Fowler Jack Image 3 Swansea Town 1925

Description

Cardiff born centre forward Jack Fowler joined Third Division (South) Plymouth Argyle in 1921 from Welsh Southern League club Mardy, having joined them in 1919, beginning his Plymouth career in The Pilgrims’ second season of League football and making his Football League debut against Southend United in December 1921. He played mostly as a centre forward or sometimes as an inside forward, and despite often considered as Argyle’s second choice striker, first behind Frank Richardson and then Percy Cherrett, he finished the 1922-23 season as leading scorer with 17 goals, including a hat-trick against Exeter City in their 5-1 home win in March 1923.

With an impressive scoring record of 25 goals from 39 games, he was bound to attract interest and he moved back closer to home with Swansea Town in February 1924. Town paid £1,280 – then a Welsh club record fee – and were duly rewarded as he top scored with 28 goals in 1924-25 as Swansea won the Third Division (South) Championship. a haul that included 5 goals against Charlton Athletic in September 1924, and he followed that with 28 goals in the League once again as Swansea finished 5th in 1925-26, including hat-tricks against Darlington, Preston and Southampton, when he also scored 8 goals in 7 Cup ties, including 4 against Stoke in the 4th round as Swansea went all the way to the 1926 FA Cup semi final, where they were beaten 3-0 by eventual winners Bolton Wanderers at White Hart Lane.

Described as a “player of strength and brain”, Fowler was a shrewd and determined leader of the Swansea forward line. He soon became a favourite at the Vetch Field, with the crowd urging him on with their own version of a popular song of the time: “Chick chick chick chicken, score a little goal for me”. Between 1924 and 1929, Fowler scored nine hat-tricks for Swansea and was also capped six times by Wales. Fowler received his first international call up for the visit of England to Vetch Field on 28th February 1925, with the visitors running out 2-1 winners. The following year, Wales visited London and in the match at Selhurst Park on 1st March 1926, Fowler scored twice to enable his country to claim a 3-1 victory. In all Fowler was capped 6 times through to November 1928, scoring on his final appearance in a 3-2 defeat to England at Swansea.

By 1930, Fowler had lost his place in the Swansea Town side to Ronnie Williams and after only making one appearance in the 1929-30 season, he was transferred to Clapton Orient in the summer of 1930. In his seven seasons with Swansea, Fowler scored 113 goals from 183 appearances. Fowler saw out his career with Clapton Orient where he still found the net 15 times in 80 appearances during a two season spell before injury brought his career to a close.