Ok so I have to confess this wasn’t my selection but my dad assures me that Alan Birch was, in the mid 1970’s a useful little player!
As well as being a useful little player he was also one of the youngest to ever put on a Walsall shirt. In fact when he made his debut in March 1973 he was just 16 years old.
It wasn’t a bad match to start your Walsall career with either- a cracking 4-3 victory over Bristol Rovers in the old Third Division.
Birch’s main asset was his pace and skill which unsurprisingly caused a few problems for unsuspecting defenders.
During his 191 games for the Saddlers, Birch scored 24 goals and played a part in some classic Walsall matches namely wins over Newcastle and Manchester United.
When Birch left Walsall some six years after his debut, he moved to Chesterfield before also having spells with Wolves, Barnsley and anumber of other clubs.
According to the Walsall official website Birch is now the licensee of the Globe Inn in Tamworth. Having a few well earned drinks I would think.
If you have any memories of Alan Birch let us know on our forum.
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