Curtis Allen: Striker's most memorable games and all time-XI after announcing his retirement

Allen had two spells at the Coleraine Showgrounds where he won the League Cup, as well as securing the Irish Premiership title at Linfield.

However, he is more known for his exploits at Glentoran as he netted 110 goals in 232 games.

Here is his top five most memorable games and his all-time XI with players he featured alongside.

TOP FIVE GAMES:

• Institute 0-2 Lisburn Distillery (April 26, 2008) – this game meant so much to my career and it was the final fixture of the season. I was handed a start and scored both goals in a 2-0 victory. I remember I was being marked by an experienced Paddy McLaughlin and this game set me up to make my mark the following campaign, where I scored 25 goals.
• Glentoran 1-0 Crusaders (March 21, 2015) – nobody probably gave us a chance against Crusaders as they were firmly in their glory days at this point. However, we got the game right on the day at Mourneview Park and thankfully I scored the winner to send us into the Irish Cup final.
• Newry City 0-6 Linfield (November 7, 2009) – I scored three goals the night previous for the Reserves against Newry City and was subbed-off at half-time by David Jeffrey. The next day I was handed a start for the first-team against the same opposition and scored another treble. I was a well-known player by the time I joined the Blues but I had an ankle injury, so this was a huge moment.
• Portadown 1-3 Glentoran (January 11, 2014) – I came back from Inverness and probably lost a bit of belief as I hadn’t played or scored in a long time. As a result, you probably doubt yourself but thankfully I was able to score twice on my Glentoran debut away at Portadown to send us through to the next round of the Irish Cup.
• Ballyclare Comrades 0-4 Glentoran (February 3, 2018) – One of those where everything I hit went in and big Alan Blayney was in nets. I described it as a “vintage Curtis Allen” performance as everything was crisp and sharp. To score four goals in the manner how I did it was pleasing.

ALL-TIME XI:

GK – Elliot Morris; you only have to look at the career Elliot had and he could produce phenomenal things between the posts.

RB – Pat McShane; he was an experienced, old-school player and you knew you would be OK if he was in your team.

CB – Winkie Murphy; his career and medal haul speaks for itself. He has a hard-man persona but off the pitch, he’s a really nice fella.

CB – Marcus Kane; the fact he’s been around the league so long is due to his heart and desire. He is a great person and has the whole package both on and off the pitch.

LB – Peter McCann; I really admired him. He was extremely strong and fit and was a good character in the changing room.

RM – David Scullion; I was close with him at Glentoran and he got his rewards by scoring the winner in an Irish Cup final. I always thought he was under-rated as he always chipped in with goals.

CM – Stephen Lowry; played with Stephen across two spells at Coleraine and he is a great fella and player. He has won it all in the local game.

CM – Josh Carson; the attitude and what he gave to every game meant it always gave you a chance to do well. Another fantastic person who I played with at Coleraine.

LM – Ryan McCann; he was long in the tooth and had a big know-how, especially in how to manage a game.

FW – Darren Armour; when I first signed for Distillery I didn’t know how to approach him. But he certainly looked after me and ensured that I wasn’t going to be bullied.

FW – Curtis Allen; I have to include myself!