Leicester City In 100 Players: Arthur Rowley

The fantastic strength of his left-footed shot earned him the nickname ‘The Gunner’. Born in 1926, in Wolverhampton, Arthur signed for West Bromwich Albion in 1946.

He made 24 appearances for the Baggies, but only scored four goals. In December 1948, he was sold to Fulham. There was an immediate transformation. He promptly scored 19 goals in 22 games for the Cottagers, who went on to win the Second Division title. However, Fulham struggled in the First Division, with Rowley only scoring eight goals in the 1949/1950 season. 

In June 1950, he moved to Second Division side Leicester for a fee of £14,000. In his first four years at Filbert Street, Rowley scored 143 league and cup goals. His first 100 goals came in only 122 games. His seasonal league totals in his first four years at Leicester City were 28, 38 (breaking Arthur Chandler’s Club record), 39 and 30. 

In his fourth season (1953/54), Leicester City became Second Division champions. Although Leicester were relegated after one season, Arthur still scored 23 goals. In the first season back in the Second Division, Arthur netted another 35 league and cup goals. He was also on target for the England ‘B’ side against Switzerland.

In the following season (1956/1957), he broke the Club’s goalscoring seasonal record for a third time by netting an incredible 44 goals in 42 games, as Leicester City went on to win the Second Division title again. 

In the top division, in what turned out to be Arthur’s last season at Leicester, he scored 20 goals in 25 games. Towards the end of that season, Leicester City signed Northampton Town’s prolific goalscorer Ken Leek. Two months later, Arthur left Filbert Street to become player-manager at Shrewsbury Town, who were just about to enter the newly- formed Fourth Division. 

Rowley’s 265 league and cup goals in 321 games for Leicester City included 16 hat-tricks and a Club record 41 penalties. He fell eight goals short of Arthur Chandler’s Club record total of 273 league and cup goals, but Chandler had played 98 more games than Rowley to achieve his total. 

Rowley died in 2002, aged 76. The Rowley Suite at King Power Stadium is named in his honour.