Ginger Owers facts for kids

Ebenezer Harold Fuller Owers (born October 21, 1888 – died June 1951) was an English footballer. People often called him "Ginger." He played as a centre forward, which is a player who mainly scores goals. Before the First World War, he played many games in England's the Football League and Scotland's Scottish League. He played in over 90 matches in England and over 30 in Scotland.

Playing Career

Early Years and First Clubs

Ginger Owers was born in West Ham, England. He started playing football for local teams like Bashford and Leytonstone. In 1906, he joined Leyton, a team in the Southern Football League. The next year, in 1907, he moved to Blackpool. Later that year, in November 1907, he joined West Bromwich Albion.

Time at Chesterfield Town

In January 1909, Ginger Owers joined Chesterfield Town. The team was trying to stay in the Football League, but they were not successful. Owers played 15 games for them and scored 3 goals.

After leaving the Football League, Chesterfield Town played in the Midland League for the 1909–10 season. They had a great season and won the championship! Owers was a key player, appearing in 41 games and scoring an amazing 40 goals. He even set a club record by scoring in 10 games in a row. An injury stopped this streak, but he was still able to help out by acting as a linesman in the game he missed. Only one player, Jimmy Cookson, has scored more goals in a single season for Chesterfield.

Moving to Bristol City

In the summer of 1910, Chesterfield Town tried to get back into the Football League but failed. Because of this, Ginger Owers moved on. He joined Bristol City in July 1910.

Owers played his first game for Bristol City on September 24, 1910. It was a 0–0 draw against Preston North End. He became the top scorer for Bristol City in the 1910–11 season. During this season, Bristol City was moved down from Division One. Owers played in 31 games and scored 16 goals. This included scoring three goals in one game (a "hat-trick") in a 3–2 win against Middlesbrough on January 21, 1911.

Return to Darlington and Bristol City

In July 1911, Ginger Owers rejoined Darlington. He scored 19 goals in the North Eastern Football League during the 1911–12 season. Darlington finished in 3rd place that year. He scored hat-tricks against Carlisle United and Wallsend Park Villa. He also scored all four goals in a 4–1 win at Jarrow on December 30, 1911.

Owers came back to Bristol City again in March 1912. He took over as the main centre forward for the last games of the Second Division season. He scored 3 goals in 8 games. He kept the centre forward position for the start of the 1912–13 season. He played 23 games and was the top scorer with 13 goals, even though he left the club in March 1913.

Playing in Scotland

In March 1913, Owers moved to Scotland and joined Clyde. From December 1913, he had a short time playing for Celtic. During this loan spell, he played 13 league games and scored 8 goals. He helped Celtic win the "double," which means winning two major competitions in one season. He rejoined Clyde in May 1914.

End of Career

Ginger Owers served in the First World War. A war wound he received during his service meant he could no longer play football. This brought his playing career to an end.

Honours

Chesterfield Town

• Midland League: 1909–10

Celtic

• Scottish Football League: 1913–14
• Scottish Cup: 1913–14