Alan Blayney

Alan Blayney was a decorated Northern Ireland international goalkeeper who had two separate short spells at the Showgrounds.

Blayney quickly progressed from his home in North Belfast to the English Premier League. A late developer into football, the goalkeeper was recruited by the Saints on an apprenticeship in the summer of 1998, and turned professional three years later in the summer of 2001; this was despite returning home to Belfast homesick for a period during his early years on the South Coast.

He made his professional debut on loan at third-tier Stockport County in October 2002, but had his spell at Edgeley Park cut short due to a broken finger, then in December of the same season he had a short emergency loan spell at neighbouring AFC Bournemouth.

Back at Southampton, Blayney started the 2003/2004 season as third choice goalkeeper but eventually made his Saints' debut in May 2004, with both his peers out of action for the visit of Newcastle United to St. Mary's. The 22-year-old shot to prominence during his Premier League debut making a world reflex class save from Alan Shearer’s header at point blank range which Sky Sports honoured as their 'Save of the Season'. Despite the adulation and expectation – Alan made only three further appearances for the club. The final outing being a disappointing 5-2 League Cup defeat to Watford in November 2004, which prompted the recruitment of experienced American stopper Kasey Keller on loan from Tottenham Hotspur shortly after.

Blayney was jettisoned out for another loan spell in January 2005 at League Two strugglers Rushden & Diamonds, followed two months later by another loan opportunity as part of Brighton & Hove Albion's successful battle against relegation from the Championship. Following a hugely positive contribution, manager Mark McGhee brought Alan back to the Withdean Stadium for a second loan spell for the first half of the 2005/2006 season but financial problems prevented a permanent deal being agreed for the goalkeeper despite the Seagulls' best efforts.

In January 2006, new Saints boss George Burley sold the out-of-favour custodian to League One club Doncaster Rovers for £50,000. Alan finished the season strongly and won his first Northern Ireland cap under Lawrie Sanchez in May 2006 against Romania during a tour of the United States. However, after failing to settle at Doncaster, he fell out of favour and his contract was terminated by mutual consent in January 2007, before joining Oldham Athletic a month later on a short term deal until the end of the 2006/2007 season.

Disillusioned with the uncertain nature of professional football the Latics would be his last Football League club, as following the expiration of his deal he returned to Ireland to sign for League of Ireland side Bohemians in August 2007, but failed dislodge first choice goalkeeper Brian Murphy during the 2007 season – making only a handful of appearances at Dalymount Park before returning home to Northern Ireland.

This marked first spell at Ballymena United, the 26-year-old was signed by Tommy Wright in March 2008, despite being unable to play for the remainder of the 2007/2008. It proved a coup for United who were on the up having finished sixth in the Premier Division that season. The club were rocked by Wright's sudden resignation only a month later which led to Roy Walker taking the helm at the Showgrounds.

Alan finally made his debut for the Sky Blues in August 2008 against Ballyclare Comrades in the County Antrim Shield, but suffered a nightmare start to life at the Showgrounds with eight defeats from the opening ten league games and eventually lost his place in goal to teenager Sean O'Neill. He regained his starting jersey in October 2008, as United slowly eased their way from relegation trouble and after the shaky start for the goalkeeper his performances between the sticks proved a rare highlight in a dismal for the Sky Blues, with 14 clean sheets for the Braidmen.

Those performances drew the attention of Linfield manager David Jeffrey who sought a replacement for departing ‘keeper Alan Mannus, and signed Blayney on a three-year deal in June 2009. Despite another nervous start in front of the demanding Linfield crowd, he began to enjoy the most successful spell of his career. Alan won the Irish League and Irish Cup 'double' in his first season at Windsor Park and earned recall to the Northern Ireland side with caps against Turkey and Chile in another American summer tour.

The following season Linfield with Blayney as an ever-present repeated their double feat, Alan captained the Windsor Blues in the Irish Cup victory over Crusaders. His stellar performances between the posts also won him the Ulster Footballer of the Year award and merited a place in the Football Writers’ Team of the Season. His fifth and final Northern Ireland cap came in the forgettable 5-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in the ill-fated Carling Nations Cup in May 2011.

2011/2012 marked yet another 'double' for both parties for the third consecutive year, but the development of rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscular illness, nearly killed him and unfortunately he would never fully recover as the injury would plague his final years at the Blues, missing large periods of the following season (including the County Antrim Shield final defeat to Ballymena United). Alan didn't feature at all during the 2013/2014 season as Jeffrey brought in Jonathan Tuffey from St. Johnstone, resulting in Blayney spending the second half of the season and final six months of his contract on loan at Ards.

After 164 appearances and six major honours at Linfield, he was released to join Glenavon on a two year-deal in May 2014. Still hampered by his injuries the spell at Mourneview Park only lasted a single season after falling out of favour towards the end of the 2014/2015 season. Glenavon manager Gary Hamilton allowed Glenn Ferguson to sign 33-year-old Blayney on a free transfer in May 2015 to mark a second spell at the Ballymena Showgrounds.

Following an inconsistent start to his second spell at Ballymena United, he usurped Dwayne Nelson as first choice goalkeeper in the second half of the season in time for the County Antrim Shield final victory over Linfield in January 2016. However, despite the introduction of his former boss Jeffrey to the Showgrounds later that season, he would again lose his place as number one. Jeffrey instilled Ross Glendinning at the as his first choice for the 2016/2017 season as part of his overhaul at the club. Alan’s contract was cancelled by mutual consent in January 2017, as he dropped down to the Championship to join Dundela for the remainder of the season.

Following their promotion back to the NIFL Premiership, former team-mate Matthew Tipton, he made Alan one of his first summer signings in May 2017 ahead of the new season, but he only managed a handful of appearances for the club before a final curtain call on his playing career back in the Championship with Ballyclare Comrades in the second half of the 2017/2018 campaign.

Upon his retirement, he turned to coaching and formed part of Tiernan Lynch’s backroom staff at Larne for five years during the height of their success which lead to two league titles in 2023 and 2024 as they became the first Irish League side to progress to the group stages of a major European competition during their 2024/2025 UEFA Conference League campaign. Blayney left Larne in January 2025 over issues regarding his coaching qualifications.

Career
(Jul 1998) Southampton; (Oct 2002) Stockport County – loan; (Dec 2002) Bournemouth – loan; (Jan 2005) Rushden & Diamonds – loan; (Mar 2005) Brighton & Hove Albion – loan; (Sep 2005) Brighton & Hove Albion – loan; (Jan 2006) Doncaster Rovers; (Feb 2007) Oldham Athletic; (Aug 2007) Bohemians; (Mar 2008) Ballymena United; (Jun 2009) Linfield; (Jan 2014) Ards; (May 2014) Glenavon; (May 2015) Ballymena United
(Feb 2017) Dundela; (Aug 2017) Warrenpoint Town; (Dec 2017) Ballyclare Comrades

Honours
(with Linfield)
Irish League: (winner) 2009/2010, 2010/2011, 2011/2012
Irish Cup: (winner) 2009/2010, 2010/2011, 2011/2012
County Antrim Shield: (finalist) 2009/2010
Ulster Footballer of the Year: 2010/2011
NIFWA Team of the Year: 2010/2011
(with Ballymena United)
County Antrim Shield: (winner) 2015/2016

International Honours
Northern Ireland (5 caps, 0 goals – 2006-2011)
Northern Ireland Under-23 (1 cap, 0 goals - 2005)
Northern Ireland Under-21 (5 caps, 0 goals – 2002-2003)
Irish League Representative (1 cap, 0 goals – 2012)