Alun Evans
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 April 1949 | ||
| Place of birth | Kidderminster, England | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1964–1967 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1967–1968 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 22 | (4) |
| 1967 | → Los Angeles Wolves (guest) | ||
| 1968–1972 | Liverpool | 79 | (21) |
| 1972–1975 | Aston Villa | 60 | (11) |
| 1975–1978 | Walsall | 87 | (7) |
| 1978–1982 | South Melbourne | 104 | (36) |
| 1983 | Morwell Falcons | 23 | (4) |
| National team | |||
| 1968–1969 | England Under-23 | 4 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Alun William Evans (born 30 April 1949) is an English former footballer who made his name as a centre forward in the Liverpool side rebuilt by Bill Shankly at the start of the 1970s. He was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.
Evans began his professional career with Wolverhampton Wanderers, breaking into the first team in the 1967/68 season. He had already appeared for the club on their summer success in winning the United Soccer Association under the guise of the Los Angeles Wolves in Summer 1967.
He only had one full season in Wolves' first team as he swiftly joined Liverpool in September 1968 for £110,000, making him Britain's most expensive teenager. He had caught the eye of manager Bill Shankly after he outran and out-thought Liverpool captain Ron Yeats in a match in 1968. Although only 19, and despite Shankly's known desire to introduce new players gradually to the team, Evans was put straight into the side and stayed there until the end of the season.
He made his debut on 21 September 1968 in a league match against Leicester City at Anfield, scoring in a 4–0 win. Evans went on to feature in 33 league games, scoring seven goals as Liverpool finished runners-up to Leeds.
After an unimpressive 1969/70 campaign, he fared better the next season, scoring frequently in the opening games but suffered from injury and ill-luck which forced him out of the team, including facial scarring after being attacked with broken glass in a nightclub.
He returned to the fray near the end, and bagged a hat-trick during this season in a European Fairs Cup 4th round 1st leg tie at home to German giants Bayern Munich in a 3–0 win that ultimately saw them through 4–1 on aggregate. He also scored a magnificent equaliser against Merseyside rivals Everton as Liverpool came from behind to win their FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. However, Evans played disappointingly in the final and was substituted midway through the second half. Liverpool eventually lost 2–1 to Arsenal after extra time.
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