Geoff Vowden
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Geoffrey Alan Vowden | ||
| Date of birth | 27 April 1941 | ||
| Place of birth | Barnsley, England | ||
| Date of death | 25 March 2026 (aged 84) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Jersey D.M. | |||
| Nottingham Forest | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1960–1964 | Nottingham Forest | 90 | (40) |
| 1964–1971 | Birmingham City | 221 | (79) |
| 1971–1974 | Aston Villa | 97 | (22) |
| 1974 | New York Cosmos | 15 | (2) |
| 1974–1975 | Kettering Town | 42 | (4) |
| Total | 465 | (147) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1974–1975 | Kettering Town | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Geoffrey Alan Vowden (27 April 1941 – 25 March 2026) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and Aston Villa,[1] and in the North American Soccer League for the New York Cosmos.[2]
Career
Vowden was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire and raised in Jersey. When he was 18, he moved to England to join Nottingham Forest, where he signed professional forms at Christmas 1959. After scoring 40 goals in 90 League games for Forest, he was sold to Birmingham City for £25,000 in October 1964.[3]
He spent nearly seven seasons at Birmingham, scoring at a rate of one goal every three matches,[3] and finished as their leading goalscorer three seasons running, from 1964–65 to 1966–67.[4] On 7 September 1968, playing for Birmingham against Huddersfield Town in the Second Division, he became the first substitute to score a hat-trick in a Football League fixture.[5]
In March 1971, Vowden joined Vic Crowe's Aston Villa for a fee of £12,500. In his first full season at Aston Villa, he scored 11 goals which contributed to the club winning the Third Division championship.[3][6]
In the summer of 1974, he played for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League.[2] On his return, he joined Southern League club Kettering Town as player/manager, succeeding Ron Atkinson, in December 1974.[7] He later coached domestically and in Hong Kong winning honours with both Bulova SA and South China, and Saudi Arabia.[3] Geoff ended his working career supporting adults with physical and sensory impairments in Corby.
Death
Vowden died on 25 March 2026, at the age of 84.[8][9]
Honours
Aston Villa
References
- ^ "Geoff Vowden". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ a b "North American Soccer League Players: Geoff Vowden". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
- ^ Matthews, pp. 200–02.
- ^ Thomson, Doug (2 September 2006). "Caught in time 1968". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 2 September 2015 – via The Free Library (Farlex).
- ^ "Vowden, Geoffrey Alan (Geoff)". Aston Villa Player Database. Jörn Mårtensson. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ "Kettering Town Football Club Managers". poppiesfans.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ "Tribute to Geoff Vowden". Aston Villa F.C. 27 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
- ^ "Today, the Poppies family remembers with great love and respect our former player and manager, Geoff Vowden, who sadly passed away on 25th March 2026". Kettering Town F.C. Official on Instagram. 27 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.