Allen Foster
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Allen Foster[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1887 | ||
| Place of birth | Rawmarsh, England | ||
| Date of death | 8 August 1916 (aged 28–29)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Corbie, France [3] | ||
| Position(s) | Inside left | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Parkgate Athletic | |||
| –1909 | Rotherham Town | ||
| 1909–1911 | Bristol City | 13 | (1) |
| 1911–1916 | Reading | 146 | (67) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Allen Foster (c. 1887 – 8 August 1916) was an English professional footballer who made over 140 appearances in the Southern League for Reading. An inside left, he also played in the Football League for Bristol City.
Foster was born in Rawmarsh, Yorkshire and began his career in non-League football with Parkgate Athletic and Rotherham Town.[1] He moved to First Division club Bristol City in 1909, but made just 13 appearances, scoring one goal.[1] Foster's prolific scoring for the Bristol City reserve team in the Great Western Suburban League prompted newly promoted Southern League First Division club Reading to sign him for a £75 fee in August 1911.[4] A successful player with Reading, he was remembered for his hat-trick scored against Italian giants AC Milan in the Biscuitmen's 5–0 victory on 13 May 1914.[5] The result prompted the leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera to report that "without doubt, Reading FC are the finest foreign team seen in Italy".[6] Foster finished his professional career with Reading with 73 goals.[7]
