Alan Foster

Who was Alan Foster?

Alan Foster was an English footballer born in Rawmarsh, Yorkshire, who scored one goal from 13 appearances in the Football League playing as an inside forward for Bristol City.

He began his football career with Rotherham Town, followed by two years with Bristol City, before moving into the Southern League with Reading. A successful player at Reading, he was remembered for his hat-trick scored against Italian giants AC Milan in the club's 5–0 victory. The result prompted the leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera to report that "without doubt, Reading FC are the finest foreign team seen in Italy".

Foster served as a private in the 17th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment – the Football Battalion – during the First World War, and was killed in action in 1916.