sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Allan Hunter (born 30 June 1946) is a former international footballer and manager.[1] Hunter began his career with Coleraine before playing for Oldham Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Colchester United.[1] He managed Colchester United for eight months, only to return for a brief period as a coach at Layer Road.[1]

Allan Hunter

Johan Cruijff and Allan Hunter (Rotterdam, 1976)
Personal information
Date of birth	(1946-06-30) 30 June 1946 (age 76)
Place of birth	Sion Mills, Northern Ireland
Position(s)	Central defender
Youth career
	Coleraine
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1962–1966	Coleraine	97	(2)
1966–1969	Oldham Athletic	83	(1)
1969–1972	Blackburn Rovers	84	(1)
1971–1982	Ipswich Town	280	(8)
1982	Colchester United	19	(0)
Total		563	(12)
National team
1969–1979	Northern Ireland	53	(1)
Teams managed
1982–1983	Colchester United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

As an international, he represented his country 53 times, 47 of which while he was at Ipswich, becoming the club's most capped player in Ipswich Town's history.[2]

Club career

As a central defender, Hunter played for Coleraine (alongside his brother Victor),[3] Oldham Athletic and Blackburn Rovers before making a £60,000 move to Ipswich Town, in a transfer that saw Bobby Bell heading to Blackburn.[1] Despite interest from Everton and Leeds, Hunter chose Ipswich when he met Bobby Robson – "...within five minutes I had no doubt that Ipswich was where I wanted to go."[3] Hunter spent the majority of his professional career with Ipswich, making over 350 appearances in his eleven years at the club, which included playing in the 1978 FA Cup Final in which Ipswich defeated Arsenal 1–0 at Wembley.[4]

Fellow Ipswich player Terry Butcher wrote of Hunter in his autobiography, describing an incident where Butcher had "crossed himself" before a reserve match:[5]

Big Allan Hunter was sitting in the stand and after the game he grabbed me and asked me if I was a Catholic. I told him I wasn't. I was an English Protestant. Why, then, he asked, did I cross myself? I told him it was for luck but he told me to remember I was a Protestant and warned me never to do it again – if I did, he would really sort me out.

Hunter played in a full-strength Ipswich team against Stowmarket Town in a testimonial match in 1980. Ipswich won the match 15–0.[6] His nephew, Barry, was manager of Rushden & Diamonds.[7]

International career

Hunter made 53 appearances for Northern Ireland, making him Ipswich Town's most capped international player.[2] He also played alongside such notables as Alan Ball, Colin Bell, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Emlyn Hughes for the "New European Common Market" against the "Old ECM" in a match at Wembley celebrating the admission to the European Common Market of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark in 1973.[8]

Management career

In 1982, Hunter accepted the role of player-manager at Colchester United where he appointed former Ipswich coach Cyril Lea as his assistant. Hunter did not last long in the position, and following the suicide of John Lyons in November 1982, he resigned from the club, leaving Lea in charge.[9]

After retirement

Like many other ex-Ipswich players, Hunter settled in Suffolk following his retirement from the game.

In 2009, Hunter was inaugurated into the Ipswich Town Hall of Fame, along with George Burley, Arnold Muhren and Billy Baxter.[10]

Managerial statistics

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Won %!
Colchester United		5 May 1982	18 January 1983	32	17	7	12	47.2

Honours

Ipswich Town

• FA Cup: 1978

Individual

• Ipswich Town Player of the Year: 1975–1976[11]
• Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2009[12]

References

External links

• Allan Hunter, NI International Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club
• Allan Hunter career stats Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database
• Player profile - Allan Hunter The Archive Database for Colchester United
• Allan Hunter Northern Ireland Footballing Greats

На других языках

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- [en] Allan Hunter (footballer)

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[it] Allan Hunter

Allan Hunter (Sion Mills, 30 giugno 1946) è un ex calciatore nordirlandese, di ruolo difensore che in dieci incontri, tra il 1974 e il 1979, fu il capitano della Nazionale nordirlandese.

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[ru] Хантер, Аллан

Аллан Хантер (англ. Allan Hunter; род. 30 июня 1946, Шен Миллс) — североирландский футболист, защитник. Наиболее известен по выступлениям за «Ипсвич Таун». Провёл 53 матча за сборную Северной Ирландии.

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