Alan James McCarthy (born 11 January 1972) is a retired footballer. He played as a defender. During his career he played in the Football League First Division (later the Premier League) for Queens Park Rangers. During his time at QPR he spent loan spells at Watford and Plymouth Argyle, before joining Leyton Orient in 1995. Internationally, he played for England at youth level, but Wales at under-21 level.
Career
McCarthy joined London First Division club Queens Park Rangers in February 1986 while still at school. After completing his education in June 1988, he signed as a trainee and agreed his first professional contract with QPR in December 1989.
He made his competitive debut against Southampton in the Full Members' Cup in November 1990, followed by his league debut against Arsenal three days later. McCarthy made three appearances in late 1991 but spent most of the period with the reserves. He made no appearances in the 1992–93 Premier League season, remaining behind Alan McDonald and Darren Peacock.
In the 1993–94 season, McCarthy had loan spells with Watford and Plymouth Argyle but made only a few appearances for QPR. He left the club in 1995 after 13 competitive appearances, joining Leyton Orient for a £25,000 fee.
McCarthy quickly established himself at Leyton Orient, making 43 appearances in the 1995–96 season. After being placed on the transfer list following a dispute with manager Pat Holland, he remained with the club but was later restricted by a groin injury. He was released at the end of the 1996–97 season and continued his career in non-League football with Boreham Wood in the Isthmian League.
McCarthy represented England at youth level before switching allegiance to Wales. In 1993, he made three appearances for the Wales under-21 team alongside future senior internationals including John Hartson, Danny Coyne and John Robinson. In February 1994, he also played for the Wales B team in a 2–1 win over Scotland B.
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