| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brynley William Allen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1921-03-23)23 March 1921 | ||
| Place of birth | Gilfach Goch, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 21 July 2005(2005-07-21) (aged 84) | ||
| Place of death | Gilfach Goch, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position | Inside-left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Gilfach Welfare | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1937–1939 | Swansea Town | 0 | (0) |
| 1945–1947 | Cardiff City | 41 | (18) |
| 1947–1948 | Newport County | 17 | (12) |
| 1948–1949 | Cardiff City | 17 | (4) |
| 1949–1950 | Reading | 26 | (12) |
| 1950–1952 | Coventry City | 88 | (26) |
| 1952–1953 | Merthyr Tydfil | ||
| 1953 | Hereford United | ||
| 1953–1957 | Barry Town | 178 | (57) |
| Haverfordwest Athletic | |||
| International career | |||
| 1950 | Wales | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Brynley William Allen (23 March 1921 – 21 July 2005) was a Welsh professionalfootballer who played as aninside forward for various clubs in the 1940s and 1950s and made two appearances forWales.
Allen was born inGilfach Goch,Glamorgan and as a schoolboy attracted the attention of severalfootball League clubs, includingManchester United, where he had an unsuccessful trial.[2] On leaving school, he was employed in the Trave Colliery before signing forSwansea Town when he was 16.[2] He had not broken into Swansea's first team before his career was interrupted by theSecond World War.
During the war, he joined theRoyal Navy where he served on board the battleshipHMS Duke of York on convoy duty. Whilst serving onDuke of York, he took part in a football match atScapa Flow against a team from theFrench battleship Richelieu.[2]
He guested orCardiff City during the hostilities and, after he wasdemobilised at the end of the war, he was signed by the club on a permanent basis in December 1945. Described as a "clever and skillful player with an excellent body swerve",[2] he made his professional debut on the opening day of the 1946–47 season during a 2–1 defeat toNorwich City.[3] Allen soon became a regular with Cardiff and his 18 goals helped them to promotion at the end ofthe first post-war Football League campaign. Allen, however, did not remain long in theSecond Division and was transferred toNewport County in October 1947.[2]
He returned toNinian Park in August 1948, withReg Parker moving in the opposite direction,[4] but in May 1949 he was transferred toReading. Nine months later, he was back in the Second Division withCoventry City. In January 1950, Reading had played an evening match against Coventry City; after the match, Reading's managerTed Drake mentioned toHarry Storer that Allen was available for transfer. Storer then set off immediately to Allen's home, where he persuaded him to sign, with the deal being completed at midnight.[2]
Allen's international debut came on 21 October 1950, when he was called up for theHome Championship match againstScotland. Despite displaying great "cohesion" and making good use of the ball "as a line", Wales lost 3–1 to the more muscular Scots.[5] Allen retained his place for the next match againstEngland the following month; this match also ended in a defeat for Wales.[6]
Allen remained with Coventry until 1952, when he dropped down tonon-league football withMerthyr Tydfil, before spells atHereford United,Barry Town andHaverfordwest Athletic.[2] At Barry Town, he was part of the team which won theWelsh Cup in 1955, defeatingChester 4–3 in the final, after a replay.[7]
Roberts made two appearances for Wales in official international matches, as follows:[8]
| Date | Venue | Opponent | Result[9] | Goals | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 October 1950 | Ninian Park,Cardiff |  Scotland | 1–3 | 0 | 1951 British Home Championship |
| 15 November 1950 | Roker Park,Sunderland |  England | 2–4 | 0 | 1951 British Home Championship |
| Win | Draw | Loss |
After leaving professional football, Allen worked as apostman in his home town ofGilfach Goch, where he died on 21 July 2005.[10] He was buried atTonyrefail Cemetery.[11]
In May 2007, Allen's collection of sporting memorabilia came up for auction. The lots included his Football League Division Three (South) Championship medal from 1946 to 1947 (sold for £1,100),[12] his international jerseys from the matches against Scotland and England in 1950 (sold for £600 each)[13][14] and a scrapbook of ephemera.[15]
Cardiff City[3]
Barry Town