Gow Donald Image 1 Glasgow Rangers 1888

Description

Blair Atholl, Perthshire born left back Donald Gow played junior football for Cessnock Bank in 1884 before joining Glasgow Rangers in 1885, making his debut in a Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup match with Vale of Leven in April 1886, playing 16 matches in Rangers’ first Scottish League campaign in 1890-91. While with Rangers he made his debut and only appearance for Scotland against England in a 5-0 defeat at Hampden Park on 17th March 1888. Gow captained the Scottish side in this game.

He joined First Division club Sunderland in the 1891 close season making his Football League debut at Bolton Wanderers that September as Sunderland went on to win the League Championship, Gow having made 16 League appearances and 7 in the FA Cup as Sunderland were knocked out in the semi final, losing to Aston Villa at Bramall Lane. But at the season end he re-joined Rangers, staying a season at Ibrox before returning to Wearside in 1893, by when he had scored 9 goals in 81 appearances for Rangers over his two spells at Ibrox, although of these 38 appearances were in Scottish League or Scottish Cup matches, in which he scored twice.

Gow only played 7 times as Sunderland won the League Championship again in 1895, and at the end of the 1896-97 season he joined Lancashire League club New Brighton Tower after one goal, in a win over Sheffield United in January 1894, in 117 appearances during his two spells for Sunderland. A year later, having won The Lancashire League Championship with New Brighton Tower, he joined Southern League club Millwall Athletic, before returning to Scotland in 1899 to join Girvan.

NB this image was probably published later, but appears to show Gow in his Scotland cap.