Northern Ireland international goalkeeper Allen McKnight, who had made first team appearances for Celtic and West Ham, played ten times for Exeter City during the mid-1990s at the end of his professional career. 

Allen played youth football for Crumlin Boys, Crumlin Recreation and Chimney Corner before signing for Irish League Distillery in 1984. Moving to Celtic in 1986, he made 12 Scottish League appearances for the club - and won a Scottish Cup winners medal in 1988 - as well as having a loan spell with Albion Rovers and winning the first of his ten caps for Northern Ireland in 1987.

After his Scottish Cup success, Allen joined West Ham United where he made 23 league appearances during 1988/89. Slipping back into the reserves the following season, Allen was later released and played for a succession of clubs including Airdrieonians, Stockport County, Rotherham United and Walsall ahead of a longer stay with South China in Hong Kong. 

Back in Britain Allen reached a short-term agreement with Exeter City and, having played very little professional football in this country since leaving Upton Park, arrived at St James' Park in March 1994 as the Grecians were striving to avoid relegation from the third-tier. Starting nine games in total, he was dropped in the middle of his run following a 5-1 loss at Hull City only to come on as substitute in the next match at Fulham following the sending-off of Kenny Veysey.  

Making his final appearance at the end of the season against Burnley, which proved to be City's last match in the third-tier for fourteen years, Allen settled in the Essex area to work as a timber merchant and play for Collier Row, Romford and the later Collier Row/Romford merged club.