Archie Bown (1882 – 19 August 1958) was a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

inside left In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...

Football career

Born in

Highworth Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about north-east of Swindon town centre. The 2021 Census recorded a population of 8,258. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, Bown began his football career playing for the local Swindon Casuals team. It was here that

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

spotted him and offered him a trial, playing one first team match in February 1904. Having not proved himself adequately he returned to his old team and his job as a turner and fitter in the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

Workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

. Bown returned to Swindon Town in 1907, signing a professional contract. He went on to score 9 goals in 16 appearances that season and regularly appeared on the scoresheet from then on. 1911/12 was his most prolific season for the club, when he scored 23 goals in Southern League matches. He was part of the team that from 1909 to 1912 won the Dubonnet Cup and the Southern Charity Cup, whilst also becoming Runner's up of the Charity Shield and twice

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

semi-finalists. He scored a goal in the 1912 FA Cup run that ultimately knocked Everton out of the competition, causing a minor upset at the time. Bown helped Swindon to their second Southern League championship in 1914, making 36 appearances and scoring 18 times and in April 1915 he scored all six of Swindon's goals in a 6–0 win against

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

. His career with the team was ended by the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

although he remains Swindon's fifth-highest goalscorer. He guested for

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

during the war (in which he served in the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

) and afterwards appeared for

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

and Weymouth. He died in

on 19 August 1958.

References

External links

Swindon Town player profileBristol City player profile
1882 births 1958 deaths People from Highworth Bristol City F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players Southampton F.C. wartime guest players Weymouth F.C. players Men's association football forwards Southern Football League players English men's footballers Footballers from Wiltshire Military personnel from Wiltshire {{England-footy-forward-1880s-stub British military personnel of World War I