Alan Main
Encyclopedia
Alan David Main is a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 football goalkeeper.

Main made his debut in the Highland Football League
Highland Football League
The Press & Journal Highland Football League is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish Highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands...

 aged just fifteen and went on to a professional career exceeding twenty years. He has played for Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...

, Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath F.C.
Cowdenbeath Football Club are a professional Scottish football team based in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife. They currently play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League. The club plays its home games at Central Park in the centre of the town which has the unusual feature of a motor...

, East Stirlingshire
East Stirlingshire F.C.
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scottish football club originating in Falkirk. Founded in 1880, originally as Bainsford Britannia, the club changed to their current name a year later in 1881...

, St. Johnstone, Livingston
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...

, Gretna
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...

 and Ayr United
Ayr United F.C.
Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...

. Main won the Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...

 with Livingston and three Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...

 divisional medals. He also earned runners-up medals from the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...

 and the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

, having been part of the Dundee United squad that reached the 1987 final
1987 UEFA Cup Final
The 1987 UEFA Cup Final was a football tie played on 6 May 1987 between IFK Göteborg of Sweden and Dundee United F.C. of Scotland. Göteborg won 2–1 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:-References:**...

 of the latter during his first professional season.

He began his second spell with St. Johnstone in 2007, and during the 2008–9 season
2008-09 in Scottish football
The 2008–09 season was the 112th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Hamilton Academical competed in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first season in the top-flight since the 1988–89 season, after being promoted as First Division champions the...

 helped them win promotion to the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

 as well as breaking the club's all time appearance record.

Despite having been called up the Scotland squad
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

, Main was never capped at full international level. He did however represent Scotland in under-21
Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....

 and B international
Scotland B national football team
The Scotland B national football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is a secondary football team of Scotland, run occasionally as support for the Scotland national football team as a second string side to the first team....

 fixtures.

Career

Main began his professional career with Lossiemouth his local club Highland League Club before transfering to neighbours and fellow Highland Club, Elgin City. From Elgin City he was transferred to Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...

, making his début as a nineteen-year old. He spent nine years at Tannadice, mostly under manager Jim McLean
Jim McLean
James Yuill McLean is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best known for his 22-year spell as manager of Dundee United; the longest-serving and most successful manager in the club's history, he led them to three major honours and established them as a force in European competitions...

, even making Andy Roxburgh
Andy Roxburgh
Andy Roxburgh is a former Scottish football player and coach. He has been UEFA Technical Director since 1994.- Playing career :...

's Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

 squad. Due to make his début against Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...

, he hurt his back and required an operation that kept him out of action for nine months.

Main signed for Dundee United's Tayside
Tayside
Tayside Region was a local government region of Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. It was created by the 1973 Act following recommendations made by the 1969 Wheatley Report which attempted to replace the mishmash of counties, cities, burghs and districts, with a uniform two-tier system...

 rivals St. Johnstone in 1995 as competition for Saints' then first-choice goalkeeper Andy Rhodes
Andy Rhodes
Andrew "Andy" Charles Rhodes is a retired English football goalkeeper, and current goalkeeping coach....

. Known for his long kicks and dribbling skills outside his box, Main signed a three-year deal with the Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...

 club in 1997 and was again called up to the Scotland squad (this time by Craig Brown
Craig Brown (football)
James Craig Brown CBE is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. He is currently manager of Aberdeen....

) not long afterwards. He made the substitutes' bench twice, but with Jim Leighton
Jim Leighton
James "Jim" Leighton MBE is a Scottish former football goalkeeper. Among the clubs he played for are Aberdeen , Manchester United, Arsenal, Dundee and Hibernian.-Club:...

 and Andy Goram
Andy Goram
Andrew Lewis Goram is a former Scotland international association football goalkeeper. He started his career with Oldham Athletic and Hibernian, but he is best remembered for playing for Rangers during the 1990s, when he earned the moniker "The Goalie"...

 ahead of him in the pecking order, he never took to the field.

Main broke his shin in a September 2001 game against Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...

 and was out of the game for over a year, missing Saints' relegation to the First Division. Main returned to first-team action in October 2002, despite Kevin Cuthbert
Kevin Cuthbert
Kevin Cuthbert is a Scottish goalkeeper who has signed for Ayr United after playing for Greenock Morton.Cuthbert started his career at St. Johnstone, where he played from 1998 until his release a decade later.-Career:...

 – Main's deputy – having just won the First Division Player of the Month award. Four months after returning to first-team football, Main ended his nine-year association with the Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...

 club and returned to the Premier League with Livingston
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...

.

In February 2004, Main was one of a number of players affected by financial problems at Livingston and was asked to take a pay cut to remain at the club. Within days, Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

 indicated their interest in signing Main but Main – along with the other five players asked accept reduced terms – agreed to remain for the remainder of the season.

Following the beginning of the 2004–05 season, Main joined Scottish Third Division side Gretna
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...

 on a three-year deal and went on to feature in each of their consecutive championship wins, culminating in promotion back to the Scottish Premier League. On 6 March 2007, two months before Gretna's promotion to the top flight, it was announced that Main had signed a pre-contract agreement with former club St. Johnstone on a two-year deal. Despite turning 41 in 2008, Alan Main was still the number one keeper for St. Johnstone going into 2009.

Main guested for Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...

 in a friendly against Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...

 in July 2005.

In April 2009, Main overtook Drew Rutherford
Drew Rutherford
Drew Rutherford was a professional footballer who played most of his career for St. Johnstone F.C.Although Edinburgh-born, Rutherford lived most of his life in Fife and started his professional career at East Fife. After four years with the Methil club, he signed for St...

 to become the player with the most appearances for the club. He also signed a one-year contract extension until May 2010, making him a part of the squad promoted back to the Scottish Premier League for the first time in seven years. At 42, Main was the oldest registered player in the Scottish Premier League during the 2009-10 season.

Main started in the first nine SPL games of the 2009–10 season before being edged out by former Kilmarnock and Rangers goalkeeper Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith (footballer born 1982)
Graeme Smith is a Scottish association footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for St. Mirren in the Scottish Premier League.-Kilmarnock:...

, who had missed the early part of the season due to an injury sustained in a pre-season match. Main remained on the substitutes' bench after Smith made his way into the starting line-up, and was released by St. Johnstone at the end of the 2009-10 season. on Tuesday 17 August, Main joined Scottish Football League Second Division side Ayr United, on an emergency loan deal.

In recognition of his achievements and services to St. Johnstone over his 2 spells at the club, a series of events were planned for throughout 2010 as part of Alan's testimonial year. These events included a race night and also a hosted dinner. Alan was also granted a testimonial match against a Manchester United XI Manchester which was played at McDiarmid Park McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park is a football stadium in Perth, Scotland, the home ground of St. Johnstone FC. It has an all-seated capacity of 10,673.-History:...

 on Saturday 31 July 2010.

On Saturday 21 August 2010 Alan Main appeared as a trialist goalkeeper for Scottish Second Division
Scottish Football League Second Division
The Scottish Football League Second Division is the second highest division of the Scottish Football League and the third highest overall in the Scottish football league system....

 side Ayr United
Ayr United F.C.
Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...

 and kept a clean sheet in their 1-0 victory over Dumbarton
Dumbarton F.C.
Dumbarton Football Club is Scotland's 4th oldest football club – founded in 1872, just after Queen's Park , Kilmarnock and Stranraer...


thus at 42 years 259 days old becoming the oldest player ever to play for United.
Main has since let it be known to Ayr Manager Brian Reid that he would consider a permanent deal with the Somerset Park
Somerset Park
Somerset Park is a football stadium located in Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland.It has been the home of Ayr United since they were founded in 1910. Prior to that, it was the home ground of Ayr F.C.. It currently has a capacity of 10,185 of which 1,597 is seated, making it one of the largest capacity...

 club. The club have appealed to their fans to give donations that would help them fund a deal with Alan Main. However, this did not come into fruition.

Career statistics

Season Club League League Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...

Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...

Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1986–87 Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...

Scottish Premier Division
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

2 0 1 0 - - 3 0
1987–88 8 0 2 0 - - 10 0
1988–89 Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath F.C.
Cowdenbeath Football Club are a professional Scottish football team based in the town of Cowdenbeath, Fife. They currently play in the Second Division of the Scottish Football League. The club plays its home games at Central Park in the centre of the town which has the unusual feature of a motor...

 (loan)
Scottish Division Two 3 0 - - - 3 0
East Stirlingshire
East Stirlingshire F.C.
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scottish football club originating in Falkirk. Founded in 1880, originally as Bainsford Britannia, the club changed to their current name a year later in 1881...

 (loan)
2 0 - - - 2 0
1989–90 Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...

Scottish Premier Division
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

27 0 5 0 - 1 0 33 0
1990–91 31 0 6 0 1 0 2 0 40 0
1991–92 17 0 - 2 0 - 19 0
1992–93 43 0 2 0 3 0 - 48 0
1993–94 17 0 - 4 0 2 0 23 0
1994–95 6 0 - 2 0 2 0 10 0
St. Johnstone Scottish First Division
Scottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
1995–96 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
1996–97 N/A 1 0 2 0 N/A N/A
1997–98 |Scottish Premier Division 34 0 3 0 2 0 - 39 0
1998–99 Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

34 0 4 0 4 0 - 42 0
1999–00 21 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 27 0
2000–01 38 0 2 0 2 0 - 42 0
2001–02 7 0 - - - 7 0
2002–03 Scottish First Division 14 0 1 0 1 0 - 15 0
Livingston
Livingston F.C.
Livingston Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in Livingston, West Lothian. The club currently plays in the Scottish Football League First Division.The club was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team...

Scottish Premier League 12 0 - - - 12 0
2003–04 3 0 - - - 3 0
2004–05 Gretna
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...

Scottish Third Division
Scottish Football League Third Division
The Scottish Football League Third Division is the lowest division of the Scottish Football League and the fourth overall in the Scottish football league system....

4 0 - - - 4 0
2005–06 Scottish Second Division
Scottish Football League Second Division
The Scottish Football League Second Division is the second highest division of the Scottish Football League and the third highest overall in the Scottish football league system....

31 0 7 0 2 0 - 40 0
2006–07 Scottish First Division 26 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 30 0
2007–08 St. Johnstone Scottish First Division 34 0 5 0 1 0 - 40 0
2008–09 32 0 1 0 1 0 - 34 0

Honours

Dundee United:
  • UEFA Cup
    UEFA Cup
    The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

     (Runner-up): 1
1986–87
  • Scottish Cup
    Scottish Cup
    The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...

     (Runner-up): 1
1990–91


St. Johnstone:
  • Scottish First Division
    Scottish Football League First Division
    The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....

    : 2
1996–97, 2008–09
  • League Cup
    Scottish League Cup
    The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...

     (Runner-up): 1
1998–99
  • Challenge Cup: 1
2007–08
Scottish Challenge Cup 2007-08
The 2007–08 Scottish Challenge Cup was the 17th season of the Scottish Challenge Cup, which was competed for by all 30 members of the Scottish Football League. The defending champions were who defeated 5–4 on penalties in the 2006 final. Ross County were eliminated in the second round...



Livingston:
  • League Cup
    Scottish League Cup
    The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...

    : 1
2003–04


Gretna:
  • Scottish Second Division
    Scottish Football League Second Division
    The Scottish Football League Second Division is the second highest division of the Scottish Football League and the third highest overall in the Scottish football league system....

    : 1
2005–06
  • Scottish Cup
    Scottish Cup
    The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...

     (Runner-up): 1
2005–06
  • Scottish First Division
    Scottish Football League First Division
    The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....

    : 1
2006–07

External links

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