Alan Woan (8 February 1931 – 13 February 2021)[2][3] was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He made a total of 289 Football League appearances for Norwich City, Northampton Town, Crystal Palace and Aldershot scoring 140 goals. He also played non-league football for New Brighton and Chertsey Town. He was the father of Ian Woan who also played professional football, most notably for Nottingham Forest[4][5] and Alan Junior, who played for Stalybridge Celtic.[5][6]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alan Esplin Woan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1931-02-08)8 February 1931[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Date of death | 13 February 2021(2021-02-13) (aged 90) | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ?–? | Bootle | ||
| ?–1953 | New Brighton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1953–1956 | Norwich City | 21 | (7) |
| 1956–1959 | Northampton Town | 119 | (68) |
| 1959–1961 | Crystal Palace | 41 | (21) |
| 1961–1964 | Aldershot | 108 | (44) |
| 1964–? | Chertsey Town | ? | (?) |
| Total | 289 + | (140 +) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Woan began his career in non-league football, playing for Anfield Road School, Bootle and later New Brighton.[7] In 1953, Woan signed for Norwich City.[1] He scored three minutes into his debut appearance for Norwich City against Northampton Town.[7] Over the next three seasons, Woan made 21 League appearances (seven goals) for Norwich, and 43 times in 77 matches for Norwich City Reserves.[7] In 1956, he moved on to Northampton Town.[1] In his time at Northampton, he scored 68 goals in 118 appearances. However, in October 1959,[1] he was signed by Crystal Palace in exchange for Mike Deakin.[8] He made his Palace debut on 31 October in an away 2–0 win against Gateshead,[9] and between then and February 1961,[1] made 46 appearances, in all competitions, scoring 23 goals.[3] He then moved again, to Aldershot where he made 108 appearances over the next three years, scoring 44 goals, before moving into non-league football with Chertsey Town.[3]
After retirement, Woan worked with youth players at Tranmere Rovers and subsequently in local government on the Wirral.[5]
Woan was born in Liverpool, England.[1][7] His brother Don and his son Ian were both professional footballers.