| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ian Joseph Towers[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1940-10-11)11 October 1940[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Consett, England | ||
| Date of death | 25 January 2015(2015-01-25) (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Cape Town, South Africa | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1957 | Burnley | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1966 | Burnley | 44 | (12) |
| 1966–1968 | Oldham Athletic | 95 | (45) |
| 1968–1970 | Bury | 49 | (7) |
| 1971–1972 | Cape Town City | ||
| Hellenic | |||
| Total | 188 | (64) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1977 | Glenville | ||
| 1978 | Greenpoint | ||
| 1979–1981 | Bellville City | ||
| 1982–1985 | Hellenic | ||
| 1985–1992 | Bellville City | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ian Joseph Towers (11 October 1940 – 25 January 2015) was an English professionalfootballer who played as aforward inthe Football League forBurnley,Oldham Athletic andBury and in South Africa forCape Town City andHellenic. He also went on to manage in South Africa with Glenville, Greenpoint, Bellville City andHellenic.[2]
Born in Blackhill,Consett,County Durham, Towers started his career withBurnley joining the club as a schoolboy before signing professional terms with the club in October 1957.[3] He made his debut for the club in April 1961 in a 1–0 win overBirmingham City, and went on to make ten appearances in the 1961–62 season.[2] He played in the last five of seven games of the season but was left out of the1962 FA Cup Final defeat toTottenham Hotspur, being named as twelfth man.[2] He started to break into the side during the 1964–65 season, playing in half of the games on the left wing, competing for places withRalph Coates andJohnny Price.[2] The 1965–66 season saw the introduction of substitutes in English football, and Towers made history becoming Burnley's first substitute when he replacedWillie Irvine in a 2–2 draw againstArsenal in August 1965.[2] His final game for the club came in September 1965, in a 4–0 win overDoncaster Rovers atBelle Vue.[2] In total he made 51 appearances for the Clarets scoring 14 goals in all competitions.[2] In January 1966 he moved toFootball League Third Division sideOldham Athletic for £20,000.[2] He made his debut for the club in a 1–0 defeat toShrewsbury Town and went on to score a brace in his next game againstOxford United.[4] In his second season for the club he played in every league game, scoring 27 goals to keep Oldham in the Third Division.[4] He made a total of 95 league appearances for Oldham scoring 45 goals before he joinedFootball League Second Division sideBury in 1968.[5] He couldn't stop Bury from getting relegated in his first season with the club, but he went on to make 52 appearances for the Shakers, scoring 7 goals before emigrating to South Africa in 1970.[5] In 1971, he signed forNational Football League sideCape Town City, where he went to play two seasons later joiningHellenic before his career was cut short by injury.[2] In 1973, he was appointed assistant manager at Cape Town City, where he held that position for two years. He managed South African sides Glenville, Greenpoint, Bellville City andHellenic between 1977 and 1992, and was later youth coach and scout for many years atSeven Stars andAjax Cape Town.[6]
Towers died on 25 January 2015 at the age of 74, inCape Town, South Africa, leaving behind his wife Pat and their two sons and daughters.[7]