Donald William Carlton Bird (5 January 1908–1987) was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 professional footballer who played at outside left. He was born in Newton Abbot

Newton Abbot

Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England on the River Teign, with a population of 23,580....

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Career

Although born in Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, Bird came to prominence playing in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 for local side Llandrindod Wells, from where he joined Cardiff City

Cardiff City F.C.

Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

 in 1929, scoring on his home debut in a 5–1 win over Bury

Bury F.C.

Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...

 on the final day of the 1929–30 season. Unable to oust Walter Robbins

Walter Robbins

Walter William Robbins was a Welsh professional footballer and Wales international.-Club career:Having previously worked for a local brewery, Robbins was serving a motor engineering apprenticeship when he rose to attention after scoring 70 goals during a single season for Ely United in the Cardiff...

 from the side, he later moved to Bury, but failed to make their league side and joined Torquay United

Torquay United F.C.

Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...

 in 1932 as a replacement for Harry Waller

Harry Waller

Henry "Harry" Waller was an English professional footballer who played as a wing half.-Career:Waller began his career in non-league football with Ashington, signing for Arsenal in 1937. He made eight appearances in the Football League for Arsenal during the 1946-47 season. Waller also made 17...

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Bird missed just two games for Torquay the following season and remained a regular until leaving to join Derby County

Derby County F.C.

Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 in the summer of 1934 as cover for Dally Duncan

Dally Duncan

Douglas "Dally" Duncan was an Aberdeen-born football player and manager.A left-winger, Duncan joined Hull City from Aberdeen Richmond in 1928 and spent his entire professional career in England. He joined Derby County for £2,000 in 1932 and remained contracted to the club until 1946...

. Bird’s Derby debut came on 27 August 1934, a 1–0 First Division

Football League First Division

The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

 win against Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town F.C.

Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

 at Leeds Road

Leeds Road

Leeds Road may refer to:* Leeds Road, former football and rugby league stadium in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England* A660 road, West Yorkshire, England, between Golden Acre Park and the Otley bypass...

. He played well enough for the Derby Evening Telegraph to suggest that he could be an effective replacement for Duncan when required. However, such opportunities were rare and Bird played only 5 league games for Derby, scoring twice.

On leaving Derby, Bird joined Sheffield United

Sheffield United F.C.

Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

, finishing his league career with Southend United

Southend United F.C.

Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...

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Bird died in 1987.