Alan Webb (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Alan Richard Webb is an English
former footballer who played as a right-back
. He played 225 league games in an eleven year career in the Football League
. He spent 1981 to 1984 with West Bromwich Albion
, and also played on loan at Lincoln City
, but spent most of his career at Port Vale
. He was voted Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year
in 1984–85
, helped the club to win promotion out of the Fourth Division
in 1985–86
, and won the Third Division
play-off
final with the club in 1989
. He was forced into early retirement in June 1992, following a broken leg sustained in October 1989.
legend Phil Sproson
named him as the club's best right-back of the 1980s. He described him as a reliable right-back and a good tackler, who lacked pace but not effort.
in the First Division
in 1981. After avoiding relegation by two points in 1981–82 under Ronnie Allen
, the "Baggies" jumped to an eleventh place finish in 1982–83 after the appointment of Ron Wylie
. Webb was loaned out to Third Division
club Lincoln City
in 1983–84, managed by Colin Murphy. He played a total of 24 league games for West Brom, and appeared eleven times in the league for Lincoln, before new "Baggies" boss Johnny Giles
told him he could leave the club on a free transfer.
He joined John Rudge
's Fourth Division
Port Vale
in July 1984 and was an ever-present in 1984–85
with 56 appearances, earning himself the club's Player of the Year
award. He played 48 games in 1985–86
, as the "Valiants" won promotion with a fourth place finish; he also scored his first league goal, in a 4–0 win over Southend United
at Vale Park
on 19 October.
Webb struggled in 1986–87
, after a shin bone
injury in August haltered his progress. He returned to action in time to score in a 4–1 win at York City
on 14 April, his only goal in 24 appearances over the course of the campaign. In 1987–88
, he again struggled to stay fit in the face of numerous other injuries, including second-degree burns sustained from sliding on a plastic pitch
and blood clot
s in his thigh
. Kevin Steggles
, another West Bromwich Albion player, was signed to replace him, but Webb recovered to post 29 appearances by the season's end.
He then played 47 games in 1988–89
, scoring once in an FA Cup
defeat to top-flight Norwich City
. He played in the club's victory over Preston North End
in the play-off semi-finals, but lost his place to Gary West
for the final
, in which Vale beat Bristol Rovers
over two legs. He made only eighteen appearances in the subsequent Second Division
campaign
, having sustained a compound fracture in his right leg after colliding with Newcastle United
's Micky Quinn
on 28 October. He played six games in 1990–91
and appeared five times in 1991–92
, but could not fully recover from this final injury and was forced into early retirement in June 1992.
in late 1992, but his leg was not strong enough for him to return to football. He instead became a driver for Parcelforce
.
He also spent his free-time coaching at local non-league club Wellington Amateurs.
with Port Vale
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former footballer who played as a right-back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. He played 225 league games in an eleven year career in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. He spent 1981 to 1984 with West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, and also played on loan at Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, but spent most of his career at Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. He was voted Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year
Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year
The Port Vale Player of the Year award is voted for annually by Port Vale's supporters in recognition of the best overall performance by an individual player throughout the football season. Towards the end of each season, fans are invited to cast their votes for this award.The inaugural award was...
in 1984–85
1984–85 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1984–85 season was Port Vale's seventy-third season of football in the Football League, and first back in the Fourth Division following their relegation from the Third Division. John Rudge's first full season in charge, the Vale finished in mid-table following a season of rebuilding the squad...
, helped the club to win promotion out of the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
in 1985–86
1985–86 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1985–86 season was Port Vale's seventy-fourth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in the Fourth Division. John Rudge achieved his first success as manager, leading Vale to promotion into the Third Division with a fourth place finish...
, and won the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
play-off
Football League One play-offs
The Football League One Playoffs are a series of playoff matches, contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the NPower Football League One table to determine the third spot for promotion to the second tier of English football, the Championship....
final with the club in 1989
1989 Football League Third Division play-off Final
The 1989 Football League Third Division play-off final was a two-legged football match played at on 31 May and 3 June 1989, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Third Division to the Second Division of The Football League in the 1988–89 season. Port Vale faced Bristol...
. He was forced into early retirement in June 1992, following a broken leg sustained in October 1989.
Playing style
Teammate and Port ValePort Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
legend Phil Sproson
Phil Sproson
Phillip Jess "Phil" Sproson is a former English footballer who played as a central defender. He played in 500 matches for Port Vale and scored 41 goals , this places him third highest in the list of appearances for Port Vale...
named him as the club's best right-back of the 1980s. He described him as a reliable right-back and a good tackler, who lacked pace but not effort.
Playing career
Webb started his career with West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in 1981. After avoiding relegation by two points in 1981–82 under Ronnie Allen
Ronnie Allen
Ronald "Ronnie" Allen was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 276 goals. He also won five caps for England national team...
, the "Baggies" jumped to an eleventh place finish in 1982–83 after the appointment of Ron Wylie
Ron Wylie
Ronald M. Wylie is a Scottish former football player, coach and manager. He played as a right half or inside forward for Notts County, Aston Villa and Birmingham City, making more than 550 appearances in the Football League, and more than 700 in all competitions...
. Webb was loaned out to Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
club Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
in 1983–84, managed by Colin Murphy. He played a total of 24 league games for West Brom, and appeared eleven times in the league for Lincoln, before new "Baggies" boss Johnny Giles
Johnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
told him he could leave the club on a free transfer.
He joined John Rudge
John Rudge
John Robert Rudge is an English former football player and football manager. He is currently working as the director of football at Stoke City....
's Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in July 1984 and was an ever-present in 1984–85
1984–85 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1984–85 season was Port Vale's seventy-third season of football in the Football League, and first back in the Fourth Division following their relegation from the Third Division. John Rudge's first full season in charge, the Vale finished in mid-table following a season of rebuilding the squad...
with 56 appearances, earning himself the club's Player of the Year
Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year
The Port Vale Player of the Year award is voted for annually by Port Vale's supporters in recognition of the best overall performance by an individual player throughout the football season. Towards the end of each season, fans are invited to cast their votes for this award.The inaugural award was...
award. He played 48 games in 1985–86
1985–86 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1985–86 season was Port Vale's seventy-fourth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in the Fourth Division. John Rudge achieved his first success as manager, leading Vale to promotion into the Third Division with a fourth place finish...
, as the "Valiants" won promotion with a fourth place finish; he also scored his first league goal, in a 4–0 win over Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
at Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
on 19 October.
Webb struggled in 1986–87
1986–87 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1986–87 season was Port Vale's seventy-fifth season of football in the Football League, and first season back in the Third Division following promotion from the Fourth Division. John Rudge led to Vale to a mid-table finish, his Player of the Year signing Andy Jones scoring 37 goals in all...
, after a shin bone
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
injury in August haltered his progress. He returned to action in time to score in a 4–1 win at York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
on 14 April, his only goal in 24 appearances over the course of the campaign. In 1987–88
1987–88 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1987–88 season was Port Vale's seventy-sixth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in the Third Division. John Rudge's side started the season well, but then suffered following the sale of star striker Andy Jones...
, he again struggled to stay fit in the face of numerous other injuries, including second-degree burns sustained from sliding on a plastic pitch
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
and blood clot
Thrombus
A thrombus , or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system...
s in his thigh
Thigh
In humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.The single bone in the thigh is called the femur...
. Kevin Steggles
Kevin Steggles
Kevin Peter Steggles is an English former footballer.-Playing career:Steggles played for Ipswich Town, where he spent loan spells with Southend United and Fulham before transferring to West Bromwich Albion. He joined Port Vale for 'a small fee' in November 1987 and made twenty league and five FA...
, another West Bromwich Albion player, was signed to replace him, but Webb recovered to post 29 appearances by the season's end.
He then played 47 games in 1988–89
1988–89 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1988–89 season was Port Vale's seventy-seventh season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in the Third Division. They achieved promotion to the Second Division with a 2–1 aggregate win over Bristol Rovers in the two-legged play-off Final...
, scoring once in an FA Cup
FA 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...
defeat to top-flight Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
. He played in the club's victory over Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
in the play-off semi-finals, but lost his place to Gary West
Gary West
Gary West is an English former footballer. He made 250 appearances in the Football League between 1982 and 1993, playing for numerous clubs; most notably Sheffield United, Lincoln City and Gillingham.-Playing career:...
for the final
1989 Football League Third Division play-off Final
The 1989 Football League Third Division play-off final was a two-legged football match played at on 31 May and 3 June 1989, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Third Division to the Second Division of The Football League in the 1988–89 season. Port Vale faced Bristol...
, in which Vale beat Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
over two legs. He made only eighteen appearances in the subsequent Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
campaign
1989–90 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1989–90 season was Port Vale's seventy-eighth season of football in the Football League, and first season back in the Second Division following their promotion from the Third Division. They were playing in the second tier, and at the same level as rivals Stoke City, for the first time since...
, having sustained a compound fracture in his right leg after colliding with Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
's Micky Quinn
Micky Quinn
Michael "Micky" Quinn is a former footballer. He was predominantly a centre forward during a career in which he scored 228 goals from 515 games in the Football League.- Club career :...
on 28 October. He played six games in 1990–91
1990–91 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1990–91 season was Port Vale's seventy-ninth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in the Second Division. For the first time since 1926–27 they played in a league above rivals Stoke City...
and appeared five times in 1991–92
1991–92 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1991–92 season was Port Vale's eightieth season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in the Second Division. For only the third time in their history they competed in a division above rivals Stoke City...
, but could not fully recover from this final injury and was forced into early retirement in June 1992.
Post-retirement
Webb spent a few weeks with Telford UnitedTelford United F.C.
Telford United F.C. was an English football club based in Telford, Shropshire.The club existed under various names for a total of 132 years from its formation in 1872. The club was founder members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979 and played at this level for 25 years before being wound up in...
in late 1992, but his leg was not strong enough for him to return to football. He instead became a driver for Parcelforce
Parcelforce
Parcelforce Worldwide is a courier and logistics service in the United Kingdom. Parcelforce Worldwide is a trading name of Royal Mail Group Ltd.Its international partner network allows it to extend its delivery reach worldwide...
.
He also spent his free-time coaching at local non-league club Wellington Amateurs.
Honours
Individual- Port Vale F.C. Player of the YearPort Vale F.C. Player of the YearThe Port Vale Player of the Year award is voted for annually by Port Vale's supporters in recognition of the best overall performance by an individual player throughout the football season. Towards the end of each season, fans are invited to cast their votes for this award.The inaugural award was...
: 1984–851984–85 Port Vale F.C. seasonThe 1984–85 season was Port Vale's seventy-third season of football in the Football League, and first back in the Fourth Division following their relegation from the Third Division. John Rudge's first full season in charge, the Vale finished in mid-table following a season of rebuilding the squad...
with Port Vale
- Football League Fourth DivisionFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
4th place finish (promoted): 1985–861985–86 Port Vale F.C. seasonThe 1985–86 season was Port Vale's seventy-fourth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in the Fourth Division. John Rudge achieved his first success as manager, leading Vale to promotion into the Third Division with a fourth place finish... - Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
play-offFootball League One play-offsThe Football League One Playoffs are a series of playoff matches, contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the NPower Football League One table to determine the third spot for promotion to the second tier of English football, the Championship....
winner: 19891989 Football League Third Division play-off FinalThe 1989 Football League Third Division play-off final was a two-legged football match played at on 31 May and 3 June 1989, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Third Division to the Second Division of The Football League in the 1988–89 season. Port Vale faced Bristol...