Allan Charles Cockram (born 8 October 1963) is an English retired professional footballer who played in the Football League for Tottenham Hotspur, Bristol Rovers, Brentford and Reading as a midfielder or winger. He later player-managed St Albans City and Chertsey Town in non-League football. Cockram is currently manager of Cambridge University.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Allan Charles Cockram[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 October 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Kensington, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cambridge University (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1975–1981 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1985 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2 | (0) |
| 1985 | San Francisco Flyers | ||
| 1985 | Bristol Rovers | 1 | (0) |
| 1985 | San Jose (indoor) | ||
| 1985–1986 | Farnborough Town | ||
| 1987–1988 | St Albans City | 44 | (25) |
| 1988–1991 | Brentford | 90 | (14) |
| 1991 | Woking | ||
| 1991–1992 | Reading | 6 | (1) |
| 1992 | Farnborough Town | ||
| 1992 | Woking | ||
| 1992–1996 | St Albans City | 98 | (25) |
| 1996–1997 | Chertsey Town | ||
| 1999–2000 | Leatherhead | ||
| International career | |||
| England Youth | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1985 | San Francisco Flyers | ||
| 1994–1996 | St Albans City (player-manager) | ||
| 1996–1997 | Chertsey Town (player-manager) | ||
| 2019– | Cambridge University | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
editA winger, Cockram joined Tottenham Hotspur as a schoolboy in 1975 and went on to make two first team appearances for the Lilywhites towards the end of the 1983–84 season.[3][4] He was released at the end of the 1984–85 season and a two-year period followed as a football nomad, which included short periods playing for Bristol Rovers and Farnborough Town and two spells in the United States.[5] A move to Isthmian League Premier Division club St Albans City during the latter part of the 1986–87 season, in a bid to return to fitness following an achilles injury,[6] proved to be the turning point in Cockram's career.[3] He was voted the Saints' Player of the Year at the end of the 1987–88 season.[7]
After a successful period training full-time with Brentford during the 1987–88 season,[6] Cockram signed a contract with the club in March 1988.[8] He made 118 appearances and scored 17 goals for the club before his release at the end of the 1990–91 season.[8] After a spell back in non-League football with Woking,[1] Cockram made a return to the Football League with Reading in October 1991 and rejoined St Albans City prior to the beginning of the 1992–93 season.[1][9] He remained at Clarence Park until the end of 1995–96 season and scored 73 goals in 211 appearances across his six seasons with the club.[9] Cockram finished his career with spells at non-League clubs Chertsey Town and Leatherhead.[3]
Managerial and coaching career
editCockram player-managed non-League clubs St Albans City and Chertsey Town.[3] He was later a technical specialist at Philadelphia Union and coached at University College London.[10][11] In 2019, he became manager of Cambridge University.[12]
In 2017, Cockram established Brentford Penguins, a Down Syndrome football club.[11] A documentary film about the club, entitled Mighty Penguins, was released in 2023.[13] Fellow former footballer David Beckham, and his son Romeo, met the Mighty Penguins team in September 2023, and presented Cockram with The Sun's Who Cares Wins Unsung Hero Award.[14]
International career
editCockram represented England Youth.[3]
Personal life
editCockram worked as a firefighter in west London and later became a businessman.[6]
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1983–84[4] | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| Bristol Rovers | 1985–86[15] | Third Division | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| St Albans City | 1986–87[16] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 11 | 4 | — | — | — | 2[c] | 2 | 13 | 6 | |||
| 1987–88[17] | 33 | 21 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9[d] | 8 | 42 | 29 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 25 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 10 | 55 | 35 | ||||
| Brentford | 1987–88[18] | Third Division | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | ||||
| 1988–89[18] | 37 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 4[e] | 1 | 51 | 10 | |||
| 1989–90[19] | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3[e] | 0 | 31 | 2 | |||
| 1990–91[20] | 20 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6[e] | 0 | 29 | 3 | |||
| Total | 90 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | 13 | 1 | 118 | 17 | |||
| Reading | 1991–92[21] | Third Division | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1[e] | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| St Albans City | 1992–93[22] | Isthmian League Premier Division | 35 | 12 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 17[f] | 4 | 58 | 19 | ||
| 1993–94[23] | 28 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10[g] | 2 | 39 | 9 | ||||
| 1994–95[24] | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 16[h] | 4 | 32 | 6 | ||||
| 1995–96[25] | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5[i] | 0 | 25 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 142 | 50 | 9 | 3 | — | — | 60 | 20 | 211 | 73 | ||||
| Career total | 241 | 65 | 20 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 21 | 341 | 91 | ||
- ^ Includes FA Cup
- ^ Includes Football League Cup
- ^ 1 appearance and 2 goals in Herts Charity Cup, 1 appearance in Wallspan Floodlit Cup
- ^ 2 appearances and 3 goals in Herts Charity Cup, 2 appearances and 2 goals in Isthmian League Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Herts Senior Cup, 1 appearance in FA Trophy, 1 appearance in General Motors Acceptance Challenge Cup, 1 appearance and 2 goals in Wycombe Floodlight Cup
- ^ a b c d Appearances in Football League Trophy
- ^ 4 appearances and 1 goal in FA Trophy, 3 appearances in Herts Charity Cup, 3 appearances in East Anglian Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Herts Senior Cup, 2 appearances in Eastern Floodlight Cup, 1 appearance in Isthmian League Cup, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Isthmian League Full Members Cup, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Billy Minter Trophy
- ^ 3 appearances and 1 goal in Isthmian League Cup, 3 appearances in Isthmian League Full Members Cup, 1 appearance in FA Trophy, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Herts Charity Cup, 1 appearance in Herts Senior Cup, 1 appearance in East Anglian Cup
- ^ 3 appearances in Isthmian League Cup, 2 appearances in FA Trophy, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Herts Charity Cup, 2 appearances in Herts Senior Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in London Challenge Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in East Anglian Cup, 2 appearances and 1 goal in Eastern Floodlight Cup, 1 appearance in Isthmian League Full Members Cup
- ^ 2 appearances in FA Trophy, 2 appearances in East Anglian Cup, 1 appearance in Eastern Floodlight Cup
Honours
editSt Albans City
- Herts Charity Cup: 1986–87[16]
Individual
- St Albans City Player of the Year: 1987–88[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Allan Cockram". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "C and D". The Bristol Rovers History Group. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Allan Cockram". Soccer Sounds. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Allan Cockram". 11v11.com. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ Goodwin, Bob (16 August 2017). The Spurs Alphabet. Lulu.com. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-9540434-2-1.
- ^ a b c "Where Are They Now?". brentfordfc.co.uk. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Player Of The Season". Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ a b Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 38. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ^ a b "Allan Cockram". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ "Ex-Premier League players teach soccer using cages and blindfolds". For The Win. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ a b Moore, Tom (2 October 2017). "Bees legend on why he has started a Down's Syndrome Football Club". getwestlondon. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Allan Cockram". Scholar6. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ McRae, Donald (28 November 2023). "Kids with Down's have no filter. I love it': Allan Cockram, the man behind the Mighty Penguins". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ Nash, George (13 December 2023). "Brentford football club for players with Down's syndrome the subject of new documentary". swlondoner. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Rovers results, appearances and goalscorers 1899 to 2022". The Bristol Rovers History Group. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Season 1986–87 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Season 1987–88 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ a b White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 398–400. ISBN 0951526200.
- ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 431. ISBN 978-1906796716.
- ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 476. ISBN 9781906796723.
- ^ "Reading 1991–92". www.royalsrecord.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Season 1992–93 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Season 1993–94 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Season 1994–95 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Season 1995–96 appearances". St Albans City F.C. History & Archives. Retrieved 2 October 2017.