John Lowey (footballer)

John Lowey
Personal information
Full name	John Anthony Lowey
Date of birth	7 March 1958
Place of birth	Manchester, England
Date of death	5 August 2019 (aged 61)
Place of death	Australia
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder; Forward
Youth career
1973–1975	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team
1975–1976	Manchester United
1976–1977	Chicago Sting
1977	Port Vale
1977	Blackburn Rovers
1977–1978	Port Vale
1978	California Sunshine
1978–1980	Sheffield Wednesday
1980–1986	Blackburn Rovers
1986–1987	Wigan Athletic
1986	→ Chesterfield (loan)
1987	→ York City (loan)
1987–1988	Preston North End
1988	Chester City
1988	Brisbane Lions
Total
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Anthony Lowey (7 March 1958 – 5 August 2019) was an English footballer who played as a midfielder. Aside from three seasons in the North American Soccer League, one in the American Soccer League and one in Australia, Lowey spent the majority of his career in the Football League Second Division with Blackburn Rovers in England.

Career

Lowey joined the Chicago Sting of the North American Soccer League in 1976 and claimed five goals and seven assists from 17 games.^[3]^[4] He returned to the Chicago Sting for part of the 1977 season, but only made five appearances.^[3] He spent July to August 1977 with Port Vale, spent September as a non-contract player at Blackburn Rovers, and then returned to Port Vale the next month.^[4] He returned to the US in 1978. He signed with the California Sunshine in the American Soccer League, before going on to score 10 goals in 21 games for the Sunshine.^[5] He returned to England to make his debut for Sheffield Wednesday on 17 October 1978.^[2] He went on to score five goals from 36 league and FA Cup matches in the 1978–79 season.^[2] However, he was limited to just 13 appearances in the 1979–80 season as manager Jack Charlton led the club to promotion out of the Third Division, and left Hillsborough after making his final appearance for the "Owls" in the League Cup on 26 August 1980.^[2] He signed with Blackburn Rovers in November 1980, who were now managed by Howard Kendall.^[4] At first he was a back-up striker, with Norman Bell preferred in the starting eleven.^[4] He went on to find success as a midfielder. He was an ever-present during the 1983–84 campaign.^[4] He was dropped for Colin Randell in the 1984–85 season, before returning to favour during the second half of the 1985–86 campaign.^[4] He went on to play for Wigan Athletic, Chesterfield (on loan), York City (on loan), Preston North End, Chester City, and Brisbane Lions.

Later life

After retiring as a player, Lowey lived the rest of his life in Australia and went on to own a Beauty Therapy training school and a licensed securities company.^[6]^[7]

Career statistics

Source:^[8]^[9]^[10]

Club	Division	Season	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
Club	Division	Season	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester United	First Division	1975–76	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Port Vale	Third Division	1977–78	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Blackburn Rovers	Second Division	1977–78	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chicago Sting	NASL	1976	17	5	–	–	–	–	17	5
	NASL	1977	5	0	–	–	–	–	5	0
	Total		22	5	–	–	–	–	22	5
California Sunshine	ASL	1978	21	10	–	–	–	–	21	10
Sheffield Wednesday	Third Division	1978–79	29	3	7	2	0	0	36	5
	Third Division	1979–80	13	1	0	0	0	0	13	1
	Second Division	1980–81	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
	Total		42	4	7	2	1	0	50	6
Blackburn Rovers	Second Division	1980–81	19	2	0	0	0	0	19	2
	Second Division	1981–82	14	1	0	0	3	1	17	2
	Second Division	1982–83	22	5	0	0	0	0	22	5
	Second Division	1983–84	42	0	3	0	2	0	47	0
	Second Division	1984–85	21	3	0	0	2	0	23	3
	Second Division	1985–86	23	3	3	1	2	0	28	4
	Total		141	14	6	1	9	1	156	16
Wigan Athletic	Third Division	1986–87	3	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
Chesterfield (loan)	Third Division	1986–87	2	0	0	0	2	0	4	0
York City (loan)	Third Division	1986–87	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Preston North End	Third Division	1987–88	4	1	0	0	3	0	7	1
Chester City	Third Division	1987–88	9	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
Career total			250	34	13	3	16	1	279	38

Honours

Sheffield Wednesday

Football League Third Division third-place promotion: 1979–80^[2]

References

^ "John Lowey". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "John Lowey". www.adrianbullock.com. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b "NASL-John Lowey". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Jackman, Mike (1994). Blackburn Rovers : the official encyclopaedia. Derby: Breedon. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-873626-70-2. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
^ "The Year in American Soccer League - 1978". Archived from the original on 8 July 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
^ "John Lowey (1958-2019)". www.rovers.co.uk. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
^ "Where Are They Now? | Footballers | John Lowey". www.where-are-they-now.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
^ John Lowey at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
^ "Stats". neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
^ "NASL-". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 3 February 2017.