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Hugh Dowd

One of the last players to graduate from the Amateur international set-up to Full honours, Hugh Dowd went on to establish himself as a lower-League stalwart...

Name: Hugh O. Dowd
Born: 19 May 1951, Lurgan
Height: 6.01ft
Weight: 13.03 st
Position: Centre-Half

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 3 Caps (1974); 8 Amateur Caps (1972-1974).
Club Honours: (with Doncaster) Football League Division Four Third Place (Promoted) 1980/81.

Club Career:
Clubs
Seasons
Signed
Fee
League
FA Cup
FL Cup
Other
Bessbrook United
-
-
Youth
-
-
-
-
Carnbane Rovers*
-
-
Loan
-
-
-
-
Glenavon
-
-
Amateur
-
-
-
-
Sheffield Wednesday
74/75-78/79
Jul-74
£25,000
83(2)/0
5(0)/0
19(0)/0
-
Doncaster Rovers
79/80-82/83
Aug-79
£15,000
94(0)/3
7(0)/1
10(0)/0
-
TOTALS
£40,000
177(2)/3
12(0)/1
29(0)/0
-

* Carnbane Rovers were the Carnbane League's representative youth team and played in the IFA Youth Cup.


Biography:
Lurgan-born Hugh Dowd made his name with home-town club Glenavon, graduating to become the final captain of Northern Ireland's Amateur side. At the end of the 1973/74 season, with his name linked with a transfer to Luton Town or Celtic, he was called up by Northern Ireland for the first time, making his début in a Home Nations Championship game with Wales.

He was already 23 when signed by Division Two side Sheffield Wednesday that summer and he made his début in a League Cup tie on 20th August 1974. That season he made just one more appearance, in the FA Cup, as Wednesday were relegated to Division Three. He did however win two further international caps that season against Norway and Sweden. Those were to be his final caps.

Over the following few seasons Dowd began to establish himself in the first team at Hillsborough, but he couldn't help Wednesday out of Division Three. Dowd made his final appearance for Wednesday on 30th September 1978, and in August 1979 he joined Doncaster Rovers for £15,000. He captained Rovers to promotion from Division Four in 1981 before retiring from League football during the 1982/83 season due to a knee ligament injury.

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
18-05-1974 Wales... A L 0-1 BC
04-09-1974 Norway.. A L 1-2 ECQ sub
30-10-1974 Sweden.. A W 2-0 ECQ

Summary: 2(1)/0. Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 2.


Northern Ireland Amateur Cap Details:
15-04-1972 Wales... A W 3-0
28-04-1972 Scotland A W 1-0
15-05-1972 England. A W 2-1
06-10-1972 England. A L 1-2
16-03-1973 Scotland A L 0-1
07-04-1973 Wales... A L 1-2
12-10-1973 England. A L 0-2
04-04-1974 Wales... A L 0-1

Summary: 8/0. Won 3, Drew 0, Lost 5.


Comments

Anonymous said…
Fine player and the nicest guy you could ever want to meet.
Anonymous said…
You were great then daddy
Anonymous said…
Hiya daddy this is maddie!
I love you!
Keep up the good work in football!
It said you weighed 13.3
not anymore more like 15 now

love you daddy! maddie xxxxxxx
Anonymous said…
very good player i see
Anonymous said…
Hi Hugh,

Nobody knew where you were for last year's Newry High School reunion (Class of 72)

Corinne
Michael McK said…
Hugh was from Bessbrook-he played for Bessbrook United in the Carnbane league before joining Glenavon and was a great player even then,everybody thought he was outstanding.
Anonymous said…
Remember me Hughie I borrowed your ELO LP when you were at Sheffield Wednesday. I think its still up in our attic! My husband played along side you and was the quiet Right Back(cant be doing with the fancy names they use for that position now)I have been trying to locate you.He often mentions you-all good I have to say.Hope your doing fine.J.W.
Anonymous said…
i knew him when he was a social worker at limb lane back in the early 90`s he was a top guy. As anybody got any idea what he`s doing now i`d like to say thanks to him for the work he did to help me through my bleakest time
John O' Dwyer said…
I knew Hughie when we were at De La Salle Manchester 1971 -1973.We would have a kickaround on a wed afternoon with Trevor Anderson of Man U.Todays footballers would be too scared to play.Hugh you were a great guy who gave me his first internatioal shirt but was stolen by an italian student.
John O' Dwyer
Anonymous said…
Hugh Dowd was from Bessbrook and he lived a short distance away from
another fine player and he is Peter Watson who also played for Glenavon and Aston Villa who also wasn;t to big to play with ourselves in the Pond Field when both players were home. G.Q.
Anonymous said…
Hi all. Just to let you know I met Hugh in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield yesterday whilst we were both in for minor op's as day patients. We got chatting and he got on to his career at Sheffield Wednesday in the 1970s. He still lives in South Sheffield and usually watches The Blades these days (I'm pleased to say) if he goes to game - as Bramall Lane is easier to get to for him.
Really nice bloke and fit and hearty, you'll be pleased to hear.
Terry McEntee said…
I've just come across this. I knew Hugh during our De La Salle College days in Manchester 1971 - 1974. It's great to see the lovely comments with which I would agree. He was a talented all-round sportsman and played centre half on the De La Salle College Gaelic Football team when we won the Club Championship of Britain in 1974. Despite his talent, popularity and profile he was a very modest guy