Alan McCormack (born 10 January 1984) is an Irish football coach and former professional player who played as a right-back or midfielder. He was most recently a coach at EFL League One club Leyton Orient.
He began his career at Preston North End and later played for Southend United, Charlton Athletic and Swindon Town before signing for Brentford in 2013. He was capped at schoolboy and U19 level by the Republic of Ireland.
McCormack was born in Dublin and began his career with Stella Maris. He moved to England to sign for First Division club Preston North End in December 2002 after impressing on trial, and progressed to sign a professional contract in 2003. He joined Leyton Orient of the Third Division on 29 August 2003 on a one-month loan and made the first professional appearance of his career in a 4âÂÂ1 home defeat to Cheltenham Town the following day, when he replaced Billy Jones at half-time. McCormack received the first red card of his career in a 0âÂÂ0 draw with Lincoln City on 13 September, 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 1âÂÂ1 draw with Northampton Town on 25 October. He made 11 appearances, accumulating six yellow and two red cards, before his loan expired. McCormack made his Preston debut on 6 March 2004 in a league match against Burnley, when he replaced Dickson Etuhu after 55 minutes. He made four further appearances before the end of the 2003âÂÂ04 season.
After making four substitute appearances at the beginning of the 2004âÂÂ05 season, McCormack was made available for transfer in September 2004. He joined League Two club Southend United on loan on 16 March 2005 and made his debut three days later, starting in a 3âÂÂ0 victory over Cheltenham Town. In April, the loan was extended until the end of the 2004âÂÂ05 season. He was an 81st-minute substitute for Mark Gower during the 2005 Football League Trophy Final against Wrexham at the Millennium Stadium, but was denied the first silverware of his career when Wrexham won the match 2âÂÂ0 after extra time. McCormack scored the first senior goals of his career with a brace in a 2âÂÂ1 away victory over Macclesfield Town on 19 April. He made eight appearances and scored two goals during his loan spell. He spent the entire 2005âÂÂ06 season on loan at Motherwell of the Scottish Premier League, making 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals, accumulating 12 yellow cards and one red.
McCormack made his first Preston appearance in nearly two years when he replaced Kelvin Wilson after 41 minutes of a 1âÂÂ1 Championship home draw with Queens Park Rangers on 19 August 2006. He played two further matches in September, with the latter match against Stoke City on 30 September being his final Preston appearance. He made a total of 12 appearances for the club. Looking back in August 2012 on his time with Preston, McCormack said "I had a great few years there and I learnt a hell of a lot â 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".
In November 2006 and with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2006âÂÂ07 season, McCormack handed in a transfer request, before rejoining Championship club Southend United on loan on 18 November 2006, initially until 1 January 2007, with a view to a permanent move. After an impressive first month of his spell, assistant manager Paul Brush confirmed on 11 December that McCormack would transfer to the club permanently and he subsequently signed on a two-and-a-half-year contract. In what remained of the 2006âÂÂ07 season, McCormack made 26 appearances and scored three goals, but he was unable to prevent Southend's relegation to League One.
McCormack formed a central midfield partnership with Nicky Bailey during the 2007âÂÂ08 season and the pair scored 20 goals between them, with McCormack scoring nine, which included a run of five goals in seven appearances in September 2007. The season ended with a play-off semi-final defeat to Doncaster Rovers, and in June 2008, he signed a new three-year contract. McCormack suffered a knee injury during the 2008âÂÂ09 pre-season, which kept him out of action for eight weeks. After returning to fitness, he made 38 appearances during the season, scoring two goals. McCormack played the full 90 minutes in a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup third round on 3 January 2009, but missed the replay, which Southend lost 4âÂÂ1.
McCormack made 43 appearances and scored three goals during the 2009âÂÂ10 season, but what would be his final season at Roots Hall culminated in the club's relegation to League Two. His contract was terminated by mutual consent on 24 June 2010. Over the course of his two spells with Southend, McCormack made 166 appearances and scored 19 goals.
McCormack remained in League One and signed a two-year contract with Charlton Athletic on 6 July 2010. He made 31 appearances and scored one goal during the 2010âÂÂ11 season as Charlton finished in mid-table. 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".
After a spell training with Swindon Town, McCormack signed a two-year contract 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, winning the League Two championship and the Swindon Town Player of the Year award. He was a losing finalist in the Football League Trophy for the second time in his career, after Swindon were beaten 2âÂÂ0 by Chesterfield in the 2012 final.
Under the management of Paolo Di Canio, McCormack had a good 2012âÂÂ13 season back in League One, being named captain, making 47 appearances and helping Swindon to a sixth-place finish which saw the club qualify for the play-offs, where they were 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".
On 24 June 2013, McCormack signed a two-year contract with Brentford, who had remained in League One after suffering defeat in the 2013 League One play-off final. He began the 2013âÂÂ14 season in his natural midfield position, before being moved to right-back by manager Uwe Rösler in October, to replace out-of-form Shay 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 5âÂÂ0 victory. A near ever-present under Uwe Rösler and his successor Mark Warburton, McCormack celebrated promotion to the Championship after a 1âÂÂ0 victory over former club Preston North End on 18 April 2014. He finished the 2013âÂÂ14 season with 45 appearances and two goals. McCormack won the Brentford Supporters' Player of the Year award and was named as the right-back in the League One Team of the Year.
After starting in each of the Bees' first seven league matches of the 2014âÂÂ15 season, McCormack signed a new two-year contract, with the option of a third year. His status as an ever-present in league matches came to an end after he suffered an ankle ligament injury during a 3âÂÂ1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers on 25 October 2014. He returned to light training in January 2015, but had lost the right-back position to Moses Odubajo and made just four further appearances before the end of the 2014âÂÂ15 season. McCormack made 18 appearances and scored one goal during the season.
The departure of right-back Moses Odubajo on the eve of the 2015âÂÂ16 season and injuries in midfield saw McCormack reinstated in the team. His ever-present status ended in early December 2015, due to groin and calf injuries. McCormack finally returned to the team for a West London derby versus Queens Park Rangers on 12 March 2016 and he played the full 90 minutes of the 3âÂÂ0 defeat. After six further starts, the option to extend his contract for a further year was triggered. He finished the 2015âÂÂ16 season with 29 appearances.
McCormack made his first appearance of the 2016âÂÂ17 season in a 1âÂÂ0 defeat to League Two team Exeter City in the EFL Cup first round on 9 August 2016, in which he was substituted in the 12th minute after suffering a foot injury. He returned to the team seven weeks later, but made just three appearances before being handed a five-match suspension and a ã6,000 fine on 20 October, for charges relating to the use of "abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official" during a match against Cardiff City on 19 April 2016. After his return from suspension, he made just eight substitute appearances, making his final appearance as a substitute for Konstantin Kerschbaumer in the final match of the season, a 3âÂÂ1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers. McCormack was released at the end of the season and finished his Brentford career with 104 appearances and three goals.
McCormack signed for League Two club Luton Town on 1 June 2017 on a contract of undisclosed length, effective from 1 July. He scored with a 25-yard volley on the opening day of the 2017âÂÂ18 season in an 8âÂÂ2 win at home to Yeovil Town, which was named the League Two Goal of the Month for August 2017. He was a regular in the team during the first six weeks of the season, starting in every league match until suffering a groin injury in a 2âÂÂ1 away victory over Wycombe Wanderers. He suffered an injury setback after sustaining a calf injury, having been scheduled to make his return in December. McCormack made his first appearance in six months in a 1âÂÂ1 draw away to Newport County, coming on as an 88th-minute substitute for Luke Gambin. He made a further seven starting appearances and finished the season with 16 appearances and one goal, at the end of which Luton were promoted to League One as League Two runners-up. McCormack signed a new one-year contract in May 2018.
He started in each of Luton's opening three league matches of the 2018âÂÂ19 season, before losing his place in the team to Glen Rea. His next starting appearance in the league came over three months later in a 2âÂÂ2 draw with Walsall after Rea was ruled out for the rest of the season with cruciate ligament damage. McCormack started the following 11 league matches until suffering a hamstring injury in a 1âÂÂ0 win away to Bradford City. He made his return on the final day of the season, playing 82 minutes to help Luton to a 3âÂÂ1 home victory over Oxford United and the League One title. McCormack made 23 appearances in all competitions and was released when his contract expired at the end of the season.
He signed for League Two club Northampton Town on 5 June 2019 on a one-year contract, effective from 1 July. McCormack started as Northampton beat Exeter City 4âÂÂ0 at Wembley Stadium in the 2020 League Two play-off final on 29 June 2020 to earn promotion to League One. He was released at the end of the season.
McCormack returned to Southend United, who were newly relegated to League Two, on 17 September 2020 on a contract until January 2021. He signed a contract extension until the end of the 2020âÂÂ21 season on 19 January 2021. After being released by Southend at the end of the 2020âÂÂ21 season, McCormack retired from professional football.
McCormack was appointed assistant to manager Steve Tilson at Isthmian League North Division club Heybridge Swifts on 24 September 2021, reuniting the pair after Tilson signed McCormack as a player at Southend United. As a result of the club undergoing a lack of available players in January 2022, McCormack came out of retirement and was registered as a player, making his debut in a 1âÂÂ0 home defeat to Aveley.
McCormack's first exposure to international football came at schoolboy level. Injury to Darren Potter saw McCormack called up to the Republic of Ireland under-19 team for 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 2âÂÂ0 win.
The Coventry Telegraph described McCormack as "a no-nonsense tough-tackling midfielder who is prepared to put his body in places others wouldn't. He has a similar style of play to fellow countryman Roy Keane and while he has not quite reached the same level as the former Manchester United skipper, he has adopted the same dogged and determined style of football".
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. Following his retirement from playing, McCormack returned to Luton Town as an academy coach in October 2021.
McCormack became first team coach at Leyton Orient in June, 2024.https://www.leytonorient.com/news/2024/june/25/First-Words--Alan-McCormack-returns-to-E10-in-a-coaching-role/
Southend United
Swindon Town
Brentford
Luton Town
Northampton Town
Individual