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	31 May 1957[1]
Place of birth	Crumpsall, England[1]
Date of death	14 March 2017 (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
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Crewe Alexandra	1974–75	Fourth Division	8	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
	1975–76	Fourth Division	43	5	1	0	5	0	49	5
	1976–77	Fourth Division	33	2	3	0	2	0	38	2
	1977–78	Fourth Division	43	5	3	0	2	0	48	5
	1978–79	Fourth Division	45	8	2	1	4	2	51	11
	1979–80	Fourth Division	6	0	0	0	1	0	7	0
	Total		178	20	9	1	14	2	201	23
Port Vale	1979–80	Fourth Division	10	0	1	0	0	0	11	0
	1980–81	Fourth Division	44	6	5	0	0	0	49	6
	1981–82	Fourth Division	44	2	5	0	4	0	53	2
	Total		98	8	11	0	4	0	113	8
Stockport County	1982–83	Fourth Division	29	0	1	0	2	0	32	0
	1983–84	Fourth Division	38	0	1	0	4	0	43	0
	1984–85	Fourth Division	3	0	0	0	3	0	6	0
	Total		70	0	2	0	9	0	81	0
Career total			346	28	22	1	27	2	395	31

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)