 Dowson managingHampton & Richmond Borough in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1970-06-17)17 June 1970 (age 55) | ||
| Place of birth | Gateshead, England | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Hampton & Richmond Borough (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1988 | Millwall | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1991 | Millwall | 1 | (0) |
| 1990 | →Fulham (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 1991–1992 | Bradford City | 18 | (0) |
| 1992–1993 | Darlington | 32 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Slough Town | 43 | (0) |
| 1994–1996 | Gateshead | ||
| 1996–2006 | Walton & Hersham | ||
| Total | 98 | (0) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2004–2007 | Walton & Hersham | ||
| 2007–2014 | Kingstonian | ||
| 2014–2018 | Hampton & Richmond Borough | ||
| 2018–2022 | Woking | ||
| 2022–2024 | Dartford | ||
| 2024 | Hemel Hempstead Town (interim) | ||
| 2025 | Aldershot Town (caretaker) | ||
| 2025– | Hampton & Richmond Borough | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alan Dowson (born 17 June 1970) is an Englishfootball coach and former professional player who is manager atHampton & Richmond Borough.
He made 55 appearances in theFootball League between 1988 and 1993, before spending 13 years as a player in non-league football. He later managed a number of non-league football teams.
Dowson began his playing career withMillwall, progressing through the youth ranks before signing a professional contract with the first time in May 1988. Making a single appearance for the Lions, he also played forFulham on a one-month loan in January 1990.[citation needed]
After his release from Millwall, Dowson was quickly snapped up byBradford City, where he made 18 appearances in a single season. A year withDarlington saw the defender become a regular in the first team before dropping into non-league football.[citation needed]
JoiningSlough Town ahead of the 1993–94 season, Dowson featured 43 times throughout the campaign[1] joiningGateshead, he then spent two years withGateshead before over a decade atWalton & Hersham. On 20 December 1996, Dowson signed for theSurrey club - who had recently been relegated to theIsthmian League Division One.[citation needed]
Dowson announced his retirement from playing at the end of the 2005–06 season.[citation needed]
After eight years withWalton & Hersham in a playing capacity, the club announced Dowson was to feature as player-manager in October 2004.[2] Finishing as runners-up in his debut managerial campaign, Dowson also guided the club to the fourth round of theFA Trophy while recording a record-breaking 13-match winning run in all competitions.[3]
Dowson announced his resignation from the Swans in January 2007, shortly before joiningKingstonian. In his second full season as manager, he saw his side crowned champions of theIsthmian Division One South and promoted to the Premier Division. The K's finished fifth upon their return to the seventh tier in the 2009–10 season,[4] but missed out on back-to-back promotions, losing in the play-off final toBoreham Wood.
In his final season as manager ofKingstonian, Dowson recorded his best league finish of second - following two seasons in a mid-table position. However, they failed to gain promotion once again after defeat in the play-offs semi-final.[4] He announced his resignation at the end of the season to spend some time away from football and focus on his family.[5]
On 14 September 2014, Dowson was unveiled as manager atHampton & Richmond Borough.[6] Joined by his familiar backroom staff, includingPremier League commentatorMartin Tyler, Dowson guided the Isthmian Premier Division side to a 12th-placed finish in his inaugural season. After a lacklustre 2014-15 campaign saw the Beavers finish 15th, Dowson led Hampton to become champions during the 2015–16 season, losing just seven league fixtures while scoring 105 goals.[7]
He was appointedWoking manager in May 2018.[8] In his first season in charge Dowson took Woking to a 2nd-placed finish, gaining promotion to theNational League with a 1–0 win against Welling United in the playoff-final.[9] The club also enjoyed its most successful FA Cup run in almost two decades, defeatingSwindon Town to earn a famous home tie with Premier League clubWatford in the Third Round of theFA Cup.[10] Woking, the only Level 6 side left in the competition, lost the match 2–0.[11] On 28 February 2022, Dowson was sacked by the club following a "prolonged run of poor form in the league", ending his four-year association with theSurrey-based side.[12]
In May 2022 he became manager ofDartford.[13] Dowson oversaw an impressive start to the season that saw him awarded the National League South Manager of the Month award for October 2022.[14]
On 11 January 2024, Dowson was relieved of his management duties at Dartford.[15]
On 7 March 2024, Dowson was appointed manager of National League South clubHemel Hempstead Town on an interim basis until the end of the season.[16] He departed the club on 15 April 2024 with one match of the season remaining.[17]
In August 2025, Dowson joined National League clubAldershot Town as a first-team coach.[18] On 14 October 2025, following the resignation of managerTommy Widdrington, he was put in joint-caretaker charge alongside Hugo Langton.[19]
On 8 December 2025, Dowson returned to Hampton & Richmond Borough for his second spell as manager.[20]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Hampton & Richmond Borough | 14 September 2014 | 16 May 2018 | 183 | 84 | 53 | 46 | 045.9 | [21] |
| Woking | 16 May 2018 | 28 February 2022 | 175 | 69 | 34 | 72 | 039.4 | [21] |
| Dartford | 31 May 2022 | 11 January 2024 | 84 | 39 | 15 | 30 | 046.4 | [21] |
| Hemel Hempstead Town (interim) | 7 March 2024 | 15 April 2024 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 010.0 | [21] |
| Aldershot Town (caretaker) | 14 October 2025 | 24 October 2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 000.0 | [21] |
| Hampton & Richmond Borough | 8 December 2025 | Present | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 025.0 | [21] |
| Total | 458 | 194 | 106 | 158 | 042.4 | |||