Allison was born in Hurworth-on-Tees, County Durham, and attended Holy Trinity School in Stockton. He started out as a judge's secretary in his native North East, while playing for a local amateur team in Stockton-on-Tees. Allison ran a sideline in writing about his own team's exploits, and he was eventually convinced by his editor to become a full-time journalist. A year in Devonport aside, Allison spent most of his time in the Cleveland and Middlesbrough areas, and was briefly assistant to the secretary-manager of Middlesbrough F.C.