Ivor Allchurch

Ivor Allchurch
MBE
Allchurch training with Swansea Town in 1951
Personal information
Full name Ivor John Allchurch[1]
Date of birth (1929-10-16)16 October 1929
Place of birth Swansea, Wales
Date of death 10 July 1997(1997-07-10) (aged 67)
Place of death Swansea, Wales
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1947–1958 Swansea Town 327 (124)
1958–1962 Newcastle United 143 (46)
1962–1965 Cardiff City 103 (39)
1965–1968 Swansea Town 118 (40)
Total 691 (249)
International career
1950–1966 Wales 68 (23[2])
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ivor John Allchurch MBE (16 October 1929 – 10 July 1997) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as an inside forward.

Known as the "Golden Boy of Welsh football",[3][4] Allchurch began his career playing for his hometown side Swansea Town, where he spent over 10 years, captaining the side for several seasons and scoring over 100 goals in all competitions. He attracted attention from numerous clubs during his early years with Swansea, but chose to remain with the club until the age of 28, when he joined First Division side Newcastle United. Signing in 1958 for a fee of £28,000, he formed a prolific strike partnership with George Eastham and Len White. In 1962, he joined Cardiff City for £18,000, where he spent three seasons, before finishing his professional career with a second spell with Swansea Town. His two spells with Swansea saw him become the club's all-time top goalscorer.

During his career, Allchurch won a total of 68 caps for Wales, a record which stood until 1986 when it was exceeded by Joey Jones.[5] He also jointly held the record number of goals scored for Wales, along with Trevor Ford, 23, which was eventually broken by Ian Rush. His talents were more widely recognised after his performance for Wales during the 1958 FIFA World Cup, in which he scored twice and helped them to reach the quarter-finals. His brother Len was also a footballer and the pair played alongside each other for Wales on several occasions.

  1. ^ "Ivor Allchurch". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  2. ^ Alpuin, Luis Fernando Passo (20 February 2009). "Wales – Record International Players". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  3. ^ Jones, Ken (12 July 1997). "Obituary: Ivor Allchurch". The Independent. London. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Ivor Allchurch". National Football Museum. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  5. ^ Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 12. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.