Over the summer, everyone at Norwich City was saddened to learn of the passing of former Canaries forward Terry Allcock.
Ahead of the fixture against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, August 17, the club will hold a minute's applause in memory of the second-highest goalscorer in our history.
As well as being one of our most well-known former players, Terry held a variety of roles in the club after retirement all the way up until recent years when he hosted hospitality lounges on matchdays.
Born in Leeds on November 10, 1935, Allcock captained Yorkshire Schoolboys prior to signing for Bolton Wanderers in 1952. He scored twice in the opening 20 minutes of his competitive first-team debut in a 3-2 win over Manchester City on October 10, 1953.
Despite making quite an impression on his Burnden Park bow, the Yorkshireman was unable to hold down a regular place in the Trotters’ starting XI, having to compete for a place in their forward line with the likes of Nat Lofthouse, Willie Moir and Harold Hassall. He departed for Norwich City in March 1958 having netted nine times in 31 league matches for Wanderers.
Allcock’s Norwich City debut came in a 1-1 draw with Millwall at Carrow Road on March 15, 1958. His first Canaries goal came in a 2-1 victory at Swindon Town on April 5, 1958. Allcock netted 20 times in 54 appearances in all competitions during his first full season with the club in 1958/59. He scored a memorable goal as Third Division City drew 1-1 at top-flight Tottenham Hotspur in an FA Cup fifth round tie on February 14, 1959.
He played in all 11 of the Canaries’ FA Cup matches as the so-called '59ers made it through to the last four of the competition with victories over Ilford, Swindon Town, Manchester United and Sheffield United before losing 1-0 to Luton Town in a semi-final replay at St Andrew’s on March 18.
In 1959/60, Allcock played a significant role in Norwich’s second-place finish in the old Third Division, which saw Archie Macaulay’s side gain promotion. The forward netted 16 times in 44 matches and followed that up with 16 goals in 26 Second Division matches in 1960/61.
He broke his leg in September 1960 but returned to competitive action just 100 days later. Allcock managed an impressive haul of 21 goals in 37 matches in 1961/62 before his season of seasons in 1962/63 saw him bag 37 goals in 52 games. Despite his fantastic goalscoring record, Allcock’s playing position changed from forward to half-back in his final five seasons at Carrow Road.
On April 7, 1969, Allcock scored the last of his 127 goals for Norwich City, which places him second on the Canaries’ top goalscorers list – just five short of Johnny Gavin’s all-time record of 132. The final of his 389 appearances for the club came in a 3-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers on April 23, 1959.
A week after Allcock played the last competitive match of his career, a testimonial was staged for him against Ipswich Town with a Carrow Road crowd of 9,118 present. Earlier in the 1968/69 season, second tier Norwich enjoyed a 4-2 League Cup second round victory at top-flight Ipswich and the Canaries were also able to humble their East Anglian rivals in Allcock’s testimonial.
A Charlie Crickmore cross was swept home by Ken Foggo to put the home side one-up on 57 minutes. The lead was doubled 11 minutes later when Crickmore’s drive cannoned back off the Town woodwork and, fittingly, Allcock was on hand to nod the ball in from close range. Victory was assured on 74 minutes when Clive Payne’s speculative effort beat David Best in the Ipswich goal. The visitors got a consolation two minutes from time through Ron Wigg.
After retiring from playing, Allcock remained at Norwich for a period as a coach before departing for a brief coaching stint at Manchester City. He enjoyed a successful second career as a wicket-keeper/batsman, which saw him make 45 Minor Counties Championship appearances for Norfolk between 1959 and 1975. He later served as a partner for a family-run independent funeral directors in Norwich. He passed away on June 11 this year at the age of 88.
Words: Andy Greeves