Arthur Rowley facts for kids

George Arthur Rowley Jr. (born April 21, 1926 – died December 19, 2002) was an amazing English football player. People called him "The Gunner" because he had such a powerful left-foot shot. He holds a huge record in English football history. He scored 434 goals in 619 league games! That's more goals than anyone else.

Arthur was the younger brother of Manchester United player Jack Rowley. In 2008, he was considered for the English Football Hall of Fame. He also holds the record for most goals in a single season for both Leicester City and Shrewsbury Town. For Leicester, he scored 44 goals in 42 games in 1956–57. For Shrewsbury, he netted 38 goals in 43 games in 1958–59. He is Shrewsbury's top league goalscorer ever, with 152 goals. He is also Leicester's second-highest goalscorer, with 265 goals.

Early Life and Football Dreams

Arthur Rowley was born in Wolverhampton. His dad, Mark Rowley, was a well-known semi-professional goalkeeper. Arthur went to Dudley Road School and St Peter's Collegiate School. He started playing football as a defender. But soon, his talent for scoring goals made him a forward. He quickly joined his school's first team.

Arthur played for teams in Wolverhampton and the surrounding areas. He was even chosen to play for the England schoolboys team. Sadly, World War II started, and he couldn't play for them.

Arthur's Amazing Playing Career

Starting at Manchester United

After school in 1940, Arthur worked in a metal factory. Then, he joined his older brother Jack in Manchester. Arthur started his football journey at Manchester United. He signed as an amateur player just four days after his 15th birthday. The very next day, on April 26, 1941, he made history. At 15 years and 5 days old, he became the youngest player ever to play for Manchester United's first team. He played alongside his brother Jack in a wartime league match against Liverpool.

Arthur played seven times for Manchester United before leaving in May 1944.

Moving to West Bromwich Albion

During the war, Arthur also played as a guest for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Later in 1944, he became a professional player with West Bromwich Albion. But he found it tough to score goals and get a regular spot on the team.

Finding His Scoring Touch at Fulham

In the 1948–49 season, Albion sold Arthur to Fulham. Here, he immediately started scoring lots of goals! He scored 19 goals in 22 games. This helped Fulham win the Second Division title.

However, in the First Division, he didn't score as many goals, only getting 7.

Becoming a Legend at Leicester City

After one season in the top league, Arthur was sold to Leicester City. Some Leicester fans were not happy at first. They wondered why manager Norman Bullock signed Arthur to replace a popular player. Arthur started slowly as a centre forward. But then, Bullock moved him to the "number 10" inside left position. This is where Arthur truly shined.

On September 23, he scored his first goal for Leicester. By the end of his first season, he had scored 28 goals. This made the fans happy, even though the team finished 14th.

In his second season, Arthur really made a name for himself. He broke Arthur Chandler's club record for most goals in a season, scoring 38 times. The next season, he broke his own record again! He scored 41 goals in 42 games, with 39 of those in the league. This earned him the Second Division golden boot award. He scored 36 more goals in the 1953–54 season. This helped Leicester win the Second Division title.

Leicester only stayed in the First Division for one season before going back down. A few seasons later, in 1956–57, Arthur broke the club record for most goals in a season for the third time! He scored an amazing 44 goals in 42 games. This record still stands today. He also won the Second Division top goalscorer award again. And once more, he led Leicester to the Second Division title.

In 1957–58, Arthur scored 20 goals in 25 games. This helped Leicester avoid being relegated again. However, manager Dave Halliday decided to sell Arthur in the summer of 1958. Arthur was only 8 goals away from becoming Leicester's all-time top goalscorer. This decision upset the fans and led to the manager being fired two months later.

In his eight seasons at Filbert Street, Arthur scored 265 goals in 321 games. He also scored 16 hat-tricks!

Player-Manager at Shrewsbury Town

In 1958, Arthur left Leicester to become the player-manager of Shrewsbury Town. They were in the newly formed Football League Fourth Division. In his first season at the Gay Meadow, Arthur led Shrewsbury to promotion. He scored 38 goals in 43 games, winning the Fourth Division golden boot.

He continued to score many goals in the Third Division. He scored 32, 28, 23, and 24 goals over the next four seasons. In his last couple of seasons, he scored less as he got older. But his influence on the field was still clear. He even played as a defender sometimes! He finally retired as a player in 1965.

Managing Other Teams

After he stopped playing, Arthur managed Shrewsbury for four more years. Then, on July 11, 1968, he became the manager of Sheffield United. The team had just been relegated. Even with good new players, the results were not great. He was let go on August 6, 1969.

Arthur also managed Southend United from 1970 to 1976. He was an assistant manager for Telford United. He also managed non-league teams like Knighton Town and Oswestry Town before leaving football.

Cricketing Career

Besides football, Arthur also played cricket! He played for Shropshire in three matches between 1961 and 1962. He was a right-handed batsman and a leg break bowler. He also played for the Rolls-Royce club in Shrewsbury.

Later Life and Legacy

Arthur Rowley lived in Copthorne, Shrewsbury. He continued to visit the Gay Meadow stadium to watch games. In 2000, Shrewsbury Town fans voted him their 'player of the century'. He passed away in December 2002 at 76 years old. He was buried in Shrewsbury General Cemetery. His headstone calls him a "record breaking football hero."

Honours

Fulham

• Second Division champions: 1948–49

Leicester City

• Second Division champions: 1953–54, 1956–57

Individual

• Second Division top goalscorer: (with Leicester City) 1952–53, 1956–57
• Fourth Division top goalscorer: (with Shrewsbury Town) 1958–59

See also

• List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals