David Anthony Lowe (born 30 August 1965 in Liverpool) is an English former footballer. He made almost 600 appearances in the Football League in a career spanning seventeen years.

[edit] Playing career

Lowe began his career as an apprentice at Wigan Athletic on a recommendation by his teacher from his school league days to then Wigan manager Harry McNally. Subsequently, Lowe made his first-team debut in October 1982 against Reading. In 1985, Lowe would score in the Freight Rover Trophy Final with a spectacular overhead kick to help his team win the match 3-1.

In June 1987, after playing 188 League games for Wigan, Lowe made the transfer to Ipswich Town for £80,000, making his debut for them in the 1987-88 season. He would go on to become the club's leading scorer for that campaign and again in 1989-90, but was loaned out to Port Vale in 1992. In July of that year, Lowe signed for Leicester City for £250,000. In a pre-season friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach, one of his first games for the club, he broke his cheekbone. However he would become a regular first team player at Leicester, he also spent February to May of 1994 on loan with Port Vale once again.^[1] Upon his return he was a first team regular until March 1996, when he re-signed for Wigan Athletic for £125,000.

In 1996-97, Lowe celebrated his 300th league game for the club and his goal in the final game of the season would secure the Third Division title and promotion to Division Two. The following season he would break the club's individual goalscoring record, his 60th goal to surpass Peter Houghton's tally coming in a 5-1 defeat of Burnley. After collecting the club's supporters' and Player of the Year trophies, Lowe was plagued by injuries and was released by Wigan in June 1999. Lowe made the move to Wrexham, where he was offered a player-coach role. In 2000, he spent a loan spell at non-league Rushden & Diamonds where, after netting four goals, he decided to retire as a player.

[edit] Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Lowe worked for the Professional Footballers' Association until 2002, when he joined Wigan Athletic under former team-mate Paul Jewell.^[2] A fully qualified coach, Lowe fulfilled various roles at Wigan before following Jewell to Derby County and becoming Head of the Youth Academy at the club. Following the departure of Jewell and prior to the arrival of new manager Nigel Clough, Lowe was placed in temporary charge of solitary game in January 2009, where his Derby team beat Manchester United 1-0 in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final at Pride Park Stadium.^[3] He left the club on 21 April 2009.

[edit] Honours

with Wigan Athletic

• Football League Trophy winner: 1985
• Football League Third Division champion: 1996-97

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• David Lowe career stats at Soccerbase