Anthony William "Tony" Lowery (born 6 July 1961) is a retired English footballer who spent most of his professional career as a midfielder at Mansfield Town

Mansfield Town F.C.

Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...

.

Lowery, a native of Wallsend

Wallsend

Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...

, Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, began his professional career in March 1981, when he was signed by West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion F.C.

West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...

 from non-league Ashington

Ashington A.F.C.

Ashington A.F.C. is an English non-league football club from Ashington, Northumberland, currently playing in the Northern League Division One. The team, nicknamed "The Colliers", play their home matches at Woodhorn Lane....

. However, he only played once for the Baggies, and also had a short loan spell at neighbours Walsall

Walsall F.C.

Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...

. In April 1983, he was allowed to join Mansfield Town on a free transfer, and he made his debut for the Stags on 7 May 1983 against Peterborough United

Peterborough United F.C.

Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...

.

Through the next five years, Lowery was almost ever-present in Mansfield's lineup, playing 40 or more league matches each season. He was noted for his work-rate and consistency in central midfield, and was a key member of the side that won promotion from Division Four in 1985-86

1985-86 in English football

The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...

, and won the Freight Rover Trophy

Football League Trophy

The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...

 in 1987.

By 1988-89

1988-89 in English football

The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...

, injuries had started to take their toll, and Lowery only played sporadically in his final seasons at Field Mill

Field Mill

Field Mill is a multi-use stadium in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.It is currently occupied by its main tenant, Mansfield Town.The stadium has a capacity of around 10,000 when fully open, but due to the Bishop Street Stand being closed and safety restrictions, the ground currently holds less...

. In September 1990, he was loaned to Walsall for the second time in his career, and in the summer of 1991, Mansfield manager George Foster

George Foster (footballer)

George Walter Foster is a retired English footballer and manager, who spent the majority of his career at Plymouth Argyle and Mansfield Town...

 decided not to offer Lowery a new contract. When he left the club, Lowery had played 317 first-team games for Mansfield and scored 27 goals.

After leaving Mansfield, Lowery had a short spell at Carlisle United

Carlisle United F.C.

Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....

 before returning to his native North East

North East England

North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...

, where he joined non-league Gateshead

Gateshead F.C.

Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.Ian Bogie is the current manager....

, and later became assistant manager at Blyth Spartans. Since 1995, he has been manager of Bedlington Terriers

Bedlington Terriers F.C.

Bedlington Terriers F.C. are a football club based in Bedlington, England. They were established in 1949 and joined the Northern Alliance in 1980 and joined the Northern League when it expanded to two divisions 3 years later...

, alongside Keith Perry.