Halifax Town
Which team did the player Alan Little (footballer) belong to from 1983 to 1985?
Alan Little ( footballer ) Alan Little ( born 5 February 1955 ) is an English former professional footballer and manager . He played as a midfielder . Little made over 400 appearances in his senior career , with the most caps coming with Southend United and Barnsley . Little then went on to manage from 1993 to 2002 , with seven seasons coming with York City . Playing career . Alan Little was born in Horden , County Durham . He served his apprenticeship at Aston Villa and , alongside his brother , Brian , was in the youth side which beat Liverpool to win the FA Youth Cup in 1972 . He turned professional in January 1973 and on 5 October 1974 , made his full league debut , a 2–1 win away to Oldham Athletic . This was the first of just three league appearances for Villa . In December 1974 he was sold to Southend United for £10,000 . The following season , he was a regular in the side that reached the fifth round of the FA Cup . He made 102 full appearances ( + 1 as a substitute ) and scored 12 goals for the Shrimpers . In August 1977 , Barnsley paid £6,000 to take him to Oakwell , where he played 91 times , scoring 14 goals . December 1979 saw Little on the move again , this time to Doncaster Rovers , who paid a club record £25,000 for his services . He provided the experience that Billy Bremners young side needed , and became a great favourite with the Doncaster fans , winning the supporters Player of the Year award , before moving to Torquay United in October 1982 in a deal that saw Clive Wigginton move in the opposite direction . He scored four times in 51 games for Torquay , leaving to join Halifax Town in November 1983 , playing 68 times ( and scoring 6 goals ) for the Shaymen before joining Hartlepool United as player-coach in July 1985 . Throughout his playing career Little earned a reputation as a fiercely competitive , tough tackling midfielder , which made him highly respected by supporters and fellow players alike . Coaching and managerial career . Little was forced to retire due to injury in May 1986 and stayed at Hartlepool , where he was given the opportunity of coaching the juniors . He was later appointed assistant to manager John Bird , and when Bird became the manager at York City in September 1988 , Little went with him as assistant manager . In October 1991 , after an unsuccessful three years , Bird was sacked . The new manager , John Ward , retained Little as his assistant . Under Ward , York became a stronger side and in the 1992–93 season made a push for promotion . However , in March 1993 , Ward left to manage Bristol Rovers , leaving Little in charge . His first game as York manager was a 5–1 win away to promotion rivals Barnet . York eventually finished fourth in the Third Division and had to settle for a play-off place . After a 1–0 aggregate win over Bury in the semi-finals , York gained a place in Second Division by beating Crewe Alexandra on a penalty shoot-out at Wembley Stadium . The following season , York almost repeated the feat , but were beaten in the Second Division play-off semi-finals by Stockport County . There were other highlights during Littles time at York , most notably the League Cup wins over Manchester United in 1995 , and Everton in 1996 . However , Yorks overall form under Little deteriorated and after a run of 10 games without victory he was sacked on 15 March 1999 . York were relegated that season having only dropped into the relegation zone on the last day of the season . In April 1999 , Little returned to his old club , Southend United , after the resignation of Alvin Martin , helping them to avoid the drop into the Football Conference at the end of the season . He also helped them survive a serious financial crisis by slashing the wage bill and rebuilding a much cheaper side . His dismissal on 28 September 2000 came as a surprise as , despite a poor start to the season , it came after a five-game unbeaten run that saw the Shrimpers rise to 10th in the Third Division . He was replaced by David Webb on 2 October 2000 . In June 2001 , he was appointed Chief Scout at Hull City , managed by his older brother Brian . On 12 October 2001 , Little was appointed as manager of former club Halifax Town . With only three league wins before falling ill with appendicitis in March 2002 , Little was sacked . Halifax were relegated to the Conference at the end of the season and went out of business six years later .