Bown Archie Image 1 Swindon Town 1908

Description

Highworth, Wiltshire born inside left Archie Bown began his football career playing for the local Swindon Casuals team. It was here that Southern League club Swindon Town spotted him and offered him a trial, playing one first team match in February 1904 as an amateur. Having not proved himself adequately he returned to his old team, before rejoining Swindon Town in 1907 as a professional, and was with them until the suspension of football due to the onset of the First World War.

He went on to score 9 goals in 16 appearances during his first season and regularly appeared on the scoresheet from then on. 1911-12 was his most prolific season for the club, when he scored 23 goals in Southern League matches. He was part of the team that from 1909 to 1912 won the Dubonnet Cup and the Southern Charity Cup, whilst also becoming runner’s up in the 1911 Charity Shield when they lost 8-4 to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge and twice he was an FA Cup semi finalist, the first of which saw them lose 2-0 to Newcastle United at White Hart Lane in March 1910. He scored a goal in the 1912 FA Cup run that ultimately knocked Everton out of the competition, causing a major upset at the time, before Swindon lost the semi final in a replay to eventual winners Barnsley at Meadow Lane.

Having first won the Southern League Championship with Swindon in 1910-11, he again helped the club to win the Championship in 1913-14, making 36 appearances and scoring 18 times. In April 1915 he scored all six of Swindon Town’s goals in a 6-0 win against Watford. In total he played 274 times for Swindon scoring 135 goals before the First World War severely interrupted his career, during which he guested for Southampton.

In December 1919 he signed for Bristol City aged 37, and made his Football League debut at Blackpool two days after Christmas. He scored 6 goals in 39 games for The Robins over the next two years before joining non league Weymouth in 1922, his final club before his retirement.