Kevin Fallon
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin B. Fallon | ||
| Date of birth | 3 December 1948 | ||
| Place of birth | Maltby, England | ||
| Playing position | Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1965–1967 | Rotherham United | 0 | (0) |
| 1967–1970 | Sligo Rovers | 67 | (5) |
| 1970–1971 | Southend United | 4 | (0) |
| 1972–1974 | Ilkeston Town | ||
| 1974 | Gisborne City | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1974 | Gisborne City | ||
| 1985–1989 | New Zealand | ||
| Waikato United | |||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Kevin Fallon (born 3 December 1948) is an English born football coach residing in New Zealand. He is the father of New Zealand international footballer Rory Fallon.
Career
He started his career with Sligo Rovers in 1967. He played in 102 matches for Sligo in the League of Ireland Championship, the FAI Cup, the Shield, the City Cup and the Blaxnit All-Ireland Cup.
He made his debut for Sligo in an away match with St. Patrick's Athletic in the Shield on 20 August 1967. And after a successful three seasons with Sligo, he emigrated to New Zealand and embarked upon a coaching/management career of substance.
In 1976, as player-coach, he led Nelson United to the Central League championship for the first time in the club's history, a title that also brought with it promotion to New Zealand's highest level of club competition, the National League. The club also progressed to the quarter-finals of the Chatham Cup before losing unluckily 1-0 at home to New Brighton, a National League club.
The following year, 1977, Fallon coached a very youthful squad, including future New Zealand World Cup stars Keith Mackay, Kenny Cresswell and Peter Simonsen, to seventh place in the National League, thereby safely staying in the league for the following season. The club also became one of the rare few clubs from outside the four main centers (Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago) to win the Chatham Cup, when they defeated Auckland powerhouse Mount Wellington 1-0 at Newmarket Park, thanks to a successful penalty converted by John Enoka.
It came as something of a surprise when Fallon decided to leave Nelson to coach Hamilton for the 1978 season.
After stints at Waikato in the New Zealand Football Championship and as the director of football at Mount Albert Grammar School, he is now associated with Fencibles United and is directing coach development.
Fallon was assistant coach to the John Adshead-led New Zealand national team, which qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Cup.[1] Fallon took sole charge of the New Zealand side in May 1985. New Zealand won 19, drew 11 and lost 22 of his 52 games in charge.[2]
He has also been involved with coaching the New Zealand national under-17 football team and Gisborne City.
He also played for Gisborne City in the 1970s, and led the team to a 3rd-place finish in the 2006 Central League.
In July 2014, Fallon was dismissed from Mount Albert Grammar School for breaking the school's strict sporting code of conduct.[3]
References
- ↑ "New Zealand 1982 World Cup squad". New Zealand Football. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 1 Aug 2009.
- ↑ "Coaching Records". Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website.
- ↑ "Star Coach sacked". NZ Herald 29 July 2014. 29 July 2014.
- Hilton, T. (1991) An association with soccer. Auckland: The New Zealand Football Association. ISBN 0-473-01291-X. pp. 88, 91