John Rowland (footballer, born 1941)

For the Welsh player, see John Rowland (footballer, born 1936).

John Rowland

Personal information
Full name	John Douglas Rowland
Date of birth	(1941-04-07)7 April 1941
Place of birth	Riddings, Alfreton, England
Date of death	November 2020 (aged 79)
Place of death	Derby, England
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)
1969–1972	Derry City
1972–197?	South Shields
197?–197?	Linfield
197?–197?	Coleraine
197?–197?	South Shields
Total		250+	(62+)
International career
	England Youth
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Douglas Rowland (7 April 1941 – November 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.

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 to Mansfield Town for £6,500. Two years later he joined Tranmere Rovers before going into Northern Irish and non-League football with Derry City, South Shields, Linfield and Coleraine. Port Vale announced his death on 20 November 2020.

Career

Nottingham Forest

Rowland played for Ironville Amateurs before joining First Division side Nottingham Forest in 1960. He played 26 league games under Andy Beattie in 1960–61 and 1961–62, scoring three goals. He also represented England youth level. However, he fell out with Beattie after questioning the manager's tactical ability.

Port Vale

Rowland was signed by Port Vale manager Norman Low for £6,000 in August 1962. 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. 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. 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.

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. In September 1966, he was sold to Tommy Cummings' Mansfield Town for £6,500. He had made 166 appearances (149 in the league) and scored 43 goals (40 in the league) for the Vale. 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.

Later career

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. However, he did not enjoy his time at Tranmere playing on the slanted Prenton Park pitch. He turned out for Derry City after being recruited by former Port Vale teammate Jimmy Hill. He left Derry after the club quit the Irish League during The Troubles. He then dropped into non-League football with Northern Premier League side South Shields, whilst working as a sales representative for Ben Sherman. He later played for Linfield and Coleraine, before returning to South Shields. After leaving Ben Sherman, he went on to work for Rolls-Royce in Derby.

Style of play

Rowland could play as a forward or winger and was able to kick with either foot. He was noted for his powerful shooting. One of his shots was so powerful as to break the wrist of a player.

Career statistics

Source:

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