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ALAN KIMBLE
Alan Kimble was a key component of John Beck’s glorious Cambridge United team that almost gate-crashed the inaugural Premier League in 1992. He was signed by Chris Turner, though, as were many of that side.
He arrived, with his identical twin brother Garry, at the start of the 1986-87 season. Turner, initially unable to tell them apart, christened them both ‘Twinny’ and that is how he is affectionately known by U’s fans to this day. In his first season Alan was part of the United side that beat Ipswich and lost to Spurs in the League Cup. The following year he had to see off the returning Jamie Murray but, after that, the left back slot was his own. The guard was changing and, although we didn’t know it at the time, the very first piece of Beck’s jigsaw was now in place. From then on, for the next five seasons, flick through the United line-ups and you will rarely see anyone but Alan Kimble third on the team sheet.
His trade was as a tough tackling, overlapping full back, but in December 1988, versus Rochdale, he added another - very handy - string to his bow by converting his first penalty for the U’s. He would go on to score 19 more from the spot in black and amber. United’s record from penalties ever since has been patchy, at best; how many times, after watching the U’s miss a spot kick, have we cried out ‘where’s Twinny when we need him’? He also possessed a very decent long throw which, of course, John Beck utilised to the full.
Cambridge United were relegated from the old second division in 1993. The third tier was no place for a player of his quality and Alan duly moved to Premier League Wimbledon for £185,000 where he spent the next nine seasons, helping them to FA and League Cup semi-finals in 1996-97.
Alan made 378 appearances for the U’s across all competitions and scored 25 goals. Only seven players have made more appearances for the club in United’s 111-year history. In over five and a half seasons, once he’d established himself in the side, Alan missed just eight first team games, and only one for suspension (sent off for two yellow cards). That’s consistency. That’s reliability. That’s class. He was voted United’s Player of the Year on no less than three occasions. In 2012 readers of the Cambridge News voted for Alan at left back in the U’s ‘Team of the Century’.
Apart from being an exceptional defender. Alan was also the teams penalty taker. Watch some of his goals in the videos below
Alan Kimble was a key component of John Beck’s glorious Cambridge United team that almost gate-crashed the inaugural Premier League in 1992. He was signed by Chris Turner, though, as were many of that side.
He arrived, with his identical twin brother Garry, at the start of the 1986-87 season. Turner, initially unable to tell them apart, christened them both ‘Twinny’ and that is how he is affectionately known by U’s fans to this day. In his first season Alan was part of the United side that beat Ipswich and lost to Spurs in the League Cup. The following year he had to see off the returning Jamie Murray but, after that, the left back slot was his own. The guard was changing and, although we didn’t know it at the time, the very first piece of Beck’s jigsaw was now in place. From then on, for the next five seasons, flick through the United line-ups and you will rarely see anyone but Alan Kimble third on the team sheet.
His trade was as a tough tackling, overlapping full back, but in December 1988, versus Rochdale, he added another - very handy - string to his bow by converting his first penalty for the U’s. He would go on to score 19 more from the spot in black and amber. United’s record from penalties ever since has been patchy, at best; how many times, after watching the U’s miss a spot kick, have we cried out ‘where’s Twinny when we need him’? He also possessed a very decent long throw which, of course, John Beck utilised to the full.
Cambridge United were relegated from the old second division in 1993. The third tier was no place for a player of his quality and Alan duly moved to Premier League Wimbledon for £185,000 where he spent the next nine seasons, helping them to FA and League Cup semi-finals in 1996-97.
Alan made 378 appearances for the U’s across all competitions and scored 25 goals. Only seven players have made more appearances for the club in United’s 111-year history. In over five and a half seasons, once he’d established himself in the side, Alan missed just eight first team games, and only one for suspension (sent off for two yellow cards). That’s consistency. That’s reliability. That’s class. He was voted United’s Player of the Year on no less than three occasions. In 2012 readers of the Cambridge News voted for Alan at left back in the U’s ‘Team of the Century’.
Apart from being an exceptional defender. Alan was also the teams penalty taker. Watch some of his goals in the videos below
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