{{short description|English footballer and manager}} {{use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Ian Towers | fullname = Ian Joseph Towers<ref name="PFA">{{cite book | editor-last = Hugman | editor-first = Barry J. | title = The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005 | year = 2005 | publisher = Queen Anne Press | location = Harpenden | isbn = 978-1-85291-665-7}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date|1940|10|11|df=y}}<ref name="PFA"/> | birth_place = Consett, England | death_date = {{death date and age|2015|1|25|1940|10|11|df=y}} | death_place = Cape Town, South Africa | position = Forward | youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1957 | youthclubs1 = Burnley | years1 = 1957–1966 | clubs1 = Burnley | caps1 = 44 | goals1 = 12 | years2 = 1966–1968 | clubs2 = Oldham Athletic | caps2 = 95 | goals2 = 45 | years3 = 1968–1970 | clubs3 = Bury | caps3 = 49 | goals3 = 7 | years4 = 1971–1972 | clubs4 = Cape Town City | caps4 = | goals4 = | years5 = | clubs5 = Hellenic | caps5 = | goals5 = | totalcaps = 188 | totalgoals = 64 | manageryears1 = 1977 | managerclubs1 = Glenville | manageryears2 = 1978 | managerclubs2 = Greenpoint | manageryears3 = 1979–1981 | managerclubs3 = Bellville City | manageryears4 = 1982–1985 | managerclubs4 = Hellenic | manageryears5 = 1985–1992 | managerclubs5 = Bellville City }}
'''Ian Joseph Towers''' (11 October 1940 – 25 January 2015) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Burnley, Oldham Athletic and Bury and in South Africa for Cape Town City and Hellenic. He also went on to manage in South Africa with Glenville, Greenpoint, Bellville City and Hellenic.<ref name="Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away">{{cite news | title = Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away | url = http://www.clarets-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/burnleys_first_substitute_ian_towers_passes_away_852402/index.shtml | publisher = Clarets-mad | date = 25 January 2015 | accessdate = 7 February 2015}}</ref>
==Career== Born in Blackhill, Consett, County Durham, Towers started his career with Burnley joining the club as a schoolboy before signing professional terms with the club in October 1957.<ref name="Ian Towers 1940 - 2015">{{cite news | title = Ian Towers 1940–2015 | url = http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/news/article/ian-towers-1940-2015-2226373.aspx | publisher = Burnley F.C. | date = 26 January 2015 | accessdate = 7 February 2015 | archive-date = 3 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215435/http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/news/article/ian-towers-1940-2015-2226373.aspx | url-status = dead }}</ref> He made his debut for the club in April 1961 in a 1–0 win over Birmingham City, and went on to make ten appearances in the 1961–62 season.<ref name="Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away"/> He played in the last five of seven games of the season but was left out of the 1962 FA Cup Final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, being named as twelfth man.<ref name="Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away"/> 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 with Ralph Coates and Johnny Price.<ref name="Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away"/> The 1965–66 season saw the introduction of substitutes in English football, and Towers made history becoming Burnley's first substitute when he replaced Willie Irvine in a 2–2 draw against Arsenal in August 1965.<ref name="Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away"/> His final game for the club came in September 1965, in a 4–0 win over Doncaster Rovers at Belle Vue.<ref name="Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away"/> In total he made 51 appearances for the Clarets scoring 14 goals in all competitions.<ref name="Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away"/> In January 1966 he moved to Football League Third Division side Oldham Athletic for £20,000.<ref name="Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away"/> He made his debut for the club in a 1–0 defeat to Shrewsbury Town and went on to score a brace in his next game against Oxford United.<ref name="Ian Towers: 1940-2015">{{cite news | title = Ian Towers: 1940–2015 | url = http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/article/ian-towers-1940-2015-2226924.aspx | publisher = Oldham Athletic A.F.C. | date = 26 January 2015 | accessdate = 7 February 2015}}</ref> In his second season for the club he played in every league game, scoring 27 goals to keep Oldham in the Third Division.<ref name="Ian Towers: 1940-2015"/> He made a total of 95 league appearances for Oldham scoring 45 goals before he joined Football League Second Division side Bury in 1968.<ref name="Ian Towers">{{cite news | title = Ian Towers | url = http://mobile.buryfc.co.uk/news/article/ian-towers-2228956.aspx | publisher = Bury F.C. | date = 27 January 2015 | accessdate = 7 February 2015 | archive-date = 7 February 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150207161655/http://mobile.buryfc.co.uk/news/article/ian-towers-2228956.aspx | url-status = dead }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Ian Towers"/> In 1971, he signed for National Football League side Cape Town City, where he went to play two seasons later joining Hellenic before his career was cut short by injury.<ref name="Burnley's first substitute Ian Towers passes away"/> 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 and Hellenic between 1977 and 1992, and was later youth coach and scout for many years at Seven Stars and Ajax Cape Town.<ref name="RIP Ian Towers">{{cite news | title = RIP Ian Towers | url = http://www.kickoff.com/news/52211/rest-in-peace-ian-towers | publisher = Kick Off | date = 26 January 2015 | accessdate = 7 February 2015}}</ref>
==Death== Towers died on 25 January 2015 at the age of 74, in Cape Town, South Africa, leaving behind his wife Pat and their two sons and daughters.<ref name="Ex-Claret Ian Towers dies">{{cite news | title = Ex-Claret Ian Towers dies | url = http://www.pendletoday.co.uk/news/local/ex-claret-ian-towers-dies-1-7071177 | publisher = Pendle Today | date = 26 January 2015 | accessdate = 7 February 2015}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Sources== *{{NeilBrownPlayers|player/iantowers}}. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Towers, Ian}} Category:1940 births Category:2015 deaths Category:Footballers from Consett Category:English men's footballers Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Burnley F.C. players Category:Bury F.C. players Category:Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:Cape Town City F.C. (1960) players Category:Hellenic F.C. players Category:National Football League (South Africa) players Category:20th-century English sportsmen