Anthony William Lowery (born 6 July 1961) is an English retired

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 ...

who spent most of his professional career as a midfielder at

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...

. Lowery, a native of

Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This f ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

, began his professional career in March 1981, when he was signed by

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

from non-league

Ashington Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...

. However, he only played once for the Baggies, and also had a short loan spell at neighbours

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...

. In April 1983, he was allowed to join Mansfield Town on a free transfer, and he made his debut for the Stags on 7 May 1983 against

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

. Through the next five years, Lowery was almost ever-present in Mansfield's lineup, playing 40 or more league matches each season. He was noted for his work-rate and consistency in central midfield, and was a key member of the side that won promotion from

Division Four The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

in 1985-86, and won the Freight Rover Trophy in 1987. By 1988-89, injuries had started to take their toll, and Lowery only played sporadically in his final seasons at

Field Mill Field Mill, currently known as One Call Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football ground in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and the home of Mansfield Town Football Club. It is the oldest ground in the Football League, hosting footb ...

. In September 1990, he was loaned to Walsall for the second time in his career, and in the summer of 1991, Mansfield manager George Foster decided not to offer Lowery a new contract. When he left the club, Lowery had played 317 first-team games for Mansfield and scored 27 goals. After leaving Mansfield, Lowery had a short spell at Carlisle United before returning to his native North East, where he joined non-league Gateshead, and later became assistant manager at

Blyth Spartans Blyth Spartans Association Football Club is a football club based in Blyth, Northumberland. They are currently members of and play at Croft Park. They were founded in September 1899 by Fred Stoker, who was the club's first secretary before fo ...

. H was appointed manager of Bedlington Terriers in 1995 alongside Keith Perry and remained at the club until May 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowery, Tony 1961 births Living people English footballers English football managers Ashington A.F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Carlisle United F.C. players Gateshead F.C. players Footballers from Wallsend Bedlington Terriers F.C. managers Men's association football midfielders