England Football Online
Goalkeepers Index Page Last Updated
2 March 2023
 
 

Bill Rowley

Stoke FC

 2 appearances, 1 goal against
one clean sheet, one penalty saved

P 2 W 1 D 0 L 1 F 8: A 1
50% successful
1889-92

captain: none
minutes played: 180

Timeline
William Spencer Rowley
Birth Monday, 11 September 1865 in Broom Street, Hanley, Staffordshire
  registered in Stoke-upon-Trent July-September 1865
Baptism Sunday, 12 November 1865 at St. John the Evangelist Church, Hanley
 

According to the 1871 census, five year old William S. is living with his widowed father, Charles, and grandparents, William and Mary. His father is a clerk, his grandfather is a potter. They live at 40 Well Street in Hanley.
(His mother is Sarah (née Stevenson), died in the previous winter, aged just 33 years).
 

According to the 1881 census, William is living with his widowed aunt Eliza and his cousins. He is a potters boy living at 63 Ashwood in Longton.
 

According to the 1891 census, William is a boarder with the Cross family at 75 Howard Street in Burslem. William is a potter/cupmaker.
Marriage to Ellen Rhodes, on Saturday, 29 April 1893 in Edensor. Both living at Heathcote Road at time of their marriage.
  registered in Stoke-upon-Trent April-June 1893
Children

 		Bill and Ellen Rowley had ten children together. Among them, Ellen (b.1893), William Spencer (stillborn mid-1895), Annie (b.1897), Spencer (b.11 July 1902) and another William (b.1908)

According to the 1901 census, William is a Potter's China Jiggerer, married to dressmaker, Ellen with two children, Ellen and Annie. They live at 139 Heathcote Road in the Longton area of Stoke.
(Ellen, their eldest daughter, died later in the year)

According to the 1911 census, 46 year-old William Spencer is a China Plateforeman still married, with two more children, Spencer and William. They have four lodgers, the Twigge family. They still live at 139 Heathcote Road.

Cannot be found on the 1921 census.
Death Friday, 16 March 1934 at Heathcote Road in Longton, Stoke, Staffordshire
aged 68 years 186 days registered in Stoke and Wolstanton January-March 1934
"ROWLEY.—On March 16th, at [157] Heathcote-road, Longton, William Spencer, beloved husband of the late Ellen Rowley, aged 68 years...."
Funeral Tuesday 3.30pm, 20 March 1934 at Longton cemetery
"Internment at Longton cemetery, on Tuesday next at 3.30. Relatives and friends please accept this invitation." - Staffordshire Sentinel, Saturday & Monday, 17 & 19 March 1934

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

Playing Career

Club(s)		 Started his career as a centre-forward at Hanley Orion FC. He assisted Stoke FC's reserve during 1883-84. He turned up in goal for Burslem Port Vale FC and then signed for rivals Stoke FC in 1887, which prompted the Valiants to take their neighbours to the County Court for Damages. He sustained a number of serious injuries including, in the 1890-91 season, a broken breastbone. He became the club secretary in May 1895. Then he returned to playing when he became the club secretary of Leicester Fosse FC in 1898. The Football Association then refused to sanction the registration and he was suspended from playing in October 1898.

League History
119 appearances		 Stoke FC 1888-96 118 appearances.
debut: 8 September 1888 Stoke FC 0 West Bromwich Albion FC 2.
Leicester Fosse FC 1898 one appearance.
debut & last (second division): 3 September 1898 Leicester Fosse FC 3 Lincoln City FC 2.
Club honours Football Alliance winners 1890-91;
Football League Division Two third place 1898-99 (1ᵃ)
Individual honours Football League (one appearance);
Staffordshire FA (1884-90, seventeen appearances)
Height/Weight not known

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

Management Career
Club(s) He became the club secretary of Stoke FC in May 1895. Then he became the club secretary of Leicester Fosse FC in October 1898.
League History
60 matches		 Stoke FC 1895-96, thirty matches, W15, L15. Finished sixth in Division One, and reached third round of the FA Cup.
Leicester Fosse FC 1896-97, thirty matches. W11 D3 L16. Finished 13th in Division Two, reaching second round of FA Cup.
Club honours None

England Career
Player number One of nine who became the 157th players (157) to appear for England.
Position(s) Goalkeeper; Nineteenth goalkeeper to appear
First match No. 36, 2 March 1889, England 6 Ireland 1, a British Championship match at Anfield Road, Anfield, Liverpool, aged 23 years 172 days.
Last match
3 years 3 days		 No. 44, 5 March 1892, Ireland 0 England 2, a British Championship match at Cliftonville Gardens, Cliftonville, Belfast, aged 26 years 176 days.
Major tournaments British Championship 1888-89, 1891-92;
Team honours British Championship winners 1891-92;
Individual honours The North (two appearances 5ᵍᵃ 1ᵒᵍ, 1889-90);
The Stripes (one appearance 4ᵍ�ᵍ�, February 1892)

Beyond England
No additional information. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.213.


The Numbers
parties Apps Comp
Apps		 minutes Goals
Against		 GA Av.
min		 Comp GA Clean
Sheets		 Cln
Sht Av.		 captain
4 2 2 180 1 180 min 1 1 50% none
The minutes here given can only ever be a guideline and cannot therefore be accurate, only an approximation.
P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
2 2 0 0 8 1 +7 0 1 4 0.5 100 +2
Both of his matches were played in the British Championship competition

Venue Record

Venue P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 1 1 0 0 6 1 +5 0 0 6.00 1.00 100.0 +1
Away 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 0 1 2.00 0.00 100.0 +1

Tournament Record

British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1888-89 1 1 0 0 6 1 +5 0 0 6.00 1.00 100.0 +1
BC 1889-90 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 00.0 =0
BC 1891-92 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 0 1 2.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC All 2 2 0 0 8 1 +7 0 1 4.00 0.50 100.0 +2

All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 2 2 0 0 8 1 +7 0 1 4.00 0.50 100.0 +2
2 2 0 0 8 1 +7 0 1 4 0.5 100 +2

Match History

 Club: Stoke F.C. - two full appearances (180 min) 1ᵍᵃ F.A. International Select Committee - two full appearances (180 min) 1ᵍᵃx

Age 23 trial  
one appearance - The North vs. The South, 19 January 1889;

apps match match details comp res. rundown pos

1 36 2 March 1889 - England 6 Ireland 1
Anfield Road, Liverpool		 BC HW 1ᵍᵃ
cs: 10min
cs rec: 80min		 gk
ᵍᵃheader
  

one of nine who became the 157th player (157) to appear for England
one of two who became the third player from Stoke FC to represent England
The nineteenth goalkeeper to play for England - fifth competitive

Age 24 trial  
one appearance - The South vs. The North, 13 January 1890;

38 15 March 1890 - Ireland 1 England 9, Ulster Cricket Ground, Belfast
BC		 AW
reserve
39 15 March 1890 - Wales 1 England 3, The Racecourse, Wrexham AW
  

Age 26 trial  
one appearance - The Whites vs. The Stripes, 29 February 1892;

2 44 5 March 1892 - Ireland 0 England 2
Cliftonville Gardens, Belfast		 BC AW 2nd half save
cs: 165min		 gk
  


     

 
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