 3 appearances and 1 goal in Isthmian League Cup, 3 appearances in Isthmian League Full Members Cup, 1 appearance in FA Trophy, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Herts Charity Cup, 1 appearance in Herts Senior Cup, 1 appearance in East Anglian Cup
  8. ^ 3 appearances in Isthmian League Cup, 2 appearances in FA Trophy, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Herts Charity Cup, 2 appearances in Herts Senior Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in London Challenge Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in East Anglian Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Eastern Floodlight Cup, 1 appearance in Isthmian League Full Members Cup
  9. ^ 2 appearances in FA Trophy, 2 appearances in East Anglian Cup, 1 appearance in Eastern Floodlight Cup

Honours

St Albans City

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c "Allan Cockram". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  2. ^ "C and D". The Bristol Rovers History Group. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Allan Cockram". Soccer Sounds. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Allan Cockram". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  5. ^ Goodwin, Bob (16 August 2017). The Spurs Alphabet. Lulu.com. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-9540434-2-1.
  6. ^ a b c "Where Are They Now?". brentfordfc.co.uk. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Player Of The Season". Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  8. ^ a b Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 38. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  9. ^ a b "Allan Cockram". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Ex-Premier League players teach soccer using cages and blindfolds". For The Win. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  11. ^ a b Moore, Tom (2 October 2017). "Bees legend on why he has started a Down's Syndrome Football Club". getwestlondon. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Allan Cockram". Scholar6. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  13. ^ McRae, Donald (28 November 2023). "Kids with Down's have no filter. I love it': Allan Cockram, the man behind the Mighty Penguins". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  14. ^ Nash, George (13 December 2023). "Brentford football club for players with Down's syndrome the subject of new documentary". swlondoner. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Rovers results, appearances and goalscorers 1899 to 2022". The Bristol Rovers History Group. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Season 1986–87 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Season 1987–88 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  18. ^ a b White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 398–400. ISBN 0951526200.
  19. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 431. ISBN 978-1906796716.
  20. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 476. ISBN 9781906796723.
  21. ^ "Reading 1991–92". www.royalsrecord.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  22. ^ "Season 1992–93 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Season 1993–94 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Season 1994–95 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Season 1995–96 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Cockram
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