Alan McCormack

For the Irish Olympic cyclist, see Alan McCormack (cyclist).

Alan McCormack

Personal information
Full name	Alan McCormack
Date of birth	(1984-01-10) 10 January 1984
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Height
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder, defender
Team information
Current team	Brentford
Number	12
Youth career
0000–2002	Stella Maris
2002–2003	Preston North End
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2007	Preston North End	11	(0)
2003	→ Leyton Orient (loan)	10	(0)
2005	→ Southend United (loan)	7	(2)
2005–2006	→ Motherwell (loan)	24	(2)
2006	→ Southend United (loan)	8	(1)
2007–2010	Southend United	140	(15)
2010–2011	Charlton Athletic	22	(1)
2011–2013	Swindon Town	79	(2)
2013–	Brentford	79	(2)
International career‡
2003	Republic of Ireland U19	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:08, 6 January 2016 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:08, 6 January 2016 (UTC)

Alan McCormack (born 10 January 1984, in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or right back for Brentford. He began his career at Preston North End, later playing for Southend United, Charlton Athletic and Swindon Town before signing for Brentford in 2013. He was capped at U19 level by the Republic of Ireland.

Club career

Preston North End

McCormack was born in Dublin and began his career with Stella Maris. He signed for Division One side Preston North End in December 2002, after impressing on trial. He won his first call into the first team squad shortly after, remaining an unused substitute for 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United on 21 December. He progressed to sign a professional contract in 2003. Handed the number 27 shirt, McCormack and made his debut on 6 March 2004 in a league match against Burnley, when he replaced Dickson Etuhu after 55 minutes. He made his first Preston start in the following game against Sunderland, lasting 79 minutes before being substituted for Jeff Smith during a 3–3 draw. McCormack made three more appearances before the end of the 2003–04 season, taking his total appearances for the campaign to five. McCormack made four appearances at the beginning of the 2004–05 season, but was made available for transfer in September 2004 and didn't feature in the first team at all after November.

After spending the entire 2005–06 season away on loan, McCormack made his first Preston appearance in nearly two years when he replaced Kelvin Wilson after 41 minutes of a 1–1 Championship home draw with Queens Park Rangers on 19 August 2006. He played two further games in September 2006, with the latter match against Stoke City on 30 September being his final Preston appearance. With his contract up at the end of the 2006–07 season, McCormack handed in a transfer request in November 2006 and left the club on 1 January 2007. He made a total of 12 appearances for the club. Looking back in August 2012 on his time with the Lilywhites, McCormack said "I had a great few years there and I learnt a hell of a lot – enough to help me go on and continue my career in the professional game in England. I've got a lot of time and a lot of credit for that, I look back and I never have a bad word to say about it. I've got nothing but good things to say about the club, I'll always have fond memories of the place".

Leyton Orient (loan)

McCormack signed on a one-month loan for Division Three side Leyton Orient on 29 August 2003 and made the first professional appearance of his career in a 4–1 home defeat to Cheltenham Town the following day, replacing Billy Jones at half time. McCormack received the first red card of his career in a 0–0 draw with Lincoln City on 13 September, leaving the proceedings after committing two bookable offences. In late September, caretaker manager Martin Ling extended McCormack's loan until 1 November. He was sent off again in a 1–1 draw with Northampton Town on 25 October. McCormack made 11 appearances (amassing six yellow cards and two reds) before returning to Preston in November after his loan expired.

Southend United (loan)

McCormack signed on loan for League Two side Southend United on 16 March 2005 and wearing the number 28 shirt, he made his debut with a start in a 3–0 victory over Cheltenham Town on 15 March. In April, the loan was extended until the end of the 2004/05 season. McCormack was an 81st-minute substitute for Mark Gower during the 2005 Football League Trophy Final against Wrexham at the Millennium Stadium on 10 April, though he was denied the first silverware of his career after Wrexham won 2–0 after extra time. McCormack scored the first senior goals of his career with a brace in a 2–1 away victory over Macclesfield Town on 19 April. McCormack left the club at the end of the season when his loan expired, having made 8 appearances and scored two goals.

Motherwell (loan)

McCormack spent the entire 2005–06 season on loan at Scottish Premier League side Motherwell. He made 28 appearances in all competitions, scored two goals and collected twelve yellow cards and one red.

Southend United (return on loan and permanent transfer)

McCormack returned to Southend United on loan on 18 November 2006, initially until 1 January 2007, with a view to a permanent move. Successive promotions from League Two and League One in 2004–05 and 2005–06 saw Southend competing in the Championship for the 2006–07 season. McCormack scored the first goal of his second Southend stint against Southampton in a 2–1 league victory on 9 December. After an impressive spell, assistant manager Paul Brush confirmed on 11 December that McCormack would make his move to Southend permanent in January 2007. On 2 January, McCormack signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the Shrimpers. He scored his first goal since signing permanently against Leicester City on 3 March 2007, coming off the bench to level the scores at 2–2 in injury time. On 9 April, he scored an 88th-minute goal in a 3–2 away victory over his previous employers, Preston North End (his strike was voted goal of the season), though it was not enough to save Southend from relegation to League One. McCormack made 26 appearances and scored three goals during the 2006–07 season.

During the 2007–08 season, McCormack formed a formidable centre midfield partnership with Nicky Bailey. The pair managed 20 goals between them, with McCormack bagging 9, which included a run of five goals in seven games in September 2007. McCormack was influential in Southend's sixth-place finish, though their season ended with a playoff semi-final defeat to Doncaster Rovers. In June 2008, he signed a new three-year contract. McCormack suffered a knee injury during the 2008–09 pre-season which kept him out of action for eight weeks. After his return, he went on to make 38 appearances during the season, scoring two goals. He played the full 90 minutes in a memorable 1–1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup third round on 3 January 2009. He missed the replay, which Southend lost 4–1. McCormack made 43 appearances and scored three goals during the 2009–10 season, though his final season at Southend finished on a sour note as the club suffered relegation to League Two. On 24 June 2010, McCormack had his contract terminated by mutual consent. Over the course of his two spells with the Shrimpers, McCormack made 166 appearances and scored 19 goals.

Charlton Athletic

McCormack remained in League One and signed a two-year deal with Charlton Athletic on 6 July 2010. His time at The Valley got off to a good start, scoring against former club Leyton Orient on his second appearance, though it turned out to be his only goal for Charlton. He made 31 appearances over the course of the 2010–11 season, as Charlton slumped to a mid-table finish. McCormack's contract was terminated by mutual consent in July 2011. Looking back in August 2014 on his time with the Addicks, McCormack said "it wasn’t a great year and I didn’t play particularly well. It was a bit hostile. There was a lot of stuff on the internet sent to me, so it wasn’t a pretty time and I don’t look back at it with fond memories".

Swindon Town

After a spell training with Swindon Town, McCormack signed a two-year deal with the League Two club on 21 July 2011. He was moved from his natural midfield position to the defence and formed a centre back partnership with Aden Flint. He enjoyed a successful first season with the club, making 51 appearances, scoring two goals and winning the League Two title and Swindon's Player Of The Season award. He was a losing finalist in the Football League Trophy for the second time in his career, after Swindon were beaten 2–0 by Chesterfield in the 2012 final. Under the management of Paolo Di Canio, McCormack had a good 2012–13 season back in League One, being named captain, making 47 appearances and helping Swindon to a 6th-place finish which saw them qualify for the playoffs, though they would eventually be defeated on penalties by Brentford in the semi-finals. He was released by the club after the season, after failing to agree a new contract. McCormack made 98 appearances and scored two goals during his two seasons with the Robins. After leaving the club, he stated his reason for departing as being because "the first offer I got from Swindon disappointed me, I just felt that I was worth more to the club than a one-year offer. When they sent me the offer I was really gutted and disappointed and that really let me know in my head that maybe it was time to move on to another club".

Brentford

On 24 June 2013, McCormack signed a two-year deal at Brentford, who had remained in League One after suffering defeat in the 2013 League One playoff final. He began the 2013–14 season in his natural midfield position, before being moved to right back by Uwe Rösler in October to replace out-of-form Shaleum Logan. McCormack scored his first Brentford goal in an FA Cup first round tie against local neighbours Staines Town on 9 November, opening the scoring with a penalty in a 5–0 victory. The unavailability of Jonathan Douglas and Adam Forshaw meant that McCormack returned to central midfield for a 2–0 win over Port Vale on 11 January 2014. He scored his first goal for the Bees on 22 March, lobbing Coventry City goalkeeper Joe Murphy to score Brentford's third in a 3–1 victory at Griffin Park. A near ever-present under Uwe Rösler and his successor Mark Warburton, McCormack celebrated promotion to the Championship after a 1–0 victory over former club Preston North End on 18 April. He finished the 2013–14 season with 45 appearances and two goals. He won the club's Supporters' Player of the Year award and was named as the right back in the League One Team of the Season.

McCormack's first appearance of the 2014–15 season came on the opening day against former club Charlton Athletic, playing right back in a 1–1 draw. After starting in each of the Bees' first seven league games, McCormack signed a new two-year deal, with the option of a third year, which will keep him at Griffin Park until at least June 2016. McCormack celebrated the signing by scoring his first goal of the season with the Bees' second in a 2–0 win over Leeds United on 27 September. McCormack's status as an ever-present in league matches came to an end after suffering an ankle ligament injury after 70 minutes of a 3–1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers on 25 October. He returned to light training in January 2015 and made his first team return as a 74th-minute substitute for Toumani Diagouraga during a 3–1 victory over Bournemouth on 21 February. Having lost his right back berth to Moses Odubajo, he made just three further appearances in a successful season for the Bees, which finished in defeat to Middlesbrough in the playoff semi-finals. McCormack made 18 appearances and scored one goal during the 2014–15 season.

The departure of right back Moses Odubajo on the eve of the 2015–16 season and injuries in midfield saw McCormack reinstated in the team. His ever-present status ended through a groin injury on 5 December.

International career

Injury to Darren Potter saw McCormack called up as replacement for the Republic of Ireland U19 team's three 2003 European U19 Championship second qualifying round matches in May 2003. He failed to make the squad for the first two matches against England and Switzerland, but started the third match against Slovenia, which resulted in a 2–0 win for the Irish.

Coaching career

McCormack began taking his coaching badges in late September 2014 and hinted that he is interested in entering coaching and management after his playing career is over.

Honours

As a player

Swindon Town

• Football League Two: 2011–12

Brentford

• Football League One runner-up: 2013–14

As an individual

• Swindon Town Player of the Season (1): 2011–12
• Brentford Supporters' Player of the Year (1): 2013–14
• Football League One Team of the Season (1): 2013–14
• Football League One Team of the Week (1): 18–24 February 2013
• Football League Two Team of the Week (3): 20–26 February 2012, 5–11 March 2012, 9–15 April 2012

Club career statistics

As of match played 2 January 2016.

Club	Season	League			Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Preston North End	2003–04	Division One	5	0	0	0	0	0	—		5	0
	2004–05	Championship	3	0	0	0	1	0	—		4	0
	2006–07		3	0	—		0	0	—		3	0
	Total		11	0	0	0	1	0	—		12	0
Leyton Orient (loan)	2003–04	Division Three	10	0	0	0	—		1	0	11	0
Southend United (loan)	2004–05	League Two	7	2	—		—		1	0	8	2
Motherwell (loan)	2005–06	Scottish Premier League	24	2	1	0	3	0	—		28	2
Southend United	2006–07	Championship	22	3	3	0	1	0	—		26	3
	2007–08	League One	42	8	4	0	1	0	3	1	51	9
	2008–09		35	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	38	2
	2009–10		41	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	43	3
	Total		140	16	11	0	5	0	3	1	205	17
Charlton Athletic	2010–11	League One	22	1	4	0	0	0	3	0	31	1
Swindon Town	2011–12	League Two	39	2	4	0	2	0	5	0	51	2
	2012–13	League One	40	0	0	0	4	0	3	0	47	0
	Total		101	2	4	0	6	0	8	0	129	2
Brentford	2013–14	League One	43	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	45	2
	2014–15	Championship	18	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	1
	2015–16		18	0	0	0	1	0	—		19	0
	Total		79	2	2	1	1	0	0	0	72	3
Career totals			372	25	22	1	15	0	16	1	427	27

External links

• Alan McCormack career statistics at Soccerbase
• Alan McCormack profile at brentfordfc.co.uk
• Alan McCormack profile at fai.ie