| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alan Little[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1955-02-05)5 February 1955[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Horden, England | ||
| Date of death | 8 August 2024(2024-08-08) (aged 69) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1971–1973 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1974 | Aston Villa | 3 | (0) |
| 1974–1977 | Southend United | 103 | (12) |
| 1977–1979 | Barnsley | 91 | (14) |
| 1979–1982 | Doncaster Rovers | 85 | (11) |
| 1982–1983 | Torquay United | 51 | (4) |
| 1983–1985 | Halifax Town | 68 | (6) |
| 1985–1986 | Hartlepool United | 12 | (1) |
| Total | 413 | (48) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1993–1999 | York City | ||
| 1999–2000 | Southend United | ||
| 2001–2002 | Halifax Town | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alan Little (5 February 1955 – 8 August 2024) was an English professionalfootballer andmanager. He played as amidfielder. Little made over 400 appearances in his senior career, with the most caps coming withSouthend United andBarnsley. Little then went on to manage from 1993 to 2002, with seven seasons coming withYork City.
Alan Little was born inHorden, County Durham.[1] He served his apprenticeship atAston Villa and, alongside his brother,Brian, was in the youth side which beatLiverpool to win theFA Youth Cup in 1972.[citation needed] He turned professional in January 1973 and on 5 October 1974, made his full league debut, a 2–1 win away toOldham Athletic.[citation needed] This was the first of just three league appearances for Villa.[citation needed]
In December 1974, he was sold toSouthend United for £10,000.[2] The following season, he was a regular in the side that reached the fifth round of theFA Cup.[citation needed] He made 102 full appearances (+ 1 as a substitute). He scored 12 goals for 'the Shrimpers'.[citation needed] In August 1977,Barnsley paid £6,000 to take him toOakwell, where he played 91 times, scoring 14 goals.[citation needed] December 1979 saw Little on the move again, this time toDoncaster Rovers, who paid a club record £25,000 for his services.[citation needed]
He provided the experience thatBilly Bremner's young side needed. He became a great favourite with the Doncaster fans, winning the supporters' Player of the Year award before moving toTorquay United in October 1982 in a deal that sawClive Wigginton move in the opposite direction.[citation needed] He scored four times in 51 games for Torquay, leaving to joinHalifax Town in November 1983, playing 68 times (and scoring six goals) for 'the Shaymen' before joiningHartlepool United as player-coach in July 1985.[citation needed]
Throughout his playing career, Little earned a reputation as a fiercely competitive, tough-tackling midfielder, making him highly respected by supporters and fellow players.[citation needed]
Little was forced to retire due to injury in May 1986 and stayed at Hartlepool, where he was allowed to coach the juniors.[citation needed] He was later appointed assistant to the managerJohn Bird. When Bird became the manager atYork City in September 1988, Little went with him as assistant manager. In October 1991, after an unsuccessful three years, Bird was sacked. The new manager,John Ward, retained Little as his assistant. Under Ward, York became a stronger side and in the1992–93 season made a push forpromotion. However, in March 1993, Ward left to manageBristol Rovers, leaving Little in charge.[3]
His first game as York manager was a 5–1 win away to promotion rivalsBarnet. York eventually finished fourth in theThird Division and had to settle for aplay-off place. After a 1–0 aggregate win overBury in the semi-finals, York gained a place inSecond Division by beatingCrewe Alexandra on apenalty shoot-out atWembley Stadium.[3]
York almost repeated the feat the following season but was beaten in the Second Division play-off semi-finals byStockport County. There were other highlights during Little's time at York, most notably theLeague Cup wins overManchester United in 1995 andEverton in 1996. However, York's overall form under Little deteriorated, and after ten games without victory, he was sacked on 15 March 1999.[4] York were relegated that season having only dropped into the relegation zone on the last day of the season.[3]
In April 1999, Little returned to his old club, Southend United, after the resignation ofAlvin Martin, helping them to avoid the drop into theFootball Conference at the end of the season.[citation needed] He also helped them survive a serious financial crisis by slashing the wage bill and rebuilding a much cheaper side. His dismissal on 28 September 2000 came as a surprise as, despite a poor start to the season, it came after a five-game unbeaten run that saw 'the Shrimpers' rise to 10th in the Third Division.[citation needed] He was replaced byDavid Webb on 2 October 2000.[citation needed]
In June 2001, he was appointed ChiefScout atHull City, managed by his older brother Brian.[citation needed] On 12 October 2001, Little was appointed as manager of former club Halifax Town.[5] With only three league wins before falling ill withappendicitis in March 2002, Little was sacked.[citation needed] Halifax was relegated to the Conference at the end of the season and went out of business six years later.[citation needed]
Little died on 8 August 2024, at the age of 69.[6][7]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| York City | 12 March 1993 | 15 March 1999 | 328 | 113 | 89 | 126 | 034.5 | [8][9] |
| Southend United | 2 April 1999 | 28 September 2000 | 69 | 21 | 18 | 30 | 030.4 | [10] |
| Halifax Town | 12 October 2001 | 1 March 2002 | 27 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 011.1 | [5][10] |
| Total | 424 | 137 | 116 | 171 | 032.3 | — | ||
York City
