Linfield Football Club deeply regrets the death after an illness of Ivan McAllister, the club’s stalwart centre-half of the early 1970s.

‘Big Ivan’, as he was known to the Linfield supporter legions,was signed for the Blues in 1970 from Bangor by the then manager Billy Bingham and he figured in the two highly memorable European Cup Winners’ Club games against Manchester City, one of which Linfield won 2-1 at Windsor Park.

A Dunmurry man, Ivan was an RUC police officer while a Linfield player and in his five years at Windsor Park, he won every senior medal except an Irish Cup medal, much to his disappointment, having played on the losing side in the 1973 final at Windsor Park against Glentoran. 

Ivan played alongside left-back Jackie Patterson, who sadly died several weeks ago after an illness. Both were stalwart, no nonsense  defenders, with Jackie also playing in the two Manchester City games. In his Linfield career, Ivan played close on 200 senior games for Linfield and he retired in 1975 after being plagued with injury.

Linfield Football Club extends its deepest sympathy to the family of Ivan, with president Peter Lunn and chairman Roy McGivern leading the tributes. Ivan, who died in the Ulster hospital, aged 80, had been in failing health in recent years.

As a  policeman, Ivan, who rose to inspector rank in the RUC, served at a number of stations  including Lisburn, Dunmurry and North Queen Street in Belfast where he was a detective and on the fraud squad..

Former Linfield vice-chairman and current honorary vice-president Billy Kennedy, in a tribute, said Ivan was a highly commanding centre-half, one of the best of the 1970s Irish League era. “He was six foot plus, heavily built and made a big impression at the back for Linfield. Ivan was a great character, straight-talking, blending with the other talented Linfield players of those years – the likes of Phil Scott, Eric Magee, Dessie Cathcart, Erric Bowyer, Alan Fraser. and  Isaac Andrews,” said Billy, expressing condolences to the McAllister family…

Former Linfield wing-half and manager Eric Bowyer said Ivan was a great club colleague, plain speaking in the dressing room and at training, an impressive performer on the field. “I recall when he first joined Linfield from Bangor he complained about the tough training schedule manager Billy Bingham had prepared for the players. ‘When I was at Bangor, we never did training like this’, Ivan said. The remark got back to ‘Mr BIngham’, known for his high professional standards and discipline, Binghy retorted: ‘Ivan, my good man, you are now at Linfield, you had better get used to it.

“Ivan absolutely fulfilled the confidence Linfield had in him and we had some great times together in a Blue jersey. My sincere sympathy is extended to his family,” said Eric.