Alan Linden

Alan Linden
Personal information
Full name	Alan Jeffrey Linden
Date of birth	27 April 1917
Date of death	5 October 1956 (aged 39)[1]
Place of death	Bendigo, Victoria
Original team(s)	Sandringham
Height / weight	191 cm / 96 kg
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1941–1947	South Melbourne	80 (56)
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1947.

Alan Jeffrey Linden (27 April 1917 – 5 October 1956) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Linden played as both a forward and follower during his career, which began at Sandringham in 1939.^[2] Although he spent seven seasons at South Melbourne, Linden played 58 of his 80 games between 1944 and 1946.^[3] He was omitted from the South Melbourne team for the 1945 semi final against Collingwood but returned to the side for the grand final, replacing former Footscray player Roy Porter.^[4] A forward pocket in the 1945 VFL Grand Final, Linden contributed two goals but finished on the losing team.^[5] After missing very few games in the previous three seasons, he had an injury plagued year in 1947, which included a twisted ankle, sustained when he tripped over a gutter.^[6]

He died in Bendigo on 5 October 1956, from injuries he received in a car accident.^[7]

References

1. Obituary in The Argus, 8 October 1956
2. Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-920910-78-5.
3. AFL Tables: Alan Linden
4. The Argus,"South's Two Changes", 28 September 1945, p. 15
5. "The Bloodbath Grand Final". Australian Football.
6. The Argus,"Fothergill may have played his last game", 18 June 1947, p. 27
7. "Crash kills footy star.". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 6 October 1956. p. 1. Retrieved 20 September 2014.