Willie Davies (footballer)
Encyclopedia
William "Willie" Davies (born 16 February 1900 in Troedyrhiw, died 1953) was a Welsh
professional footballer and Wales international
.
in 1921, playing in every forward position for the club before settling at outside-right. He made his Wales
debut while playing for Swansea but, in 1924 with the club going through financial trouble, he moved to Cardiff City
. In his first season at the club he was part of the side that reached the FA Cup Final
, including scoring a goal direct from a corner-kick in the quarter-final victory over Leicester City
.
Unfortunately he contracted a serious chest illness soon after and missed more than a year for the club, including missing the teams FA Cup
victory in 1927. He briefly returned to the side at the start of the 1927–28 season but was sold to Notts County
soon after, where he spent two years before moving on to Tottenham Hotspur
. He later returned to Wales
to finish his league career at Swansea.
on 16 February 1924 in the 1924 British Home Championship
. Davies played in the remaining two matches of the championship, scoring his second international goal in a 2–1 victory over England
, as Wales won the tournament for the third time. He later also helped Wales win the British Home Championship for a second time in four years in 1928
. His last goal for Wales came on 27 October 1928, when he scored twice in a 4–2 defeat to Scotland, before winning his last cap on 1 February 1930 when he played in a 7-0 defeat to Ireland.
Wales
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
professional footballer and Wales international
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
.
Career
Davies began his career playing for local amateur sides, joining Rhymney where he once scored 61 goals in a single season. He was signed by Swansea TownSwansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
in 1921, playing in every forward position for the club before settling at outside-right. He made his Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
debut while playing for Swansea but, in 1924 with the club going through financial trouble, he moved to 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 his first season at the club he was part of the side that reached the FA Cup Final
1925 FA Cup Final
The 1925 FA Cup Final was contested by Sheffield United and Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium. Sheffield United won by a single goal, scored by Fred Tunstall....
, including scoring a goal direct from a corner-kick in the quarter-final victory over Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
.
Unfortunately he contracted a serious chest illness soon after and missed more than a year for the club, including missing the teams FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
victory in 1927. He briefly returned to the side at the start of the 1927–28 season but was sold to Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
soon after, where he spent two years before moving on to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. He later returned to 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...
to finish his league career at Swansea.
International career
During his career, Davies won a total of 17 caps for Wales, making a goalscoring debut in a 2–0 victory over ScotlandScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
on 16 February 1924 in the 1924 British Home Championship
1924 British Home Championship
The 1924 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1923–24 season between the British Home Nations...
. Davies played in the remaining two matches of the championship, scoring his second international goal in a 2–1 victory over England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, as Wales won the tournament for the third time. He later also helped Wales win the British Home Championship for a second time in four years in 1928
1928 British Home Championship
The 1928 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1927–28 season between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by Wales who did not lose a game and only dropped a single point during the tournament...
. His last goal for Wales came on 27 October 1928, when he scored twice in a 4–2 defeat to Scotland, before winning his last cap on 1 February 1930 when he played in a 7-0 defeat to Ireland.
International goals
- Results list Wales' goal tally first.
Goal Date Venue Opponent Result Competition 1. 16 February 1924 Ninian Park Ninian ParkNinian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
, CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, WalesWalesWales 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...
2–0 1924 British Home Championship 1924 British Home ChampionshipThe 1924 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1923–24 season between the British Home Nations...2. 3 March 1924 Ewood Park Ewood ParkEwood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...
, Blackburn, EnglandEnglandEngland 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...
2–1 1924 British Home Championship 3. 1 March 1926 Selhurst Park Selhurst ParkSelhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, EnglandEnglandEngland 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...
2–1 1926 British Home Championship 1926 British Home ChampionshipThe 1926 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1925–26 season between the British Home Nations...4. 4 February 1928 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
2–1 1928 British Home Championship 1928 British Home ChampionshipThe 1928 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1927–28 season between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by Wales who did not lose a game and only dropped a single point during the tournament...5. 27 October 1928 Ibrox Stadium Ibrox StadiumIbrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
2–4 1929 British Home Championship 1929 British Home ChampionshipThe 1929 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1928–29 season. The competition was won by Scotland, who won all three matches with strong attacking football epitomised by Hughie Gallacher, who scored seven of his team's 12 goals...6. 27 October 1928 Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland 2–4 1929 British Home Championship
Honours
Cardiff City- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Finalist: 1
-
- 19251925 FA Cup FinalThe 1925 FA Cup Final was contested by Sheffield United and Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium. Sheffield United won by a single goal, scored by Fred Tunstall....
- 1925
Wales
- British Home ChampionshipBritish Home ChampionshipThe British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
Winner: 2
-
- 19241924 British Home ChampionshipThe 1924 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1923–24 season between the British Home Nations...
, 19281928 British Home ChampionshipThe 1928 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played during the 1927–28 season between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by Wales who did not lose a game and only dropped a single point during the tournament...
- 1924