Joe Gowdy

Name: Joseph Gowdy
Born: December 1897, Belfast
Position: Centre-Forward/Half-Back

Representative Honours: Ireland: 6 Full Caps (1919-1927); Irish League: 4 Caps (1919-1923).
Club Honours: (with Glentoran) Gold Cup Runner-Up 1919/20; (with Queen's Island) Irish League Champion 1923/24; Irish Cup Winner 1923/24

Club Career:
Clubs......... --Seasons-- League
Glentoran..... 19/20-20/21 .35/30 (Total)
Falkirk....... 20/21-21/22 .26/ 2
Glentoran..... 22/23...... ..3/ 0 (Total)
Queen's Island 22/23-24/25
Falkirk....... 25/26-27/28 .88/ 8
East Fife..... 28/29-30/31 .74/ 9
Totals........ ........... 226/49

Biography
Joe Gowdy emerged from Junior football with a bang, scoring 23 goals in 27 games in his first season in the Irish League with Glentoran in 1919/20. His form in that first season, including hat-tricks in the League against Shelbourne and in the Gold Cup semi-final win over Linfield, brought both inter-League and international honours, runners-up spot in the Irish League and a Gold Cup runners-up medal.

After seven goals in seven games at the start of the following campaign, Gowdy was transferred to Scottish Division One side, Falkirk, in October 1920; a potential deal with Everton having failed to come to fruition. He rejoined the Glens for the 1922/23 campaign, but played just three games before moving on to Queen's Island. By now featuring more regularly in the half-back line, usually in the centre, Gowdy quickly settled in, and played for the Irish League at centre-half in their first ever meeting with the Welsh League - the game at Solitude ended in a 2-2 draw.

An early setback the following season saw Queen's Island fined £100 and docked two points following a registration mix-up, but the team soon found their stride, claiming a League and Cup double, plus the City Cup and Co. Antrim Shield. Gowdy was rewarded with a re-call to the Ireland team at right-half, after a near five-year absence. The following campaign brought Queen's Island another City Cup success, and runners-up spot in the League - behind Glentoran.

Gowdy re-joined Falkirk in 1925, and quickly regained his place in the Ireland team too. He took his cap total to six with appearances at right-half and centre-half. In 1930 he helped East Fife to runners-up spot in the Scottish Second Division, and promotion to the top-flight for the first time in their history. In their first match in Division One he set-up their only goal, in a 4-1 defeat by Motherwell. The season ended in relegation with a club-worst record of 113 goals conceded.

Ireland Cap Details:
25/10/1919 England. H D 1-1 BC
14/03/1924 Wales... H L 0-1 BC
24/10/1925 England. H D 0-0 BC
27/02/1926 Scotland A L 0-4 BC
20/10/1926 England. A D 3-3 BC
26/02/1927 Scotland H L 0-2 BC

Summary: 6/0. Won 0, Drew 3, Lost 3.