Ally Pickering – SkyBlueArchive

Position

Defender

Nationality

Place Of Birth

Manchester

Date Of Birth

June 22, 1967

Age

Height (cm)

180

Games Played

Per Game

Games Started

0.9

Per Game

Minutes

5996

81.0

Per Game

Goals

0.01

Per Game

Assists

0.1

Per Game

Ally Pickering had the unenviable task of replacing Brian Borrows, one of the finest and most popular full-backs in the clubs history. In 1993 newly appointed manager Phil Neal thought Borrows was over the hill and paid Rotherham £85,000 for Pickering. Borrows however was far from finished and his form took an upturn and he went on to outlive Pickering at Highfield Road.

Manchester-born Pickering was a late developer and spotted playing for Northern Premier side Buxton and signed for the Millers in 1990 at the age of 22. He played over 100 games for Rotherham and earned a reputation as one of the best attacking full-backs in the lower leagues.

He failed to immediately break into the first team at Coventry and had to wait four months for his first game, as a substitute at Anfield in a 0-1 defeat. His first start came in a 1-0 home win over Tottenham in April.

In 1994-95 injury to Borrows gave Ally his chance and he put in some good performances until a disastrous home night game against Crystal Palace. John Salako put on a super show, and destroyed Pickering on the way to a 4-1 away win. Borrows returned to the team for the following game.

After Atkinson took over from Neal, Ally was back in favour as Borrows switched to centre-back and he was key member of the side that avoided relegation in their penultimate game with a 3-1 win at Tottenham.

His strength was his attacking style and in the 5-0 home win over Blackburn in December 1995 he laid on two of the goals with his hard driven crosses. In 1996 he joined Lou Macari’s Stoke City after a transfer tribunal the clubs agreed on £200,000.

He played close to 100 games in two years for Stoke but he was given a free transfer after the team were relegated from the First Division in 1998 and joined Burnley. He left Turf Moor after only 21 games and since than has spent time at Radcliffe Borough, Altrincham, Chester, Hyde United, Gainsborough Trinity and then Mossley in March 2001 where he was later appointed manager but he left in June 2003.

Premier League (England)

1995-1996

2441′

1994-1995

2564′

1993-1994

111′

5116′

0 (0)

FA Cup (England)

1995-1996

180′

1 (0)

1994-1995

210′

390′

1 (0)

Coca-Cola Cup (England)

1995-1996

220′

1994-1995

270′

490′

0 (0)

Totals:

5996′

1 (0)