Alan Mahon

Football player infobox


playername = Alan Mahon
fullname = Alan Joseph Mahon
nickname =
height = height|ft=5|in=7
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1978|4|4
cityofbirth = Dublin
countryofbirth = Ireland
currentclub = Burnley
clubnumber = 18
position = Attacking Midfielder
years = 1995–2000
2000–2001
2000–2001
2001–2004
2003
2003
2004–2006
2006
2006–
clubs = Tranmere Rovers
Sporting Lisbon
→ Blackburn Rovers (loan)
Blackburn Rovers
→ Cardiff City (loan)
→ Ipswich Town (loan)
Wigan Athletic
→ Burnley (loan)
Burnley
caps(goals) = 120 (13)
001 0(0)
018 0(0)
018 0(1)
015 0(2)
011 0(1)
047 0(9)
008 0(0)
053 0(3)
youthyears =
youthclubs =
nationalyears = 2000
nationalteam = Republic of Ireland
nationalcaps(goals) = 002 0(0)
pcupdate = 20/09/2008
ntupdate = 06/08/2006

Alan Joseph Mahon (born April 4, 1978 in Dublin) is an international Irish footballer, playing for Burnley F.C in the English Football League Championship as a midfielder.

Career

Mahon has played for Tranmere Rovers, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic. Having signed for Burnley on loan during the 2005-06 season, he signed permanently on 8 June 2006 for £200,000 on a 3 year contract.

Whilst Alan Mahon was at Blackburn he managed to put in some steady performances and was a regular first-team squad member. He performed well in the promotion campaign in 2000-01, enough to win him a permanent deal (he was loaned out to Rovers from Lisbon at the time). He started the next season well and it was speculated that he would represent Ireland at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, having already played twice for them.

Halfway through the season he was dropped and did not win his place back. He was an unused sub when Blackburn won the Worthington Cup, beating Spurs 2-1.

After another season where he was used sparingly (and loaned out to Ipswich), Mahon stated he wanted first team football and he left Rovers during 2004 after he had featured in a run of games for the team. He joined Wigan Athletic.

In the following 2004-05 season, he scored some spectacular goals and his performances helped Wigan to gain promotion to the Premiership. After starting the 2005-06 season well and scoring a memorable goal at Aston Villa, he dropped out of the team half-way through the season and was allowed to leave, despite being seen as an ongoing squad player by Paul Jewell.

Mahon had a good start to his Burnley career, putting in some impressive performances following his debut against Norwich on the 24 March 2006. Burnley manager Steve Cotterill described Mahon as "an absolute gem, [he is] the jewel in our crown" and it appeared that Cotterill planned to build Burnley's team around Mahon in the 2006-07 season.

After a promising start at Burnley, injuries and less impressive form during the 2006-07 season saw him become a fringe first eleven player or substitute. In the 2007-08 season, he returned to the first eleven and appeared to have regained the form that he showed when first arriving at Turf Moor.

External links

* [http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10413~9824,00.html Alan Mahon profile] at burnleyfootballclub.com
*soccerbase|id=4733|name=Alan Mahon