Aloysius "Ally" McGowan (22 January 1930 – 5 July 2005) was a Scottish former
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
, who played as a
defender.
Career
After playing for his village's youth team, McGowan was signed to
Fauldhouse United
Fauldhouse United Football Club are a Scottish football club based at Park View in Fauldhouse, West Lothian.
The club won the Scottish Junior Cup in 1946 and currently play in the East of Scotland Football League
The East of Scotland Foo ...
. He played there for two years before being approached by the manager of Scottish Division Two side
St Johnstone
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...
to play for the team.
Whilst at St Johnstone, McGowan would play for
Scotland B
The Scotland national football B team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is run occasionally as a second team for the Scotland national football team. During the period when Berti Vogts was manager of the national team, it was also ...
.
In 1953, new St Johnstone manager
Johnny Pattillo wanted to reduce the number of players in the squad, so let McGowan leave to Welsh club
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
on a free transfer.
Whilst there, he got over 400 league appearances for Wrexham, and has the 4th most appearances by any player for Wrexham.
McGowan retired in 1963 due to ongoing problems from an ankle injury at the age of 33, after a brief spell at
Bethesda Athletic.
After retirement, McGowan served as the Wrexham groundsman for between seven and eight years.
Personal life and death
McGowan was the brother of former
Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. ...
left-back
Jimmy McGowan.
Evening Times, 6 July 1957 (via Partick Thistle History Archive)
McGowan died on 5 July 2005 in Wrexham.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGowan, Ally
1930 births
2005 deaths
Men's association football defenders
Scottish men's footballers
English Football League players
Fauldhouse United F.C. players
St Johnstone F.C. players
Wrexham A.F.C. players
Bethesda Athletic F.C. players
Wrexham A.F.C. non-playing staff
Scottish Football League players
Scotland men's B international footballers
Footballers from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Scottish Junior Football Association players