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Fullname: Ebenezer Harold Fuller Owers
aka: Ebenezer Owers, Ginger Owers, Ginger, Ebb Owers
Born: 21 Oct 1888
Died: June 1951
Birthplace: Leytonstone, Essex
Signed: 6 Dec 1913 (loan from Clyde)
Left: 12 May 1914 (back to Clyde)
Position: Centre-forward
Debut: Celtic 3-0 Third Lanark, League, 6 Dec 1913 (and scored once)
Internationals: none
Biog
Ebenezer Owers was brought to Celtic in December 1913 and handed the unenviable task of replacing the great Jimmy Quinn. He was a punchy centre forward at 5ft 10″ and weighed 11.5 stone (approx 73kg).
Prior to Celtic, he had been a sensation down south with Chesterfield Town and Bristol City, with a phenomenal goal scoring record for both, scoring 40 goals in 41 games in season 1909-10 for Chesterfield Town in the league.
Owers moved to Parkhead on loan from Clyde where he had dropped out of the first team picture. Despite this, Celtic manager Willie Maley believed Owers could do well leading the Celtic front line. He is reported to have said that on being given a chance with Celtic that: “I felt like doing the tango!“.
He certainly made a good start by scoring on his debut as Celtic defeated Third Lanark 3-0 in a league clash at Parkhead on 6th December 1913.
Probably his greatest performance was in a 6-0 win over Ayr in the league, where he scored four goals. Although this haul did skew his records for his goal-scoring prowess.
He continued to net frequently in the league as Celtic took the championship but a poor performance in the Scottish Cup final at Ibrox against Hibs saw him dropped for the replay which Celtic won to seal the double, Celtic’s last for 40 years.
He later returned to Clyde, perhaps prematurely.
By then Owers had scored a highly praiseworthy 11 goals in 16 league & Scottish Cup appearances, and Celtic never actually lost one of those games he played in.
He was competing with Jimmy McColl, who was unsurprisingly preferred as McColl was an exceptional player and no easy challenge. However, Owers still had an excellent record himself so he was very unlucky in some ways on how it turned out, although Clyde were likely very happy to see him return with his record. He repaid Clyde’s faith in him by scoring v Celtic in a return match for Clyde against Celtic in a benefit game for Clyde’s John Gilligan. He was to also rediscover some form with Clyde towards the end of the 1913/14 season.
Owers may not have won a medal with Celtic in the Scottish Cup (as he lost his place for the final replay) but he did help Celtic win the 1913/14 league championship in what was to be Celtic’s last League & Cup double season for forty seasons, so a proud and notable achievement.
The First World War was to begin soon, and life in Scotland, England & Ireland was to never be the same again.
Owers went on to serve in the Sportsmans’ Battalion in the First World War but sadly a war wound finished his playing career. It is possibly a cruel irony that if he had remained in Scotland he could have avoided armed service if he had moved permanently to Celtic; this was as Celtic (like various other clubs) had worked to retain the bulk of its squad players during the war, albeit many Celts had to serve in heavy industry for the war effort or had later gone on to join the forces on the frontline. We will never know.
He passed away in June 1951.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1913-14 | 13 | 3 | n/a | n/a | 16 |
| Goals: | 10 | 1 | – | – | 11 |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish League
Scottish Cup
Pictures
Links
From “An Alphabet of the Celts” by McBride et al
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 about Ebenezer Owers
Name:Ebenezer Owers
Regiment or Corps:23rd Royal Fusiliers, 23rd Royal Fusiliers
Regimental number:1291, GS/47758
From: http://vintagefootballers.com/product/owers-ebenezer-image-1-clyde-1913/
Leytonstone, Essex born centre forward Ebenezer “Ginger” Owers played junior football forBashford in 1904 andLeytonstone in 1905 before joining Southern League Leyton in 1906. In the 1907 close season he transferred to Second Division Blackpool making his Football League debut at Stockport County that September, but the same November he transferred to West Bromwich Albion after 3 goals in 9 appearances for The Seasiders. However he made only 4 scoreless appearances for The Baggies over the remainder of the season, and left The Hawthorns to join Chesterfield Town early in 1909. His spell with The Spireites produced 3 goals in 15 League appearances before Chesterfield Town dropped into the Midland League for 1909-10 and won the Midland League Championship. Owers made 41 appearances scoring 40 goals including a club record run of scoring in 10 consecutive Midland League games, a spell broken by injury although he was fit enough to act as linesman in the game that he missed. Only Jimmy Cookson in 1925-26 with 44 goals has scored more goals in a single season for Chesterfield than Ginger. He returned to Football League action with First Division Bristol City in July 1910, where he undoubtedly had the most successful spell of his career scoring a goal every other game. He top scored with 16 goals in 32 appearances during 1910-11, and even though his goals couldn’t save The Robins from relegation. He was called into the England squad in February 1911, but was a non playing reserve against Ireland at The Baseball Ground, Derby, and never won a cap for his country. Owers then joined Darlington in July 1911 and scored 19 goals in the North Eastern League in season 1911-12 as Darlington finished in 3rd place. Owers netted hat-tricks against Carlisle United in a 7-1 thrashing and at Wallsend Park Villa in a 5-2 win. He also scored all four goals in a 4-1 win at Jarrow on 30th December 1911. Owers returned to Bristol City again in March 1912., he was again their top scorer in 1912-13 when he notched 13 times including 4 against Stockport County in a 7-2 home victory in January 1913. The same summer he joined Scottish League Clyde after 32 goals in 64 appearances for The Babes, and he stayed with Clyde until his retirement besides a spell on loan at Celtic in 1913-14, having struggled initially at Clyde. He joined Celtic in December 1913,scoring on his debut as Celtic defeated Third Lanark 3-0 in a League clash at Parkhead on December 6th.Probably his greatest performance was the 6-0 League win over Ayr, where he scored four goals. Although this haul did skew his records for his goal-scoring prowess, his total for Celtic was hence 11 from 16 appearances.He continued to net frequently in the League as Celtic took the League Championship but a poor performance in the Scottish Cup Final at Ibrox against Hibernian in a match that finished 0-0 saw him dropped for the replay, which Celtic won 4-1, and he later returned to Clyde, scoring 9 goals in 26 appearances through to 1915. Owers went on to serve in The Sportsmans’ Battalion in the First World War but a War wound finished his playing career.