John William Alcroft Allen (31 January 1903 – 19 November 1957) was an English professional football forward and outside left, who played in the Football League for Leeds United, Brentford, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United, Bristol Rovers and Gateshead.

Career

Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he played for his home town club Newcastle United between 1931 and 1934. He played up front as a striker and managed to score 41 goals in 90 appearances for Newcastle. Perhaps the most important of those goals were scored in the 1932 FA Cup Final, in which Newcastle beat Arsenal 2–1 with both goals coming from Allen. Allen is best remembered for his time at Sheffield Wednesday where he scored 33 goals in both 1928–29 and 1929–30 to help the Owls clinch back-to-back Division One titles. Allen also played for Leeds United, Brentford, Bristol Rovers and Gateshead in his successful career.

Personal life

Allen's brother Ralph was also a footballer. His grandson Paul Darling is Chair of the Horserace Betting Levy Board and another grandson Ian Darling is a British circuit judge.

Honours

Sheffield Wednesday Newcastle United