After a brief spell at Manchester United,[2] he signed as a schoolboy for Everton after its youth team manager personally made the trip to his mother's house.
He later decided to join Manchester City, who took the unprecedented step to virtually guarantee Dowe a professional contract, even though he was still at school and recovering from a fractured spine at the time, after being injured in an Everton reserve game.
After 8 months he resumed training and playing with the first team squad that included Garry Flitcroft, Steve Lomas and Clive Allen at Maine Road when only 15 years old.
After some misguided advice, he left Maine Road for Wigan, something that Dowe cited as "A big regret, it had great fans but wasn't the professionally run club you see now."
The then Wigan manager Brian Hamilton famously substituted Dowe minutes after bringing him on at half time of a trial game, to immediately offer him a professional contract aged 16.