MEN 1873-1895
MEN 1895-2024
WOMEN 2018-2024
 

Joe Allen

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
6-12-1866
N/A
Date unknown.
Unknown.
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
1-9-1888 v Mr Higons Salford
Widnes
1895-
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
1888-1895
48 (0)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
2
2
1
15

Biography of Joe Allen



HERITAGE NO :
Joe Allen

ALLEN KEY TO SAINTS IMPROVEMENT

Joseph Allen was born in Kendal on the 6th of December, 1866. He was one of the first of the lads from Westmoreland who came down to play for the Saints, which also included his contemporaries such as Bill Whiteley and Billy Cross. It is very interesting to note the great bond between the St Helens club and Kendal in those days. The road from Kendal to the industrial town of St Helens witnessed a good number of rugby players willing to explore new occupations and playing field experiences in South Lancashire. The main man who facilitated the recruitment of his friends and playing colleagues was Billy Cross the eventual Club Captain, Changing Rooms host and spiritual leader of St Helens RFC in the 1890s.

By the 1886-87 season Joe Allen was playing full-back for Kendal Hornets and later switched to the centre. The History of Football in Kendal says that his nickname was ‘Nuts’ or ‘Rowler ‘and that essentially he was a full-back, who could play in the threequarters when wanted. "He had few equals as a drop kicker and proved a prolific scorer", says the rest of his pen picture. Billy Cross had established the link with St Helens in 1886 and it would appear that Billy invited Kendal Hornet’s chums Joe Allen and Jimmy Graham to play for St Helens in a friendly against the magnificently monikered “Mr Higson’s Salford’ on September 1st 1888. The Saints won that encounter but more importantly the blueprint extraction of classy Westmoreland rugby talent had begun.

After his debut Joe was a regular member of the Saints’ team up to the end of the 1889 to 1890 season. Indeed Joe left St Helens at the conclusion of that season and returned to Kendal. Playing predominantly at full back with occasional forays into the centres Joe was a regular name on the scoresheet.

Unable to keep away from South Lancashire, Joe was lured back to the Saints for the 1894-95 season. He played 16 matches in that campaign mostly at centre. In all we have Joe playing 48 matches in the pre Northern Union era.

NORTHERN UNION ERA

Following the establishment of the Northern Union in August 1895 Joe played as a centre and made his Northern Union debut in a friendly against a District team on 19th January 1895 at Knowsley Road, scoring a try. Joe made 16 appearances during the 1895-6 campaign, scoring two tries and kicking one goal. He began the inaugural season of Northern Union football in the centres, with fellow Cumbrian Bill Whiteley outside him. Joe also played a couple of games at full-back later in the campaign. He made relatively few appearances in 1896-97, which was to be his last season as a Saint.

After leaving Saints he returned to the re-formed Kendal Hornets who played under Northern Union rules in the North West League. He was still playing in 1903-04, aged 37, which was the Club’s last season. Joe had a distinguished career in representative rugby union for Westmorland too, making 11 appearances for the county, selected as a full-back or centre in equal measure.

In the 1911 Census he was living with his wife and eight children in Blackburn, employed as a tinsmith. The 1939 Census has Joe living at 86A Wethers Street, Blackburn. He lived in Blackburn until his death in March 1953 at the ripe old age of 86.

DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
1st Sep 1888 1
W
 1 Mr Higsons Salford* FR H 7 0 VIEW
8th Sep 1888 2
L
 1 Batley* FR H 1 9 VIEW
15th Sep 1888 3
L
 2 Rochdale Hornets* FR H 0 3 VIEW
22nd Sep 1888 4
D
 1 Walkden* FR H 0 0 VIEW
29th Sep 1888 5
W
 1 Leigh* FR H 5 2 VIEW
6th Oct 1888 6
W
 1 Audenshaw* FR H 11 0 VIEW
13th Oct 1888 7
W
 1 Bramley* FR H 3 1 VIEW
17th Nov 1888 8
W
 3 Leigh* FR A 1 0 VIEW
15th Dec 1888 9
L
 1 Widnes* FR H 0 3 VIEW
22nd Dec 1888 10
W
 1 Lancaster* FR H 5 0 VIEW
25th Dec 1888 11
D
 1 Tyldesley* FR H 0 0 VIEW
26th Dec 1888 12
L
 1 Ossett* FR A 1 3 VIEW
12th Jan 1889 13
W
 1 Audenshaw* FR A 11 0 1 VIEW
19th Jan 1889 14
W
 1 Werneth* FR A 6 1 VIEW
23rd Feb 1889 15
L
 4 Kendal Hornets* FR H 1 2 VIEW
2nd Mar 1889 16
W
 4 Aspull* WLC H 1 0 VIEW
9th Mar 1889 17
L
 4 Kendal Hornets* FR H 1 2 VIEW
14th Mar 1889 18
L
 1 Maoris* FR H 0 7 VIEW
16th Mar 1889 19
W
 1 Birch* FR A 7 1 VIEW
23rd Mar 1889 20
W
 1 Askam* FR H 3 0 VIEW
30th Mar 1889 21
W
 1 Crompton* FR A 1 0 VIEW
6th Apr 1889 22
L
 1 Askam* FR A 0 3 VIEW
13th Apr 1889 23
W
 1 Kendal Town* FR H 4 1 VIEW
19th Apr 1889 24
W
 1 Wakefield Trinity* FR H 4 0 VIEW
20th Apr 1889 25
W
 1 Aspull* FR H 4 2 VIEW
22nd Apr 1889 26
W
 1 Ossett* FR H 5 1 VIEW
27th Apr 1889 27
W
 1 Kendal Town* FR A 1 0 VIEW
4th May 1889 28
D
 1 Batley* FR H 0 0 VIEW
7th Sep 1889 29
L
 1 Warrington* FR H 0 2 VIEW
14th Sep 1889 30
L
 4 Morley* FR A 1 3 VIEW
28th Dec 1889 31
L
 4 Hunslet* FR A 0 10 VIEW
3rd May 1890 32
L
 3 Millom* L A 4 5 VIEW
19th Jan 1895 33
W
 3 District* FR H 23 0 1 VIEW
26th Jan 1895 34
D
 3 Leigh* FR A 5 5 VIEW
2nd Feb 1895 35
L
 3 Runcorn* FR H 0 7 VIEW
2nd Mar 1895 36
W
 3 Stockport* FR H 13 0 1 VIEW
9th Mar 1895 37
W
 3 Oldham* LSC H 8 3 1 VIEW
16th Mar 1895 38
W
 1 Salford* FR A 8 6 VIEW
23rd Mar 1895 39
D
 3 Swinton* LSC H 0 0 VIEW
30th Mar 1895 40
W
 3 Rochdale Hornets* LSC A 11 5 VIEW
1st Apr 1895 41
W
 3 Warrington* LSC A 11 0 1 VIEW
6th Apr 1895 42
D
 3 Wigan* FR A 0 0 VIEW
12th Apr 1895 43
L
 3 Tyldesley* LSC A 0 11 VIEW
13th Apr 1895 44
W
 3 Morecambe* FR A 8 0 VIEW
15th Apr 1895 45
W
 3 Broughton Rangers* FR H 23 0 VIEW
20th Apr 1895 --
L
 3 Runcorn* FR A 0 10 VIEW
25th Apr 1895 --
L
 3 Wigan* FR H 3 7 VIEW
27th Apr 1895 --
W
 3 Widnes* FR H 18 0 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 26 | LOSSES : 16 | DRAWS : 6




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