International Appearances - Malcolm Allen

A combination of injury, poor form and the explosive goalscoring exploits of a certain Teddy Sheringam restricted him to just eighteen league starts. And despite competition from the likes of John McGinley and Jon Goodman, he still weighed in with seven goals as The Lions secured a play-off spot. The following season was even more frustrating for Allen when injury once again curtailed his season but the signs of his abilities were there for all to see after he netted five times in just eleven games.

Allen, however, had saved his best for last in his final season with the club as he became an integral part of Mick McCarthy's diamond-formation in 1992. A skillful and talented ball-player, McCarthy utilised Allen's talents at the tip of the formation, sitting in the hole just behind the front two, and The Lions began to attract glowing reviews for their attacking, passing displays including a 6-0 defeat of Notts County and a 6-1 victory over West London rivals Brentford. The Lions ultimately missed out on the play-offs but Allen had caught the eye of several other teams after scoring twelve times from midfield.

After making 73 starts, scoring 26 times, the popular front man was sold to Newcastle United for £300,000. However, his time in the Premiership proved to be short-lived. A damaged knee plagued his time on Tyneside, and despite eight operations, he was forced to retire from the professional game, moving into non-league football before taking up coaching.

Allen's time at The Den coincided with an upturn in the fortunes of the Wales side as they threatened to qualify for the 1994 World Cup Finals. The striker was a regular with the Welsh squad during this period, and even faced fellow Lion Mick McCarthy in one game against the Republic of Ireland, but Terry Yorath's side ultimately missed out on a trip to the USA after losing at home to Romania.