Tommy Bowman

Thomas Bowman (26 October 1873 in Tarbolton – 27 August 1958 in Southampton[1]) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a half back in the 1902 FA Cup final for Southampton.

Tommy Bowman
Personal information
Full name Thomas Bowman
Date of birth (1873-10-26)26 October 1873
Place of birth Tarbolton, Scotland
Date of death 27 August 1958(1958-08-27) (aged 84)
Place of death Southampton, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position(s) Half back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1891–1896 Annbank ? (?)
1896–1897 Blackpool 30 (2)
1897–1901 Aston Villa 100 (2)
1901–1904 Southampton 88 (2)
1904–1909 Portsmouth 85 (3)
1909–1912 Eastleigh Athletic ? (?)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Bowman began his professional career at Blackpool in 1896, making his debut in the club's first-ever game in the Football League, a 3–1 defeat at Lincoln City on 5 September. His thirty league appearances in 1896–97 made him an ever-present in the team.

He joined Aston Villa the following season where he gained a reputation as a strong, determined centre-half. He went on to make one hundred league appearances for the club (plus thirteen in the FA Cup) in four years, helping them to the League titles in 1898–99 and 1899-00. Bowman was also in the Villa side that lost a 1900 FA cup quarter final against Millwall Athletic that stunned the football world at the time.[2]

In 1901, Southern League champions Southampton, anxious to replace Arthur Chadwick, who had moved to Portsmouth, signed Bowman. In his first season at The Dell, Bowman helped Saints to the FA Cup final, whilst finishing only third in the Southern League.

In 1902–03 he was a key member of the team that claimed the Southern League title, a feat repeated the following season when Bowman appeared in all 34 matches. In his three years with the Saints he was a fixture in the half-back line and missed only five league games, making eighty-eight league and thirteen FA Cup appearances, scoring three goals.

Although he never received full international honours, he represented the Anglo-Scots against the Scots in 1902.

In 1904, he joined Chadwick at Portsmouth. In five years at Fratton Park, he made a total of 144 appearances, scoring five goals.

He finished his career with Eastleigh Athletic in 1912.

After retirement from football, he returned to his original trade as a boiler scaler, where he worked in Southampton Docks for many years.

Honours

Aston Villa

  • Football League championship: 1898–99, 1899–1900

Southampton

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References
  1. "Tommy Bowman". Aston Villa player database. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  2. Match report Aston Villa vs Millwall Athletic

Bibliography
  • Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 1-873626-07-X.
  • Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  • Gary Chalk & Duncan Holley (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
  • Dave Juson & others (2004). Saints v Pompey – A history of unrelenting rivalry. Hagiology Publishing. ISBN 0-9534474-5-6.
  • Mike Neasom, Mick Cooper & Doug Robinson (1984). Pompey: The History of Portsmouth Football Club. Milestone Publications. ISBN 0-903852-50-0.
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