Biography
Scottish inside forward Johnny Downie joined Hull City in July 1954 as manager Bob Jackson assembled a squad to climb out of the Second Division and complete the job started by his predecessor Raich Carter five years earlier. Downie slotted into the inside right position vacated by the injured Syd Gerrie and in late August he opened his City goal account with a brace at home to Lincoln City, and 4-0 win that left City in the top six. Downie scored his third City goal in a late October 5-2 win against Notts County, and followed up with another goal a week later at Liverpool. However that Liverpool game was the first of 10 winless League fixtures that saw the Tigers hurtle down the table. In February Downie was withdrawn to a wing half role but that did not halt the decline in City’s form and Jackson was given leave of absence in mid-March to be replaced by Bob Brocklebank. Two wins in April 1955 were enough to save City from relegation, but by that time Brocklebank had dropped Downie, and Johnny left the Tigers in the 1955 close season.
John Dennis Downie was born in Lanark in central Scotland, his teenage years were dominated by World War Two. He came to prominence at 17 playing for the Lanark Air Training Corps XI and signed amateur terms with Bradford Park Avenue in 1942, moving to Yorkshire. He was quickly conscripted to become a Bevin Boy, working a miner at Fryston Colliery near Castleford and playing football for the colliery team alongside post-war England international forward Len Shackleton. In 1944 Downie returned to Bradford Park Avenue and turned professional, between 1946 and 1949 Johnny scored 33 times in 86 starts and his form in 1948/49 season encouraged First Division Manchester United to pay £18,000 for his services in March 1949.
Downie scored on his Manchester United debut, then netted five goals in 12 starts during the remainder of the 1948/49 season. He was the Red Devils’ first choice inside forward for much of the next three seasons, scoring 28 goals including 11 in 1951/52 season when United lifted the First Division title and the Charity Shield – in the latter, Downie scored in a 4-2 win over Newcastle United. In 1952/53 Downie played only 23 times for Manchester United as a number of young and talented players – the Busby Babes – came to prominence. When Downie left Old Trafford in July 1953 he had scored 37 times in 116 appearances. Johnny joined Luton Town for a £10,000 fee and scored 12 times in 26 league appearances during the 1953/54 season, including a hattrick on his Hatters’ debut.
Downie dropped into the non-league scene in the 1955 season, spending two seasons at King’s Lynn although Hull City retained his Football league registration and couldn’t agree a deal for Downie to join Rotherham United in July 1956. After switched to Wisbech Town in september 1957, Downie eventually returned to the Football League in October 1958 and played a season at Mansfield Town then spent 1959/60 season at Darlington. Downie then saw out his playing days on the Manchester non-league scene, hanging up his boots in 1962. After football Johnny had a newsagent’s business in Bradford before retiring in the 1980s to Tynemouth near Newcastle, where he died in February 2013.
Details
Nationality: Scotland
Date/Place of Birth: 19 July 1925, Lanark
Hull City First Game: 21 August 1954, Leeds United H (Division Two), 29 years, 33 days old
Hull City Final Game: 11 April 1955, Bury H (Division Two), 29 years, 266 days old
Clubs
Bradford Park Avenue (1944-1949), Manchester United (1949-1953), Luton Town (1953-1954), Hull City (1954-1955), King’s Lynn (1955-1957), Wisbech Town (1957-1958), Mansfield Town (1958-1959), Darlington (1959-1960), Hyde United (1960-1961), Mossley (1961), Stalybridge Celtic (1961-1962)
Hull City Record
Career: 28 apps, 5 goals
Johnny Downie| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954/55 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |