Alan Gowling
| Date of birth | 16 March 1949 |
| Place of birth | Stockport |
| Nationality | English |
| Position | Midfielder/Forward |
While an economics degree student at Manchester University, Alan made a scoring debut at Stoke City when still an amateur.
A tall angular striker, he struggled to find a regular place despite once scoring four times against Southampton.
Under Frank O'Farrell he enjoyed a successful conversion to midfield before moving to Huddersfield Town.
Alan's career was plummeting as the Terriers dropped down the leagues.
Paired with Malcolm MacDonald at Newcastle, he quickly regained his earlier form to form a lethal partnership.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 01 Apr 1967 | 01 Jun 1972 | |
| Huddersfield Town | 01 Jun 1972 | 01 Aug 1975 | |
| Newcastle United | 01 Aug 1975 | 01 Mar 1978 | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 01 Mar 1978 | 01 Sep 1982 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-68 | Great Britain | Olympics | 2 | ||||
| 1967-68 | Manchester United | League Division One | 4 | 1 |
1 |
||
| 1968-69 | Manchester United | League Division One | 2 | ||||
| 1969-70 | Manchester United | League Cup | 1 |
||||
| 1969-70 | Manchester United | League Division One | 6 | 1 |
3 |
||
| 1970-71 | Manchester United | FA Cup | 1 |
||||
| 1970-71 | Manchester United | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1970-71 | Manchester United | League Division One | 17 | 3 |
8 |
||
| 1971-72 | Manchester United | FA Cup | 6 | 1 |
2 |
||
| 1971-72 | Manchester United | League Cup | 6 | 1 |
|||
| 1971-72 | Manchester United | League Division One | 35 | 2 |
6 |
||
| 1975-76 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 8 | 7 |
|||
| 1975-76 | Newcastle United | League Cup | 8 | 7 |
|||
| 1975-76 | Newcastle United | League Division One | 41 | 16 |
|||
| 1976-77 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 1976-77 | Newcastle United | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1976-77 | Newcastle United | League Division One | 36 | 11 |
|||
| 1977-78 | Newcastle United | FA Cup | 4 | ||||
| 1977-78 | Newcastle United | League Division One | 14 | 1 |
3 |
||
| 1977-78 | Newcastle United | UEFA Cup | 3 | 3 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Mar 1968 | Stoke City v Manchester United | W | 2-4 | League Division One | |
| 06 Apr 1968 | Manchester United v Liverpool | L | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 13 Apr 1968 | Southampton v Manchester United | D | 2-2 | League Division One | |
| 04 May 1968 | Manchester United v Newcastle United | W | 6-0 | League Division One | |
| 11 May 1968 | Manchester United v Sunderland | L | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 17 Aug 1968 | Manchester City v Manchester United | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 12 Oct 1968 | Liverpool v Manchester United | L | 2-0 | League Division One | |
| 03 Sep 1969 | Manchester United v Middlesbrough | W | 1-0 | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 06 Sep 1969 | Leeds United v Manchester United | D | 2-2 | League Division One | |
| 13 Sep 1969 | Manchester United v Liverpool | W | 1-0 | League Division One | |
| 17 Sep 1969 | Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester United | W | 1-3 | League Division One | |
| 31 Mar 1970 | Nottingham Forest v Manchester United | W | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 04 Apr 1970 | Newcastle United v Manchester United | L | 5-1 | League Division One | |
| 08 Apr 1970 | Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion | W | 7-0 | League Division One | |
| 13 Apr 1970 | Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 15 Aug 1970 | Manchester United v Leeds United | L | 0-1 | League Division One | |
| 29 Aug 1970 | Manchester United v West Ham United | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 19 Sep 1970 | Ipswich Town v Manchester United | L | 4-0 | League Division One | |
| 26 Sep 1970 | Manchester United v Blackpool | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 03 Oct 1970 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United | L | 3-2 | League Division One | |
| 07 Oct 1970 | Manchester United v Portsmouth | W | 1-0 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 14 Nov 1970 | Nottingham Forest v Manchester United | W | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 05 Jan 1971 | Middlesbrough v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | FA Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 09 Jan 1971 | Chelsea v Manchester United | W | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 16 Jan 1971 | Manchester United v Burnley | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 30 Jan 1971 | Huddersfield Town v Manchester United | W | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 06 Feb 1971 | Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur | W | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 20 Feb 1971 | Manchester United v Southampton | W | 5-1 | League Division One | |
| 23 Feb 1971 | Everton v Manchester United | L | 1-0 | League Division One | |
| 10 Apr 1971 | Manchester United v Derby County | L | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 12 Apr 1971 | Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers | W | 1-0 | League Division One | |
| 13 Apr 1971 | Coventry City v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 17 Apr 1971 | Crystal Palace v Manchester United | W | 3-5 | League Division One | |
| 19 Apr 1971 | Manchester United v Liverpool | L | 0-2 | League Division One | |
| 24 Apr 1971 | Manchester United v Ipswich Town | W | 3-2 | League Division One | |
| 01 May 1971 | Blackpool v Manchester United | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 05 May 1971 | Manchester City v Manchester United | W | 3-4 | League Division One | |
| 14 Aug 1971 | Derby County v Manchester United | D | 2-2 | League Division One | |
| 18 Aug 1971 | Chelsea v Manchester United | W | 2-3 | League Division One | |
| 20 Aug 1971 | Manchester United v Arsenal | W | 3-1 | League Division One | |
| 23 Aug 1971 | Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion | W | 3-1 | League Division One | |
| 28 Aug 1971 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 31 Aug 1971 | Everton v Manchester United | L | 1-0 | League Division One | |
| 04 Sep 1971 | Manchester United v Ipswich Town | W | 1-0 | League Division One | |
| 07 Sep 1971 | Ipswich Town v Manchester United | W | 1-3 | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 11 Sep 1971 | Crystal Palace v Manchester United | W | 1-3 | League Division One | |
| 18 Sep 1971 | Manchester United v West Ham United | W | 4-2 | League Division One | |
| 25 Sep 1971 | Liverpool v Manchester United | D | 2-2 | League Division One | |
| 02 Oct 1971 | Manchester United v Sheffield United | W | 2-0 | League Division One | |
| 06 Oct 1971 | Manchester United v Burnley | D | 1-1 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 09 Oct 1971 | Huddersfield Town v Manchester United | W | 0-3 | League Division One | |
| 16 Oct 1971 | Manchester United v Derby County | W | 1-0 | League Division One | |
| 18 Oct 1971 | Burnley v Manchester United | W | 0-1 | League Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 23 Oct 1971 | Newcastle United v Manchester United | W | 0-1 | League Division One | |
| 27 Oct 1971 | Manchester United v Stoke City | D | 1-1 | League Cup | 4th round |
| 30 Oct 1971 | Manchester United v Leeds United | L | 0-1 | League Division One | |
| 06 Nov 1971 | Manchester City v Manchester United | D | 3-3 | League Division One | |
| 08 Nov 1971 | Stoke City v Manchester United | D | 0-0 | League Cup | 4th round replay |
| 13 Nov 1971 | Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur | W | 3-1 | League Division One | |
| 15 Nov 1971 | Stoke City v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | League Cup | 4th round 2nd replay |
| 20 Nov 1971 | Manchester United v Leicester City | W | 3-2 | League Division One | |
| 27 Nov 1971 | Southampton v Manchester United | W | 2-5 | League Division One | |
| 04 Dec 1971 | Manchester United v Nottingham Forest | W | 3-2 | League Division One | |
| 11 Dec 1971 | Stoke City v Manchester United | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 18 Dec 1971 | Ipswich Town v Manchester United | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 27 Dec 1971 | Manchester United v Coventry City | D | 2-2 | League Division One | |
| 01 Jan 1972 | West Ham United v Manchester United | L | 3-0 | League Division One | |
| 08 Jan 1972 | Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers | L | 1-3 | League Division One | |
| 15 Jan 1972 | Southampton v Manchester United | D | 1-1 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 19 Jan 1972 | Manchester United v Southampton | W | 4-1 | FA Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 22 Jan 1972 | Manchester United v Chelsea | L | 0-1 | League Division One | |
| 05 Feb 1972 | Preston North End v Manchester United | W | 0-2 | FA Cup | 4th round |
| 12 Feb 1972 | Manchester United v Newcastle United | L | 0-2 | League Division One | |
| 19 Feb 1972 | Leeds United v Manchester United | L | 5-1 | League Division One | |
| 26 Feb 1972 | Manchester United v Middlesbrough | D | 0-0 | FA Cup | 5th round |
| 29 Feb 1972 | Middlesbrough v Manchester United | W | 0-3 | FA Cup | 5th round replay |
| 04 Mar 1972 | Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United | L | 2-0 | League Division One | |
| 08 Mar 1972 | Manchester United v Everton | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 18 Mar 1972 | Manchester United v Stoke City | D | 1-1 | FA Cup | Quarter-final |
| 22 Mar 1972 | Stoke City v Manchester United | L | 2-1 | FA Cup | Quarter-final replay |
| 25 Mar 1972 | Manchester United v Crystal Palace | W | 4-0 | League Division One | |
| 01 Apr 1972 | Coventry City v Manchester United | W | 2-3 | League Division One | |
| 03 Apr 1972 | Manchester United v Liverpool | L | 0-3 | League Division One | |
| 08 Apr 1972 | Leicester City v Manchester United | L | 2-0 | League Division One | |
| 12 Apr 1972 | Manchester United v Manchester City | L | 1-3 | League Division One | |
| 25 Apr 1972 | Arsenal v Manchester United | L | 3-0 | League Division One | |
| 29 Apr 1972 | Manchester United v Stoke City | W | 3-0 | League Division One | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-72 | England | Under-23 | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Nov 1971 | England v Switzerland | D | 1-1 | U23 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.