Paul Bowles (footballer)

Paul Michael Anthony Bowles (31 May 1957 – 14 March 2017) was an English footballer. A central defender, he scored 26 goals in 346 league appearances in a nine-year career in the Fourth Division of the Football League.[3] He was a cousin of Stan Bowles.[4]

Paul Bowles
Personal information
Full name Paul Michael Anthony Bowles[1]
Date of birth (1957-05-31)31 May 1957[1]
Place of birth Crumpsall, England[1]
Date of death 14 March 2017(2017-03-14) (aged 59)
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Position(s) Central Defender
Youth career
Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1979 Crewe Alexandra 178 (20)
1979–1982 Port Vale 98 (8)
1980 → Southampton (loan) 0 (0)
1982–1984 Stockport County 70 (0)
Barrow
Total 346+ (28+)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Crewe Alexandra

Bowles spent time as a youth player at Manchester United, before he started his career with Crewe Alexandra.[5] He scored 20 goals in 178 Fourth Division appearances in four seasons at Gresty Road. He helped Harry Gregg's "Railwaymen" to finished 16th in 1975–76, 12th in 1976–77, and 15th in 1977–78, before Crewe fell to last place in the 1978–79 campaign under the stewardship of Warwick Rimmer.

Port Vale

He was signed by Alan Bloor at league rivals Port Vale for a £30,000 fee in October 1979.[1] However two months later Bloor was replaced by John McGrath, who seemed not to rate Bowles.[1] He was sent out on loan to Southampton in January 1980, although he never played first-team football for the "Saints", and instead made three appearances for the reserves.[6] Back at Vale Park, he featured just eleven times in the 1979–80 campaign.[1] Despite struggling with his weight, as one of the more experienced players in a youthful squad he was given the captaincy and featured 49 times in the 1980–81 season, scoring four goals.[1][7] He played 53 of the "Valiants" 55 games in the 1981–82 season, but was given a free transfer to league rivals Stockport County in May 1982.[1]

Stockport County

He played 70 league games for Eric Webster's "Hatters", helping the Edgeley Park outfit to post 16th and 12th places finishes in 1982–83 and 1983–84. However, he picked up a double fracture to his ankle playing against Liverpool at Anfield in the League Cup, and was unable to fully recover from the injury.[5] He was released in summer 1985 and moved on to Northern Premier League side Barrow.

Style of play

Former Port Vale teammate Peter Farrell stated that Bowles was a good technical central defender.[5]

Statistics

Source:[8]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Crewe Alexandra 1974–75 Fourth Division 80000080
1975–76 Fourth Division 4351050495
1976–77 Fourth Division 3323020382
1977–78 Fourth Division 4353020485
1978–79 Fourth Division 45821425111
1979–80 Fourth Division 60001070
Total 178209114220123
Port Vale 1979–80 Fourth Division 1001000110
1980–81 Fourth Division 4465000496
1981–82 Fourth Division 4425040532
Total 988110401138
Stockport County 1982–83 Fourth Division 2901020320
1983–84 Fourth Division 3801040430
1984–85 Fourth Division 30003060
Total 7002090810
Career total 3462822127239531

References
  1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 38. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. Rollin, Jack (1980). Rothmans football yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 299. ISBN 0362020175. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  3. "stats". neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  4. Sherwin, Phil (12 November 2011). "A virtuoso performance secured outstanding win". The Sentinel: The Way We Were.
  5. Baggaley, Mike (28 March 2017). "Tributes paid to former Port Vale and Crewe defender Paul Bowles". Stoke Sentinel. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  6. Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (2003). In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. Hagiology Publishing. pp. 455 & 611. ISBN 0-9534474-3-X.
  7. Sentinel Football Annual 1980–81. p. 21.
  8. Paul Bowles at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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