Rory Allen
Rory Allen (born 17 October 1977) is an English ex-professional football player.
Club career
Early career
A striker, Allen made his professional football debut for Tottenham Hotspur on 4 September 1996 as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat at Wimbledon (aged 18).
He went on to score four times in 28 games for Spurs including starting a memorable 3rd round FA Cup tie in 1997 against Manchester United alongside Neale Fenn up front. Two of his four goals came in the league, against Newcastle and Manchester United, also scoring a brace against Preston North End in the League Cup. Allen was sent on loan to Luton Town in 1997, scoring 7 goals in 9 appearances in what was then Division Two (the third tier of English football).
Portsmouth
Portsmouth paid Spurs a club record £1,000,000 for him in July 1999, as he became Pompey's first million-pound signing, citing manager Alan Ball as a key factor in his decision to make the move. He suffered an injury in pre-season training. He scored his first goal for Portsmouth on 15 August 1999 in a match against Wolves. The following week, he made it two goals in a week, scoring in a 2–0 victory at home to Stockport. He injured his ankle in September 1999, lasting only 24 minutes of a league match against Ipswich. He wouldn't play again until making an appearance as a substitute in March 2000. Allen scored his third Portsmouth goal against QPR in May 2000, equalising in the 53rd minute but with Portsmouth finally losing the match 3–1.
