John Rowland (footballer, born 1941)

John Douglas Rowland (7 April 1941 – 2020) was an English footballer who was known for his powerful 'hammer shot'. A forward, he scored 62 goals in 250 league games in a nine-year career in the Football League.

John Rowland

Personal information
Full name	John Douglas Rowland[1]
Date of birth	7 April 1941[1]
Place of birth	Riddings, Alfreton, England[1]
Date of death	2020 (aged 79)[2]
Place of death	Derby, England[2]
Position(s)	Forward; winger
Youth career
	Ironville Amateurs
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1960–1962	Nottingham Forest	26	(3)
1962–1966	Port Vale	149	(40)
1966–1968	Mansfield Town	49	(16)
1968–1969	Tranmere Rovers	26	(3)
	South Shields
	Derry City
Total		250+	(62+)
National team
	England Youth
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He began his career at Nottingham Forest in 1960, before being sold on to Port Vale for £6,000 in August 1962. In September 1966, he was sold on to Mansfield Town for £6,500. Two years later he joined Tranmere Rovers, before dropping into non-league football with South Shields in 1969; he finished his career at Derry City. His death was announced by Port Vale on 20 November 2020.[2]

Playing career

Rowland played for Ironville Amateurs before joining First Division side Nottingham Forest in 1960.[2] He played 26 league games under Andy Beattie in 1960–61 and 1961–62, scoring three goals. He also represented England youth level.[2]

He was signed by Port Vale manager Norman Low for £6,000 in August 1962.[1] Low was quickly replaced by Freddie Steele, and Rowland took a while to blend into the team, though he scored seven goals in 41 games in 1962–63.[1] He scored just four goals in 28 games in the 1963–64 campaign and played in the FA Cup victory over Birmingham City and 0–0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield.[2][1] He found his form by September 1964, and hit five goals in 43 games in 1964–65 under new manager Jackie Mudie, though this was not enough to prevent the "Valiants" slipping into the Fourth Division.[1] He was then moved from right-wing to centre-forward and scored 23 goals in 46 games in the 1965–66 season to become the club's top scorer; he managed to equal Basil Hayward's club record of scoring in eight consecutive games from 1 September to 4 October.[1][3] In September 1966, he was sold to Tommy Cummings' Mansfield Town for £6,500.[1] He had made 166 appearances (149 in the league) and scored 43 goals (40 in the league) for the Vale.[1] He was happy to stay at Vale Park, but Vale director Tommy Talbot advised him to take the move as the club were desperately short of funds.[4]

The "Stags" finished ninth in the Third Division in 1966–67, though they only avoided relegation in 1967–68 under Tommy Eggleston after Peterborough United were hit with a 19-point deduction. In two seasons at Field Mill, Rowland made 53 appearances in all competitions, scoring 16 goals. He played for Tranmere Rovers in 1968–69, playing 26 league games and scoring three goals under Dave Russell's stewardship. He then dropped into non-league football with Northern Premier League side South Shields; he later turned out for Derry City.

Statistics

Source:[5]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Nottingham Forest	1960–61	First Division	12	1	0	0	2	0	14	1
	1961–62	First Division	14	2	0	0	1	0	15	2
	Total		26	3	0	0	3	0	29	3
Port Vale	1962–63	Third Division	37	7	4	0	0	0	41	7
	1963–64	Third Division	23	4	4	0	1	0	28	4
	1964–65	Third Division	40	5	2	0	1	0	43	5
	1965–66	Fourth Division	42	21	2	1	2	1	46	23
	1966–67	Fourth Division	7	3	0	0	1	1	8	4
	Total		149	40	12	1	5	2	166	43
Mansfield Town	1966–67	Third Division	19	9	2	0	0	0	21	9
	1967–68	Third Division	30	7	1	0	1	0	32	7
	Total		49	16	3	0	1	0	53	16
Tranmere Rovers	1968–69	Second Division	26	3	0	0	2	0	28	3
Career total			250	62	15	1	11	2	276	65

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 255. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
2. "RIP John Rowland". www.port-vale.co.uk. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
3. Baggaley, Mike (27 November 2015). "How Ajay Leitch-Smith compares to Vale goal heroes". The Sentinel. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
4. Sherwin, Phil (31 July 2010). "Memory Match: Birmingham City 1 Port Vale 2 St Andrews FA Cup 3rd Round 4th January 1964". The Sentinel. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
5. John Rowland at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)