Alan Shoulder made 122 appearances for Carlisle and scored 33 goals, staying at Brunton Park for just under 3 years.

He arrived in the wake of United's promotion to Division Two at the end of the 1981/82 season and was expected to fill the gap created by the departure of another Geordie star - Peter Beardsley. Alan fitted in superbly, ensuring that Division Two status was maintained throughout his stay with the Cumbrians.

Alan Shoulder was born in Bishop Auckland on 4 February 1953, and he starred for many junior teams in the area, eventually being picked up by Bishop Auckland themselves. He never really expected the call to professional football and took up full time work as a miner at the age of 18, in 1971.

He combined the stresses of mining with the finer art of football with Auckland for a full six years, until non-League high rollers Blyth Spartans offered him the chance of a better standard of football. His arrival coincided with the glorious Blyth cup run of 1977/78, and the Match of the Day team got full mileage out of the "pacey striker is a full time pit worker" tag. The cup run put many of Blyth's part time men in the public spotlight, though Shoulder still suspected he was perhaps too old to be approached.

Surprise and delight came his way in 1979, at the age of 26. Newcastle United had kept a close eye on Blyth since their televised exploits and a couple of their players were standing out, Alan Shoulder being one of them. After a lengthy period of consideration The Magpies finally made their move as the 79/80 season began to get in to full swing. He soon muscled his way in to the first team and he went on to average a goal every other game during an explosive 18 month introduction to full time football.

In August 1982 Bob Stokoe celebrated his teams promotion to Division Two by treating himself to some new signings. Shoulder was allowed to leave Newcastle and made the short trip across the A69. 46 appearances in both League and Cup competitions brought 21 League goals for Shoulder in that, his first season (he became the last player to get 20 goals in the League until David Reeves in the 94/95 season).

1 January 1983 brought a particularly satisfying goal for the Carlisle forward, as United travelled to St James Park to face a very good Newcastle side. He received a heroes welcome from both the home and travelling support and rewarded the whole 29,154 crowd with the opening Carlisle goal of what turned out to be a thrilling 2-2 draw. The 83/84 season saw Shoulder make 43 more appearances and score a further 9 goals.

The excellent football played during this season was up there with the best that Brunton Park had seen and United pushed on for promotion right up until the final weeks of the season (a string of bad results in April 1984 ended the dream, in all honesty) but Shoulder's partnership with Poskett produced some outstanding attacking football.

Alan's final season with the club was not his best as the 32 year old suffered injury, and a dip in form, but still managed 3 goals in 33 appearances. To be fair, the team struggled in general, and only 1 win in the last eight games saw them come perilously close to relegation. They eventually finished 16th.

In the summer of 1985 Hartlepool came in for Shoulder and he agreed to the move. He spent a further three years with Hartlepool before retiring from the game. He then enjoyed coaching and management posts with various North Eastern clubs including Crook and Ferryhill, and even had a brief spell at Gretna.

Alan settled in Bishop Auckland, where it all began, and was often involved in non-League football in the area, whether it be watching or assisting with coaching/management. He earns his place in the 'Hall of Fame' section of this site primarily for his goal scoring exploits of his first season with the club, but also for his attitude and commitment. His quickness of thought and movement meant that avenues were always available and space was always created. Definitely a player who brought joy to many.