Allan Gilliver RIP

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Allan Gilliver RIP

2025-12-29T14:55+00:00

Allan Gilliver was Albion's top scorer during the 1969/70 season. Photo: Evening Argus

Everyone at the club was sorry to hear that former Albion striker Allan Gilliver passed away on 23 December at the age of 81.

Allan was recruited by Freddie Goodwin in the summer of 1969 as a replacement for Charlie Livesey and top scored with 16 goals in the 1969/70 campaign as Albion went close to winning promotion to the old second division. An excellent cricketer, Allan played for Sussex seconds in the summer of 1970.

The following season Allan scored eight goals before Goodwin’s replacement Pat Saward sold him to Lincoln City in February 1971.

Allan had played a small part in an important change to Football League regulations when he was sold by his first club Huddersfield Town to Blackburn Rovers in 1966. It became apparent that he was suffering from a slipped disc so the league ordered Huddersfield to pay £18k of the £30k transfer fee back to Blackburn as Allan’s medical records weren’t available when he was sold. The league subsequently made a medical examination mandatory for all transfers.

Allan also played for Rotherham, Bradford City (twice) and Stockport County and in America for Baltimore Comets before dropping into non-league. He scored 95 goals in 297 appearances with 24 goals in 68 matches for Albion.

After retiring he spent 24 years working in various roles at Bradford City including groundsman, safety officer, commercial manager and stadium manager. He was an active fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Society after being diagnosed with dementia in 2011.