goals in 30 league games to ensure that the team finished high enough for a place in the newly formed FA Premier League. His good form continued in the 1992–93 season, despite the loss of Shearer, as he scored 11 league goals. His tally dropped to five goals in 39 games during the 1993–94 season, though the club avoided relegation again, and he managed another five goals from 17 league games in the 1994–95 season before manager Alan Ball decided that he wanted younger partners for Le Tissier in attack, signing Gordon Watson and Neil Shipperley while dropping Craig Maskell and selling Dowie to Crystal Palace for £400,000 on 13 January 1995. His spell at Palace was a frustrating one; he was cup-tied for the League Cup semi-finals against Liverpool, and Palace reached the FA Cup semi-finals where they lost to Manchester United after a replay. Lastly, despite a dynamic fightback after being three goals down to Newcastle United on the final day of the season, they still lost 3–2 and were relegated from the Premier League one season after promotion. He then spent nearly three years back at West Ham. During his time back at West Ham, he came under fire from the supporters for going long periods without scoring at a time when the team were struggling for goals and had a crisis in attack. In fact, Dowie is probably best remembered by West Ham fans for scoring a bizarre headed own goal in an infamous defeat to Stockport County in the League Cup in front of the live Sky cameras at Edgeley Park. Dowie then moved across London to Queens Park Rangers (QPR), where he ended his days playing in defence, and being player-manager of QPR's reserve team. Dowie also had a brief spell as caretaker manager of QPR in the autumn of 1998, between the dismissal of Ray Harford and appointment of Gerry Francis. International career Dowie's father was born in Belfast, thus qualifying him to play for Northern Ireland, for whom Dowie gained 59 caps and scored 12 goals. Management career Oldham Athletic After retirement from playing, Dowie then became assistant manager of Oldham Athletic. However, following the dismissal of manager Mick Wadsworth, Dowie became manager and led the club into the Second Division play-offs in the 2002–03 season after spending heavily. However, financial trouble hit Oldham and Dowie lost much of his first team