Martin: Alan

2007- Current (Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Glasgow: 01-01-1989

Debut: None

6’2” 11st 11lb (2007)

Martin, a Scottish youth international goalkeeper, was signed on the August 2007 deadline day by Leeds. He started off his career in the youth ranks at Motherwell and in 2006 made it into the first team squad, despite being the third choice goalkeeper. Alan signed his professional contract with Motherwell on 23rd December 2006 but made no first-team appearances. In June 2007 Motherwell manager, Maurice Malpass, revealed he expected Martin to move to Rangers, however, he returned to Motherwell for pre-season training. In August 2007, Martin was handed a trial with Leeds United. He impressed enough and on 31st August 2007, he was handed an inital two year deal with the club with Leeds paying Motherwell an undisclosed compensation fee. This now provided competition for Leeds' other goalkeeper Casper Ankergren and Martin was called to the bench on 1st September as substitute for the Danish keeper but was not used. He was again an unused substitute for the home game with Swansea City three weeks later, but had yet to feature in the senior team in anything but a passive role by the end of the 2007-08 season. He went on loan to Blue Square Premier club Barrow for one month on 23rd September 2008. The loan was extended to a season long loan and Martin gained invaluable experience with twenty-eight starts and one game from the bench and soon became a crowd favourite.He returned to Leeds at the end of his loan period and featured in the pre-season games for Leeds. He replaced Shane Higgs in the thirty-eighth minute of the game at York City but gave way to Casper Ankergren after sixty-five minutes, but had the satisfaction of keeping a clean sheet in a 3-3 draw. He was ruled out of United's game with Shelbourne by back spasms. He got the final ten minutes at Glentoran and again was unbeaten, after replacing Shane Higgs. He replaced Casper Ankergren after seventy-one minutes at Blundell Park against Grimsby Town and once more no shots passed him. After Casper Ankergren had been ruled out of the Elland Road friendly with EPL side Blackburn Rovers he was the unused substitute as Shane Higgs played the full ninety minutes. He played the full game at Bradford Park Avenue in what was a strong Leeds reserve team but Bradford scored two late goals to force a 3-3 draw.There was no place for him in the game at St James' as Higgs had an hour and Casper Ankergren had half-an-hour in a 0-0 draw with Newcastle United. Casper Ankergren had the gloves for the full game in the 2-1 win against EPL Burnley at Turf Moor with Shane Higgs unused as his deputy. On 2nd August 2009 Accrington Stanley agreed a deal to take Martin on loan until 1st January 2010. The League Two club had been chasing Martin for much of the summer as they sought a reliable keeper. Leeds were initially reluctant to let Martin leave, but the arrival of Shane Higgs at Elland Road prompted a change of heart. Leeds boss Simon Grayson was hoping the youngster could build up his first-team experience. By the end of September 2009 he had started seven League and two League Cup games with Accrington Stanley. Presently, Martin became an unfortunate victim of his own success. He was called up to Scotland's Under-Twenty-one squad for a European qualifying fixture in Austria on 5th September 2009, and his involvement forced the club to plan for a visit to Bury without him. They recalled Ian Dunbavin in his absence and the reality of the Football League dawned on Martin when he flew back to England to be named on the bench for next game against Darlington. Before linking up with the Scottish squad, the Twenty-year-old had been ever present in all but a Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie. He returned to Leeds on 27th October 2009 after seven League appearances, two games in the League Cup and one in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy with Accrington, due to an injury to Shane Higgs which left Leeds short of goalkeepers. He featured regularly on the bench as back up to Casper Ankergren until loanee David Martin arrived from Liverpool. He was third choice to Shane Higgs and Casper Ankergren and only made the bench when either was unavailable. Leeds released Casper Ankergren at the end of the season, but brought in Kasper Schmeichel. Martin did figure in the pre-season games together with Higgs and Schmeichel and Martin is aware that it may not be for a couple of years that he is ready to be first choice at Leeds.