Alan Groves
Encyclopedia
Alan Groves was an English
professional football
er. He played as a midfielder
.
Groves joined hometown club Southport
from Blowick in December 1968 and went on to play for Chester
, Shrewsbury Town
and AFC Bournemouth before beginning a long spell with Oldham Athletic in February 1974. According to Harry Redknapp
, Groves was not happy with the move, and during a match Bournemouth after scoring a goal, Groves dribbled the ball to the Bournemouth dugout and kicked the ball at Trevor Hartley
, the manager who had sold him. He made 140 Football League appearances for the Latics until he moved to Blackpool
in November 1977, for £30,000, He made his League debut for the club on 26 November 1977, when Blackpool beat Stoke City
2-1. After his first three games he was convinced that he made the best move of his football career, commenting: "Two away wins in three weeks, it's unbelievable. That's as many as we got in two years at Oldham Athletic. Blackpool have some tremendous players, really skilful. I fancy Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur to go up, but if we play like we did at Mansfield Town, we can make it tough for both of them."
tie for Blackpool before he died of heart failure on 15 June 1978, aged 29.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
er. He played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Groves joined hometown club Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
from Blowick in December 1968 and went on to play for Chester
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
and AFC Bournemouth before beginning a long spell with Oldham Athletic in February 1974. According to Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
, Groves was not happy with the move, and during a match Bournemouth after scoring a goal, Groves dribbled the ball to the Bournemouth dugout and kicked the ball at Trevor Hartley
Trevor Hartley
Trevor Hartley was born on March 16, 1947 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire and is a former English footballer with West Ham United and A.F.C. Bournemouth and football manager with A.F.C. Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur.-Career as Footballer:...
, the manager who had sold him. He made 140 Football League appearances for the Latics until he moved to Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
in November 1977, for £30,000, He made his League debut for the club on 26 November 1977, when Blackpool beat Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
2-1. After his first three games he was convinced that he made the best move of his football career, commenting: "Two away wins in three weeks, it's unbelievable. That's as many as we got in two years at Oldham Athletic. Blackpool have some tremendous players, really skilful. I fancy Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur to go up, but if we play like we did at Mansfield Town, we can make it tough for both of them."
Death
Groves had played eleven League games, plus four as substitute, scored one goal, and played in an FA CupFA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
tie for Blackpool before he died of heart failure on 15 June 1978, aged 29.