Billy Sowden

Born in Gorton, Manchester, Sowden started his career with junior side Greenwood Victoria before joining Manchester City as an eighteen-year-old in April 1949, despite being a Manchester United supporter.[6] He made his professional debut for City in August 1952 in the Manchester derby.[7] In his next appearance for the club he scored twice against Tottenham Hotspur.[7] He scored the first Manchester City goal under floodlights at Maine Road when he scored a hat-trick against Heart of Midlothian in a friendly in October 1953.[6] He rose to local fame for being one of the first City players to own a car, and he would often offer lifts to supporters attending Maine Road.[6] In November 1954, he transferred to Football League Third Division North side Chesterfield for a fee of £1,500.[6] In his first season for the club he finished as second-highest scorer behind George Smith, scoring 14 goals in 24 matches.[6] In the 1955–56 season he played in all but one game and scored 32 goals, which remains a post-war record haul in a season by a Chesterfield player.[6] His place in the side was less secure during the 1956–57 season, however, he still managed to score 13 goals in 28 matches.[6] He lost his place in February 1957 when the club signed Gwyn Lewis, and his final goal for the club came against his boyhood side Manchester United in a reserve match.[6] In the summer of 1957 he transferred to Stockport County in exchange for Ivor Seemley.[6] He had an impressive record in his only season for the club scoring 8 goals in 16 matches in all competitions.[3] In the summer of 1958 he dropped into non-league football with Cheshire County League side Macclesfield.[3] He made his debut for the Silkmen in August 1958 at home to Buxton.[3] He was top scorer in his first season with the club scoring 19 times.[3] He scored three hat-tricks during his time at the Moss Rose, playing his last match for the club in November 1960.[3] In total he made 89 appearances for Macclesfield in all competitions scoring 51 goals, before transferring to divisional rivals Altrincham in 1961.[3] He made his debut for the club in April 1961, in a 7–0 defeat to Bangor City.[2] He played in all of the last eight matches of the 1960–61 season for the struggling side, as Altrincham lost every match, before retiring from the game.[2]

After retiring from full-time football Sowden ran the family's bakery business in Heaton Chapel, where he worked until his retirement.[5] He died on 13 November 2010 in Stockport, Greater Manchester at the age of 79, after suffering from dementia in his later life.[5]