So, what's the story with missing Rory?

Former Portsmouth striker Rory Allen, who abruptly retired from football 15 months ago to join England's Barmy Army of cricket followers, has become caught up in another mystery vanishing act.

He contacted Weymouth playermanager Steve Claridge 10 days ago asking for a trial and arranged to come on Wednesday.

But the former Tottenham player failed to turn up, didn't keep a promise to text Claridge his mobile number and has left the manager baffled and wondering whether it was Allen at all.

Now Claridge and his Weymouth chairman Ian Ridley have issued an extraordinary plea for the elusive striker to get in contact with them because they are interested in sorting out a possible deal.

Claridge said: "Rory was at Pompey when I was caretaker manager there and I always rated him.

"When he played he was good. His only problem was that he was hardly ever fit because of his horrendous luck with injuries - he once broke an ankle, recovered, then broke the other one in his comeback match.

"I'm still not entirely convinced the call wasn't a wind-up. The caller hasn't kept a promise to text me his mobile number. Could have been Rory Allen, could have been Rory Bremner. Whoever it was they agreed to come for a trial."

Cricket-mad Allen hit the headlines in November 2002 when he famously disappeared from Pompey saying he was tired of getting injured and was quitting the game aged 25.

He gave up more than ?100,000 for the privilege, walking away from the remaining eight months of his ?3,000-a-week contract, to join the Barmy Army watching England's Ashes series in Australia.

Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie said at the time: "We don't know exactly where he has gone but the assumption is that he has gone to Australia. He has offered us his resignation in a letter. He said he wanted to look to a different career but we've been unable to speak to him.

"Certainly, I have never come across a situation like this during all my years in football. To say the conduct is somewhat bewildering is an understatement."

Nothing has been heard of him in football circles since, but chairman Ridley is keen for Allen to contact the Dr Martens Premier Division club.

"It's a curious one really," Ridley said. "He said he'd like to come down and train with us and have a trial. We have not heard anything since and Steve [Claridge] is beginning to wonder if it really was Rory Allen.

"He has had a lot of injuries but, let's face it, he played for Tottenham and Portsmouth. At our level he would be a real acquisition if he can get himself fit. We are interested in tracking him down."

A former England Under-21 striker, Allen, now 26, made his Tottenham debut in 1996 after graduating through the club's youth ranks.

He did enough at White Hart Lane and in a loan spell at Luton Town to be signed for ?1.1million by former Portsmouth manager Alan Ball in July 1999.

But he scored only three goals in 15 league games, the last coming in his final match, a 3-1 defeat by Queens Park Rangers at the end of the 1999-2000 season. He played just 44 league games in his career, scoring 11 goals.

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