[2] The biggest success in that period came in 1990 when Barrow beat Leek Town 3–0 in the FA Trophy final at Wembley, in which Cowperthwaite scored.
[5] After retiring, he continued to be active in the local amateur football scene.
He played for Cartmel in the North Lancashire and District Football League, later managing the team in two different spells.
[6] With Cartmel he played alongside a young Jason Walker, who grew up in the same village of Flookburgh as Cowperthwaite; like Cowperthwaite, Walker would go on to score for Barrow in an FA Trophy final at Wembley.
[7] His 1979-goal after just 3.5 seconds in a game against Kettering Town[8] was at the time the fastest recorded in the English game, and is still the fastest in a national competition, though a faster goal has since been scored by Marc Burrows in a reserve match.