Lowrie George Image 2 Newcastle United 1948

Description

Tonypandy, Rhondda Valley born inside or centre forward George Lowrie began his football career with Tonypandy, joining Second Division club Swansea Town in January 1937, his Football League debut coming at Fulham early the next month. Lowrie scored 3 goals in 20 matches for The Swans before being signed by First Division club Preston North End in December 1937, for whom he played 5 matches in the top flight. Unable to find regular football at Deepdale, he returned to the Second Division with Coventry City in June 1939, and scored on his debut against Barnsley, the day before the Second World War was declared on 3rd September 1939.

During the war, he made nine unofficial appearances for Wales, no caps were awarded for wartime international appearances. After the cessation of hostilities, he returned to Coventry City and in an explosive two seasons he scored 47 goals in only 58appearances for The Sky Blues, easily making him Coventry’s top scorer in both seasons. Described at the time as “a great success with the Midland club and is a popular man with the spectators for his unselfish play and sharp shooting”, his haul in 1946-47 included 4 goals against Sheffield Wednesday and hat-tricks against Newport County (twice), Swansea Town and Bury. He followed that up with 4 goals against Luton Town and Bradford Park Avenue before Second Division Newcastle United signed him for a club record fee of £18,500 in March 1948, and he helped them seal promotion at the end of the season as they finished runners up in the division. He also won 4 caps for Wales between 1948 and 1949, scoring twice.

Lowrie was very much a fringe player for the next two Newcastle campaigns and by the time he joined Bristol City in September 1949 he had scored 5 goals in 12 matches for Newcastle. In two and a half years at Ashton Gate he scored 21 goals in 50 matches for The Robins before a return to Coventry City in February 1952, where he had two further seasons scoring 12 goals in 27 matches to take his total to 60 goals in 86 matches both sides of the War. He is now listed in the Coventry City Hall of Fame. He finished his career with non league Lovell’s Athletic, whom he joined in 1953.