Ivor Allchurch
Ivor John Allchurch MBE (16 October 1929 – 10 July 1997) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as an inside forward.
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Allchurch training with Swansea Town in 1951 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ivor John Allchurch | ||
| Date of birth | 16 October 1929 | ||
| Place of birth | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 10 July 1997 (aged 67) | ||
| Place of death | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1947–1958 | Swansea Town | 327 | (124) |
| 1958–1962 | Newcastle United | 143 | (46) |
| 1962–1965 | Cardiff City | 103 | (39) |
| 1965–1968 | Swansea Town | 118 | (40) |
| Total | 691 | (249) | |
| International career | |||
| 1950–1966 | Wales | 68 | (23) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Known as the "Golden Boy of Welsh football", Allchurch began his career playing for his hometown side Swansea Town, where he spent over 10 years, captaining the side for several seasons and scoring over 100 goals in all competitions. He attracted attention from numerous clubs during his early years with Swansea, but chose to remain with the club until the age of 28, when he joined First Division side Newcastle United. Signing in 1958 for a fee of £28,000, he formed a prolific strike partnership with George Eastham and Len White. In 1962, he joined Cardiff City for £18,000, where he spent three seasons, before finishing his professional career with a second spell with Swansea Town. His two spells with Swansea saw him become the club's all-time top goalscorer.
During his career, Allchurch won a total of 68 caps for Wales, a record which stood until 1986 when it was exceeded by Joey Jones. He also jointly held the record number of goals scored for Wales, along with Trevor Ford, 23, which was eventually broken by Ian Rush. His talents were more widely recognised after his performance for Wales during the 1958 FIFA World Cup, in which he scored twice and helped them to reach the quarter-finals. His brother Len was also a footballer and the pair played alongside each other for Wales on several occasions.