Todd Allan Image 1 Port Vale 1933

Description

Orwell, Kinross-shire born goalkeeper Allan Todd began his football career with Wellesley Juniors and signed for Scottish First Division club Leith Athletic in 1931, playing for Cowdenbeath in 1932 before signing for Second Division club Port Vale in October 1932, where initially he was understudy to Jock Leckie and Ben Davies. Todd made his Football League debut against Burnley in April 1933 and went on to play a further 8 matches before the season end, but had to wait until the end of October to get back into the first eleven after Ormond Jones was brought in from Yeovil and started the season in goal. However he lost his place again at the start of 1934-35 as Vale bought in Jimmy Potts from Leeds United, and Potts was ever present that season, Todd deputising for him twice in the second half of the 1935-36 campaign as Port Vale suffered relegation.

With Potts having left The Old Recreation Ground, Todd resumed duties as Vale’s principal glovesman in 1936-37, playing a career best 43 matches as Vale finished mid table, but after 83 appearances he joined Second Division club Nottingham Forest in exchange for Arthur Masters in June 1937, where he spent two seasons as understudy to Percy Ashton, making 21 appearances for Forest before a move to Darlington in 1939. Potts played in all 3 of The Quakers’ matches of the start of the 1939-40 season before the outbreak of the Second World War on 3rd September 1939 forced the abandonment of peacetime football and effectively ended Todd’s career.