John Rowland (footballer, born 1941)

John Douglas Rowland (7 April 1941 – November 2020) was an English footballer who was known for his powerful 'hammer shot'. A forward, he scored 62 goals in 250 league games in a nine-year career in the Football League.

He began his career at Nottingham Forest in 1960 before being sold on to Port Vale for £6,000 in August 1962. In September 1966, he was sold to Mansfield Town for £6,500. Two years later he joined Tranmere Rovers before going into Northern Irish and non-League football with Derry City, South Shields, Linfield and Coleraine. Port Vale announced his death on 20 November 2020.

Nottingham Forest
Rowland played for Ironville Amateurs before joining First Division side Nottingham Forest in 1960. He played 26 league games under Andy Beattie in 1960–61 and 1961–62, scoring three goals. He also represented England youth level. However, he fell out with Beattie after questioning the manager's tactical ability.

Port Vale
Rowland was signed by Port Vale manager Norman Low for £6,000 in August 1962. Low was quickly replaced by Freddie Steele, and Rowland took a while to blend into the team, though he scored seven goals in 41 games in 1962–63. He scored just four goals in 28 games in the 1963–64 campaign and played in the FA Cup victory over Birmingham City and 0–0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. He found his form by September 1964, and hit five goals in 43 games in 1964–65 under new manager Jackie Mudie, though this was not enough to prevent the "Valiants" slipping into the Fourth Division.

He was then moved from right-wing to centre-forward and scored 23 goals in 46 games in the 1965–66 season to become the club's top scorer; he managed to equal Basil Hayward's club record of scoring in eight consecutive games from 1 September to 4 October. In September 1966, he was sold to Tommy Cummings' Mansfield Town for £6,500. He had made 166 appearances (149 in the league) and scored 43 goals (40 in the league) for the Vale. He was happy to stay at Vale Park, but Vale director Tommy Talbot advised him to take the move as the club were desperately short of funds.

Later career
The "Stags" finished ninth in the Third Division in 1966–67, though they only avoided relegation in 1967–68 under Tommy Eggleston after Peterborough United were hit with a 19-point deduction. In two seasons at Field Mill, Rowland made 53 appearances in all competitions, scoring 16 goals. He played for Tranmere Rovers in 1968–69, playing 26 league games and scoring three goals under Dave Russell's stewardship. However, he did not enjoy his time at Tranmere playing on the slanted Prenton Park pitch. He turned out for Derry City after being recruited by former Port Vale teammate Jimmy Hill. He left Derry after the club quit the Irish League during The Troubles. He then dropped into non-League football with Northern Premier League side South Shields, whilst working as a sales representative for Ben Sherman. He later played for Linfield and Coleraine, before returning to South Shields. After leaving Ben Sherman, he went on to work for Rolls-Royce in Derby.

Style of play
Rowland could play as a forward or winger and was able to kick with either foot. He was noted for his powerful shooting. One shot of his shots was so powerful as to break the wrist of a player.

Career statistics
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