Paul Bowles (footballer)

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]
Playing position Central Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1979 Crewe Alexandra 178 (20)
1979–1982 Port Vale 98 (6)
1980Southampton (loan) 0 (0)
1982–1984 Stockport County 70 (0)
Barrow
Total 346+ (26+)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

Paul Michael Anthony Bowles (born 31 May 1957) is an English former 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.[2] He is a cousin of Stan Bowles.[3]

Playing career

Bowles started his career with Crewe Alexandra, and 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 24th (last place) in the 1978–79 campaign under the stewardship of Warwick Rimmer. 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 to 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.[4] Back at Vale Park, he featured just eleven times in the 1979–80 campaign.[1] Despite struggling with his weight, he featured 49 times in the 1980–81 season, scoring four goals.[1] 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] 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. He then moved on to Northern Premier League side Barrow.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 38. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. "stats". neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  3. Sherwin, Phil (12 November 2011). "A virtuoso performance secured outstanding win". The Sentinel: The Way We Were.
  4. 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.
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