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Redhill & England

Redhill & England

Charlie Bright27 Mar 2020 - 18:10
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A look back on an ex Lobster who played for England.

Article - David Barber (club historian)

Some Redhill supporters may remember a player called Alan Ives. He was a pacey striker who started as a young Reds player in the late 1960s and ended up being capped for England at amateur level!

At first Redhill used him sparingly. He would often come on as a substitute for the last 20 minutes to torment the opposition's defence by sprinting in behind them and finishing with that hammer of a right foot. He made such an impact in a friendly against Crystal Palace, scoring in a 2-1 win in one of our first-ever floodlit matches at home, that it seemed the professional game might be beckoning.

Alan started in both of the Reds' Athenian League Cup Final victories, notching the extra-time winner against Walton & Hersham at Leatherhead in 1970 and then retaining the No.9 shirt as we lifted the trophy again after beating Dagenham by the only goal at Slough a year later. Then he switched to Isthmians Tooting & Mitcham when a lot of Redhill players left the Club and continued to find the net regularly at that higher level.

England amateur boss Charlie Hughes saw him grab a brace in a 2-0 away win at Wycombe Wanderers and invited him to train with his squad at Bisham Abbey. He was chosen for a tour to Europe in the summer of 1973, during which England would face tough international fixtures against (in order) Austria, Greece, Italy, Turkey and Yugoslavia. Alan picked up his cap against the Greeks, starting up front on the left as England won 1-0 with Willie Smith's goal on a scorching hot afternoon in Piraeus.

The remarkable thing about that tour was that England didn't concede a goal in any of their five matches. The results (again in order) were 1-0, 1-0, 0-0, 2-0 and 0-0! 

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