Background
Blow was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, the second son of Thomas Blow, a wheelwright, and his wife Anna.
Blow was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, the second son of Thomas Blow, a wheelwright, and his wife Anna.
He also played non-league football in the Lincolnshire area. He played as a left half. While still a boy, he was honoured by the Royal Humane Society for saving the life of another child.
The Nottinghamshire Guardian reported that
The committee of the Royal Humane Society on Saturday announced the award of the bronze medal to Percy Blow, aged only 11 years, for having, on the 8th ult., and with the assistance of William Barton, saved the life of John Bray, aged six, at Boultham, Lincoln.
The little fellow Bray, with an elder brother of nine, was crossing the river Witham on the ice, and when three-fourths of the way across the ice gave way, and both went in where the water was 8ft. deep. Blow and Barton, running to the rescue, the former stretched himself on the ice, Barton holding his hand from the bank, and was thus able to reach one of the drowning lads as he rose to the surface, and pulled him to the bank.
The older boy was not recovered till too late. The 23-year-old Blow had been working as a journeyman joiner and playing football for Lincoln team Blue Star when he joined his local professional club, Lincoln City.
He made his senior debut in the last match of the 1900-1901 Football League season, a 2–0 defeat away to Glossop in the Second Division.
He scored just once in nationally organised competition, but did contribute the winning goal against Grimsby Town in the 1904 Lincolnshire Cup semi-final (Lincoln lost the final to Gainsborough Trinity). Blow"s 180th and last appearance came in the penultimate game of the 1905-1906 season, after which he returned to local non-league football. Blow was married and had eight children.
He died in London in 1938 at the age of 60.
He became a regular member of the first team for the next five years. In April 1902, the Daily Express commented on how, despite the absence of Blow and fellow half-back Will Gibson, Lincoln "pressed continuously during the first half" and beat Bristol City 1–0.