Peter Downsborough
Encyclopedia
Peter Downsborough is a retired goalkeeper
.
A Centre Forward as a schoolboy, he transferred into the role of goalkeeper after deputising for an injured team mate during a school match.
Downsborough made his League debut for his local side Halifax Town just before his 17th birthday and went on to play in 148 games in total before being signed for Swindon Town
by Danny Williams.
He made his Swindon debut in the first game of the 1965/66 season, keeping a clean sheet against local rivals Oxford United
at the County Ground
. His confidence in his abilities and great positional strength were his most admirable qualities.
With his assistance, Swindon made it to the 1969 League Cup Final against Arsenal
at Wembley Stadium
. Widely regarded by players and press as his finest moment, Downsborough pulled off save after save and prevented the higher division club from scoring for 86 minutes.
An error in the 86th minute of the game saw Arsenal equalise through a Bobby Gould
header, Downsborough attempted to clear the ball from the edge of the penalty area
only to kick it against the Arsenal player and launch the ball into the air. Gould calmly followed the ball's progress and scored easily.
Swindon beat Arsenal
against the odds in extra time and Downsborough was voted Town Player of the Year by the supporters.
He asked to be placed on the transfer list in 1972 believing that players such as himself who had been at the club a long time were not being rewarded as well as newcomers. Current manager Les Allen dropped him from the team as a result and eventually loaned out to Brighton and Hove Albion for 3 games, he returned to Swindon team for the final 13 games of the 1972/73 season to help the side avoid relegation.
He was transferred to Bradford City before the start of the 1973/74 season and made 225 appearances before retiring in 1978. He kept a clean-sheet in his final game for the club, a 6-0 victory against Crewe Alexandra
.
In 1999 he had returned to his home town of Halifax and was working as a school caretaker.
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
.
A Centre Forward as a schoolboy, he transferred into the role of goalkeeper after deputising for an injured team mate during a school match.
Downsborough made his League debut for his local side Halifax Town just before his 17th birthday and went on to play in 148 games in total before being signed for Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
by Danny Williams.
He made his Swindon debut in the first game of the 1965/66 season, keeping a clean sheet against local rivals Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
at the County Ground
County Ground, Swindon
The County Ground is a stadium located near the town centre of Swindon, England. It is home to Swindon Town Football Club and has been for over a century.The current capacity is 15,728, all-seated...
. His confidence in his abilities and great positional strength were his most admirable qualities.
With his assistance, Swindon made it to the 1969 League Cup Final against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. Widely regarded by players and press as his finest moment, Downsborough pulled off save after save and prevented the higher division club from scoring for 86 minutes.
"for quarter of an hour it was Downsborough versus Arsenal and Downsborough won." Geoffrey GreenGeoffrey GreenGeoffrey Green was a distinguished English football writer.Geoffrey Green was educated at Shrewsbury School, where he played football to a high standard. He started writing for The Times in the 1930s when football was not afforded much respectability among the paper's traditional readership...
- The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
"During the 90 minutes even the most die-hard Swindon fans would have agreed we deserved an equaliser, We hit the woodwork and Peter Downsborough was just unbelievable. I had quite a lot of saves to make but not like he had." Bob Wilson - Arsenal goalkeeper
"Downsborough was absolutely unbelievable that day and saved just about everything we threw at him." Frank McLintockFrank McLintockFrancis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
- Arsenal centre-half
"On the occasions they did find gaps in the Town rearguard, their efforts were not good enough to beat goalkeeper Downsborough, who was in superb form.
Time and again he leapt out to punch away dangerous corner kicks, and two of his saves from direct shots were breathtaking" Clive King - Swindon AdvertiserSwindon AdvertiserThe Swindon Advertiser is a daily tabloid newspaper, published in Swindon. The newspaper was founded in 1854, and had a circulation in 2006 of 22,321....
An error in the 86th minute of the game saw Arsenal equalise through a Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
header, Downsborough attempted to clear the ball from the edge of the penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
only to kick it against the Arsenal player and launch the ball into the air. Gould calmly followed the ball's progress and scored easily.
"It was my fault. I take the blame for it. I started to come off my line and then stopped. As the ball came to me I was late on it and kicked it straight at Bobby's foot. I was on the floor, the ball rebounded over my head and left Bobby with an easy header into the empty net. I remember wishing that the ground would open up and swallow me. I thought to myself that the one mistake could have cost us the League Cup. After all that hard work in 90 minutes of football it could have been my one moment of madness that cost Swindon the trophy. I could not believe that I had done a thing like that." Peter Downsborough
Swindon beat Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
against the odds in extra time and Downsborough was voted Town Player of the Year by the supporters.
He asked to be placed on the transfer list in 1972 believing that players such as himself who had been at the club a long time were not being rewarded as well as newcomers. Current manager Les Allen dropped him from the team as a result and eventually loaned out to Brighton and Hove Albion for 3 games, he returned to Swindon team for the final 13 games of the 1972/73 season to help the side avoid relegation.
He was transferred to Bradford City before the start of the 1973/74 season and made 225 appearances before retiring in 1978. He kept a clean-sheet in his final game for the club, a 6-0 victory against Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
.
In 1999 he had returned to his home town of Halifax and was working as a school caretaker.
Swindon Town Career
| Season | Team | League Apps | League Goals | Cup Apps | Cup Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-73 | Swindon Town | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1971-72 | Swindon Town | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1970-71 | Swindon Town | 31 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1969-70 | Swindon Town | 42 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1968-69 | Swindon Town | 46 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| 1967-68 | Swindon Town | 27 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1966-67 | Swindon Town | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1965-66 | Swindon Town | 42 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
External links
- Player Profile - Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk