This morning the Supporters’ Trust have sent out the following message to members;-
“Dear Member,
As you may know former City stalwart Jason Bowen has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. In order to raise funds to support the ongoing cost of Jason’s treatment the Club are organising a bucket collection prior to kick off of the Reading home game on 17th February. The club are looking for volunteers to assist with the collection. If you would like to help out please meet at the Fred Keenor Statue at 6pm.
Alternatively, contributions can be made directly to Jason’s GoFundMe page a link to which can be found below
https://www.gofundme.com/f/jason-bowens-motor-neurone-disease-treatment
Keith Morgan
Chair”
I’m putting the message on here for readers who are not Trust members and had not been aware of the news of Jason’s diagnosis with this awful condition which broke last week.
As someone who is firmly in the give ex players space camp, I’ve never met Jason, but have often seen him down the years at Academy and Under 21s games watching his son’s Jaye and Sam playing for City – he was a great servant to the club and deserves the support of all City fans at this difficult time, I hope you can make a contribution either on Friday night or via the GoFundMe page above,
Besides City, Birmingham were one of five other clubs Jason played for in a career which also saw him win two full caps for Wales (a figure which doesn’t really reflect the level of ability he had) and tomorrow we meet his former club at St Andrews – it would be good if the bluenoses could recognise their former player on the night in some way given the recent news about him.
Here’s the usual seven questions quiz on upcoming opponents with the answers to be put on here on Wednesday.
60s. Born in Treherbert, this winger only played two league games for City during this decade and one of them, his last for the club, was against Birmingham, can you name him?
70s. Starting off with a club from his birthplace nicknamed the Real Reds, this defender moved to a seat of learning before breaking into the Football League for seven years during which he always wore blue – first for league title winners from a few years earlier. However a falling out with a footballing Knight signalled a move to Birmingham where he was more of a squad member during his two years with the club, but two of his league appearances came against City. He may have worn blue for his league clubs, but it was a different colour for his country – his sole under 23 cap came in his country’s first game at that level and, unusually for that time, there were three amateur caps to go with his seventeen full ones. On leaving Birmingham, he wore proper red again as player manager, before a single appearance at Lissywollen in the same capacity – who am I referring to?
80s. Revise CV at midday to end up with Birmingham centreback (5,7)
90s. There’s a connection between the Fred Astaire song Puttin on the Ritz and Birmingham’s third tier title win in 94/95, what is it?
00s. This talented winger played for sixteen different clubs starting at a holy man’s residence before downsizing and taking in temporary residence in a dip and then at St Andrews where he turned out for Birmingham against us. He next moved to Turkey, but returned to England without playing a game for spells on the Golden Mile and then among kings. After that he was finished with the UK. Cyrpus and Spain were among his stops before he changed continents to play in the country he won twenty one caps for and much of the closing stages of his career was spent in France, who is he?
10s. During his playing career, it was all about the letter “B” for this one time Birmingham winger, now he’s in management, he’s moved on to the letter “C” – who?
20s. Middle eastern tribute band for, mainly, 80s Mancunian rockers?
Answers:
60.s Brian Jenkins played thirty five times in all competitions for City, scoring ten goals in the process. The large majority of his appearances came in the fifties, but he did play in the First Division for us in his last league game for the club – a 2-1 defeat at St. Andrews in April 1961. Jenkins left City a couple of months later and signed for Exeter where he was a first team regular for a couple of years before a short spell at Bristol Rovers – after that, he played for Merthyr for many years.
70s. Dublin born Tommy Carroll started off his career with Shelbourne before moving to England to play for Cambridge City. Ipswich then came in for him and he was part of Bill McGarry’s team that won promotion to the First Division in 1968, but a falling out with McGarry’s replacement Bobby Robson saw Carroll sign for Birmingham where he played twice against City during the 71/72 season. Carroll returned to Shelbourne in 1973 and played once for Athlone Town before retiring from the game.
80s. Vince Overson.
90s. Academy award winning actor Gary Cooper (super duper) appears in the lyrics of Puttin on the Ritz and his namesake was a regular in the Birmingham side that won the title in what I still call the Third Division in 94/95.
00s. Hameur Bouazza started his career with Watford and, after a loan spell at Swindon, moved to Fulham, then Charlton on another loan, he was also temporarily a Birmingham player and appeared in the 1-1 draw with City at St. Andrews in January 2009. Bouazza’s final two English clubs were Blackpool and Millwall. Although French born, Bouazza’s international football was played for Algeria.
10s. Wade Elliott played for Bashley, Bournemouth, Burnley, Birmingham and then Bristol City, now he manages Cheltenham Town.
20s. Jordan James.