Player Profile

Alan Mac joined Swindon in August 1986, signing on a free transfer from Manchester United. He made his debut on 6th September, in an unfamiliar role on the right side of defence in a 2-2 draw at Newport County. He didn't fit in well with Lou Macari's long ball style, and just seven months and nine appearances later, he moved to Torquay on loan.

His Swindon career looked to be over when he returned to Torquay at the start of the following season for another loan spell - but, after Chris Kamara was suspended by the club after an incident at Shrewsbury, McLoughlin returned to the club and back into the first team squad. It was another season, however, before he became a first team regular - after a couple of games in the right back role again, he was restored to midfield for a local derby with Oxford at the beginning of February 1989, and he scored in a 3-0 win. He stayed in the side for the rest of the season.

It was under Ossie Ardiles that McLoughlin really blossomed. As the attacking player in Ossie's diamond midfield formation, he was ever present - chipping in with sixteen goals, four of which were in the Littlewoods Cup. He capped off a fine season by scoring the winning goal in the Play-Off final at Wembley - a shot from outside the area, deflected into his own net by Gary Bennett.

By now, McLoughlin's performances had won him international recognition, and, after the Wembley triumph, he joined up with the Ireland squad for the World Cup in Italy. He became the first Swindon player ever to appear in a World Cup Finals, coming on as a substitute in the matches with England and Egypt.

By the time he had returned, Swindon had been demoted by the Football League for making irregular payments to players. With the club in financial trouble, players had to be sold - and McLoughlin's success meant he was worth most. He wrote himself into the Swindon record books one more time - leaving for Southampton in December 1990, for a club record £1 million.

Playing Record

Senior

Reserve and Youth Team Appearances

Note that appearance data for reserve and youth teams may not be complete. Expand for more information.

Career details

Club	Details
Chadderton Chadderton	(youth)
Manchester United Man Utd	July 1983 (trainee) April 25th, 1985 (signed professional contract); released (1984/5)
Stoke City Stoke City	May 1986 (trial)
Swindon Town Swindon	August 15th, 1986 (unattached); transferred out (December 13th, 1990)
Torquay United Torquay United	March 13th, 1987 (loan); expired (1986/7)
Torquay United Torquay United	August 1st, 1987 (loan); expired (rptd September 20th, 1987)
Southampton Southampton	December 13th, 1990 (transferred in, total fee £850,000, initial payment of £700,000 initial payment of £700,000, plus £300,000 after 30 appearances); transferred out (February 17th, 1992)
Aston Villa Aston Villa	September 30th, 1991 (loan)
Portsmouth Portsmouth	February 17th, 1992 (transferred in , £400,000 ); transferred out (December 9th, 1999)
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic	December 9th, 1999 (transferred in , £260,000 ); released
Swindon Town Swindon	November 5th, 2001 (non-contract)
Rochdale Rochdale	December 21st, 2001 (unattached); released (2001/2)
Forest Green Rovers Forest Green	July 2002 (unattached)
Portsmouth Portsmouth	July 2011 (appointed senior academy coach) rptd July 8th, 2013 (appointed coach); sacked (rptd December 4th, 2014)
Swindon Town Swindon	rptd August 4th, 2016 (appointed U18 manager) rptd February 9th, 2018 (appointed academy manager); deceased (May 4th, 2021)