John Edward Flowers (born 26 August 1944) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Stoke City, Doncaster Rovers, Port Vale, and Eastwood in the 1960s and 1970s.[1] He scored four goals in 206 league games in a nine-year career in the Football League,[3] with the bulk of these appearances coming at Doncaster, where he won the Fourth Division title in 1968–69. He is the younger brother of Ron Flowers,[4] and the nephew of George Flowers.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Edward Flowers[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 26 August 1944[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Edlington, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1963–1966 | Stoke City | 8 | (0) |
| 1966–1971 | Doncaster Rovers | 164 | (4) |
| 1971–1972 | Port Vale | 34 | (0) |
| Eastwood | |||
| Total | 206 | (4) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editFlowers was born in Edlington into a sporting family, and he followed in their footsteps, joining Stoke City in 1963.[1] He spent most of his time at the Victoria Ground in the reserves, and after making just nine first-team appearances in three seasons, he was sold to Third Division Doncaster Rovers for £10,000.[5] In his first season at Belle Vue the newly-promoted "Donny" suffered relegation back into the Fourth Division. They finished 10th in 1967–68 before winning the title in 1968–69 under the stewardship of Lawrie McMenemy. Flowers was an ever-present in 1969–70, playing in all of Rovers' 52 fixtures. He played 33 times in 1970–71 as Doncaster were again relegated to the Fourth Division. Flowers scored four goals in 186 first-team games in his five years at Belle Vue. He was signed by Port Vale manager Gordon Lee for a "small fee" in August 1971.[6] He played 37 league and cup games in the 1971–72 season but was handed a free transfer away from Vale Park in May 1972 on account of his "mixed form"; this inconsistency was caused by his other job as a pub licensee.[6] He moved on to non-League Eastwood.[6]
Personal life
editHe is the younger brother of Ron Flowers, who played for England.[4] His uncle was George Flowers who also played for Doncaster Rovers.[7] He was married to Maureen Flowers, a former world champion of darts.[4]
Career statistics
editSource:[8]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Stoke City | 1963–64 | First Division | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1964–65 | First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1965–66 | First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Doncaster Rovers | 1966–67 | Third Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 1967–68 | Fourth Division | 34 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 1968–69 | Fourth Division | 42 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 1 | |
| 1969–70 | Third Division | 46 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 2 | |
| 1970–71 | Third Division | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| Total | 164 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 186 | 4 | ||
| Port Vale | 1971–72 | Third Division | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Career total | 206 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 232 | 4 | ||
Honours
editDoncaster Rovers
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ Williams, Tony; Peskett, Roy, eds. (1971). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1971–72 (2nd ed.). Queen Anne Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-0362000948.
- ^ John Flower Stats at Neil Brown stat site
- ^ a b c Sherwin, Phil (15 October 2011). "Sam's late strike sees Vale in to next round". The Sentinel: The Way We Were. p. 16.
- ^ "John Flowers". Doncaster Rovers.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ a b c Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 103. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0. ASIN 0952915200.
- ^ "Flowers family loyal-ties facing tough test". express and star. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
- ^ John Flowers at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)