John McDowell is pictured above during West Ham's 1-0 win against
Wolverhampton Wanderers.
|
| West Ham Utd.: |
1969-1970 |
Played |
0 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1970-1971 |
Played |
25 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1971-1972 |
Played |
40 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1972-1973 |
Played |
38 |
Scored |
2 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1973-1974 |
Played |
33 |
Scored |
2 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1974-1975 |
Played |
34 |
Scored |
1 |
goal |
(Division 1) |
| |
1975-1976 |
Played |
37 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1976-1977 |
Played |
0 |
Scored |
0 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
1977-1978 |
Played |
14 |
Scored |
1 |
goal |
(Division 1) |
| |
1978-1979 |
Played |
28 |
Scored |
2 |
goals |
(Division 1) |
| |
| Transferred to Norwich City in August 1979 |
| |
John McDowell, born within a stone’s throw of Upton Park in East Ham, joined West Ham
as an apprentice in 1967, signing as a professional two years later. He made his debut for
the Hammers as a nineteen-year-old, in a 2-1 win against Blackpool at Upton Park in October
1970 and made twenty-five appearances during his first season.
The pacey, hard tackling
full back missed only two league games for West Ham in his second season and made the
right back berth his own for the next three seasons.
He scored his first goal for the Hammers in a home League Cup tie against Bristol City in
September 1972.
McDowell, who had been capped at youth level for England, went on to
win thirteen caps for England at Under 23 level between 1972 and 1974. He was also selected
to join Don Revie’s first squad meeting when he became England manager in July 1974 but
was never selected for a full England squad.
Although he played almost entirely as a right back
during the early part of his career at West Ham, the versatile McDowell was used mainly in
midfield during the 1973/74 season, following full back Keith Coleman’s arrival from Sunderland
in September 1973.
McDowell and Coleman shared the right back duties during the 1974/75 season, however it was
McDowell who was eventually favoured to play in the 1975 FA Cup Final win against Fulham at
Wembley. He also won a European Cup Winners Cup runners up medal in 1976 after the Hammers
4-2 defeat to Anderlecht in the final, having played in every game throughout the European campaign.
Due to a serious knee injury though, he missed the whole of the 1976/77 season and didn’t return
to first team action until December 1977, making only fourteen league appearances during the season,
which saw West Ham relegated to the Division Two. The 1978/79 season in the Second Division was
McDowell’s last at Upton Park, in which he made a total of twenty-nine appearances, scoring two goals,
both in the same game against Newcastle at Upton Park in March 1979. However, after failing to gain
promotion at the first attempt, Hammers manager John Lyall began to reshape the team and consequently
McDowell left Upton Park in August 1979, joining Norwich City for £20,000. In total McDowell made
three hundred appearances in almost ten years for West Ham, scoring nine goals. (Matk Matthews)