Allan Cockram

Allan Charles Cockram (born 8 October 1963) is an English retired professional footballer who played in the Football League for Tottenham Hotspur, Bristol Rovers, Brentford and Reading as a midfielder or winger. He later player-managed St Albans City and Chertsey Town in non-League football. Cockram is the founder of the Brentford Penguins, a Down Syndrome football club associated with Brentford which featured in the 2023 documentary film Mighty Penguins.

Playing career

A winger, Cockram joined Tottenham Hotspur as a schoolboy in 1975 and went on to make two first team appearances for the Lilywhites towards the end of the 1983–84 season. He was released at the end of the 1984–85 season and a two-year period followed as a football nomad, which included short periods playing for Bristol Rovers and Farnborough Town and two spells in the United States. A move to Isthmian League Premier Division club St Albans City during the latter part of the 1986–87 season, in a bid to return to fitness following an achilles injury, proved to be the turning point in Cockram's career. He was voted the Saints<nowiki/>' Player of the Year at the end of the 1987–88 season.

After a successful period training full-time with Brentford during the 1987–88 season, Cockram signed a contract with the club in March 1988. He made 118 appearances and scored 17 goals for the club before his release at the end of the 1990–91 season. After a spell back in non-League football with Woking, Cockram made a return to the Football League with Reading in October 1991 and rejoined St Albans City prior to the beginning of the 1992–93 season. He remained at Clarence Park until the end of 1995–96 season and scored 73 goals in 211 appearances across his six seasons with the club. Cockram finished his career with spells at non-League clubs Chertsey Town and Leatherhead.

Managerial and coaching career

Cockram player-managed non-League clubs St Albans City and Chertsey Town. He was later a technical specialist at Philadelphia Union and coached at University College London. In 2019, he became manager of Cambridge University.

In 2017, Cockram established Brentford Penguins, a Down Syndrome football club. A documentary film about the club, entitled Mighty Penguins, was released in 2023. Fellow former footballer David Beckham, and his son Romeo, met the Mighty Penguins team in September 2023, and presented Cockram with The Suns Who Cares Wins Unsung Hero Award.