Arthur Rowley (footballer, born 1870)

Arthur Rowley

Personal information
Full name	Arthur Rowley[1]
Date of birth	1870[1]
Place of birth	Leek, Staffordshire, England[1]
Playing position	Right-half
Youth career
	Leek
	Distillery
	North Staffordshire Regiment
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1896–1899	Stoke	57	(0)
1900–1902	Bristol Rovers
1902–1903	Burslem Port Vale	57	(4)
Total		114+	(4+)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Arthur Rowley (born 1870; date of death unknown) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Burslem Port Vale and Stoke, and in the Southern League with Bristol Rovers.^[1] He was the first player to score a goal straight from a direct free kick in the Football League.

Playing career

Rowley played for Leek, Distillery, and the North Staffordshire Regiment, before joining Stoke in 1896.^[1] He became a useful addition to the Stoke squad, taking over the right half position from the ageing Davy Brodie.^[1] He played four First Division games in the 1896–97 season, before becoming a first team regular in the 1897–98 and 1898–99 campaigns. He spent three seasons at the Victoria Ground, making 62 appearances.^[1]

He played for Bristol Rovers in the Southern League before joining Burslem Port Vale in September 1902.^[2] He played 27 league games in the 1902–03 season, as Vale posted a ninth-place finish in the Second Division.^[2] He became the first player to score a goal straight from a direct free kick in the Football League on 7 September 1903, in a 3–2 defeat to Bolton Wanderers at the Athletic Ground.^[2] He claimed two goals in 38 games in the 1903–04 campaign, but left the club before the start of the 1904–05 season.^[2]

Career statistics

• Sourced from Arthur Rowley profile at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Test Match		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Stoke	1896–97	First Division	25	0	2	0	–		27	0
	1897–98	First Division	18	0	1	0	2	0	21	0
	1898–99	First Division	14	0	0	0	–		14	0
	Total		57	0	3	0	2	0	62	0
Burslem Port Vale	1902–03	Second Division	27	2	2	0	–		29	2
	1903–04	Second Division	30	2	7	0	–		37	2
	Total		57	4	9	0	0	0	66	4
Career Total			114	4	12	0	2	0	128	4

References

1. Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
2. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 255. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.