 Manager Jimmy Armfield gave Allardyce his debut for the "Trotters" on 6 November 1973, in a 2 – 1 defeat League Cup to Millwall at Burnden Park. He made his Second Division debut eleven days later, in a 2 – 1 defeat to Notts County. However he failed to establish himself in the first team under Armfield, and only got a run of games under new manager Ian Greaves, who played Allardyce in the last ten games of the 1974 – 75 season after he sold Don McAllister to Tottenham Hotspur. He impressed during this short run, winning himself the club's Young Player of the Year award.
