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Len Davies

Not to be confused with Len Davis.

Leonard Stephen Davies (28 April 1899 – 1945) was a Welsh professional footballer. Born in Cardiff, he trained as a marine engineer before becoming a footballer, making his senior debut for his hometown club Cardiff City in 1919 in the Southern Football League. Cardiff joined the Football League the following year but Davies remained a reserve until establishing himself in the first team in late 1922. He scored Cardiff's first hat-trick in the Football League in January 1922 and was the club's top scorer in all competitions during the campaign.

Len Davies
Personal information
Full name Leonard Stephen Davies[1]
Date of birth (1899-04-28)28 April 1899
Place of birth Splott, Cardiff, Wales
Date of death 1945 (aged 45–46)
Place of death Prescot, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Victoria Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1919–1931 Cardiff City 306 (128)
1931–1932 Thames 27 (12)
1932–1935 Bangor City
Total 333 (140)
International career
1922–1929 Wales 23 (6)
Managerial career
1932–1935 Bangor City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

In the 1923–24 season, Cardiff went into their final game of the campaign needing a win to become the first Welsh side to win the Football League First Division title. During the match, Davies missed a penalty kick as his side were held to a goalless draw, missing out on the title via goal average. He also helped the club reach the 1925 FA Cup Final but missed the game due to injury. He played in a final two years later, in the 1927 FA Cup Final, helping the side become the only Welsh side to win the competition as they defeated Arsenal 1–0.

He remains the record goalscorer for Cardiff City in both league and all competitions having scored 179 goals for the club between 1919 and 1931. He later played a single season for Thames before finishing his career with Bangor City. He also represented Wales at international level 23 times during his career, scoring 6 goals

Early life

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Born in the Splott district of Cardiff, Davies attended Gladatone Road School. He trained as a marine engineer in his teens and spent time at sea.[1][3] He also played cricket at youth level for Glamorgan County Cricket Club.[4]

Club career

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Early years

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Davies began his football career with local youth side Victoria Athletic and represented Wales at youth level in 1913 against England at Penydarren Park.[3] He joined Cardiff City in 1919 and made his senior debut in the 1919–20 season, replacing George Beare for a 2–2 draw with Luton Town on 13 September 1919 in the Southern Football League.[1][5][6] However, this proved to be his only first team appearance for more than a year. Cardiff joined the Second Division of the Football League in 1920, but Davies played only three times during the league season. His only other appearance during the 1920–21 season came in the Welsh Cup. With Cardiff meeting Bristol City in the Football League on the same day, they were forced to field a reserve side for their match against Pontypridd. Although Cardiff went on to lose the game, Davies scored the first senior goal of his career.[7]

Davies remained a reserve at the start of the 1921–22 season, during which the club initially struggled in the top tier. With Fred Pagnam having failed to score in 13 appearances, Davies was brought into the side in November and scored a brace during a 2–1 victory over Everton. He scored in his next two appearances and remained a regular in the first team for the remainder of the campaign.[8] In December 1921, Cardiff rejected a £3,000 (around £140,000 in 2021) offer for Davies from a rival First Division club.[9] He scored Cardiff's first hat-trick in the Football League on 21 January 1922 during a 6–3 victory over Bradford City.[10] He was also prolific in the Welsh Cup, scoring four times against Newport County in the third round and adding a hat-trick against Merthyr Town in the fourth. In the final, Davies scored Cardiff's second goal as they defeated Ton Pentre 2–0. He finished the season as Cardiff's second highest scorer in the First Division with 17, 3 short of Jimmy Gill, but his scoring exploits in the FA Cup and Welsh Cup saw him out score Gill in all competitions.[8]

Gill and Davies remained a prolific partnership for the club in the 1922–23 season, with Davies scoring 19 league goals, two more than his teammate. Davies' tally included a hat-trick during a 6–1 victory over Chelsea in March 1923. He also scored six times in four matches as Cardiff retained their Welsh Cup title, including a hat-trick in a 10–0 win over Oswestry in the fourth round and the winning goal in the final during a 3–2 victory over Aberdare Athletic.[11]

Near title miss and FA Cup finals

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Davies began the 1923–24 season slowly, scoring once in his first five appearances although Cardiff scored ten times in the games. From 15 September to 27 October, he embarked on a scoring run, netting in six of the seven matches his side played, which included winning goals in two matches. On 10 November, he scored all of Cardiff's goals in a 4–2 victory over West Bromwich Albion. He went on to finish the campaign as the club's top goalscorer having scored 23 times in the league, a career high tally.[12] However, his campaign was overshadowed by a missed penalty on the final day of the season. In their last game, Cardiff met Birmingham. If they won the game Cardiff would be guaranteed the First Division title. The match was goalless after 70 minutes, when a goal-bound shot from Gill was blocked by the hand of a Birmingham defender resulting in a penalty being given. The club's usual penalty taker Jack Evans had missed recent attempts, while Gill was reluctant to take it.[13] Davies instead stepped in to take the first penalty of his senior career.[14] His teammate Fred Keenor later described the attempt, noting "There is no doubt that the excitement and the knowledge that so much depended on the shot unnerved Len a little. Under ordinary circumstances it would have been a gift goal, but Len Davies muffed the kick and the ball rolled gently to the goalkeeper, who calmly gathered and made an easy clearance."[15] The game eventually ended goalless while their nearest rivals Huddersfield Town won 3–0 and secured the title courtesy of goal average. The difference between the two sides, 0.024 of a goal remains the closest margin of victory ever recorded in the top tier of English football.[16][17] Davies was said to be inconsolable following the miss.[3]

He was again Cardiff's highest goalscorer the following year, netting 20 times despite suffering several injury problems that restricted him to 30 league appearances. However, his injury issues cost him a place in the squad for 1925 FA Cup final with Joe Nicholson starting in his place. His side went on to suffer defeat against Sheffield United.[18][19] The signing of Hughie Ferguson in 1925 led to Davies being moved to an inside forward role and his scoring record fell as a result. He scored eight times during the 1925–26 season and seven the following year.[20][21] In 1927, he was part of the Cardiff side that beat Arsenal to win the FA Cup Final, becoming the only side from outside England to have won the competition. The only goal of the game came as the opposition goalkeeper was unable to control a shot from Hughie Ferguson as Davies advanced on him.[1] Two weeks after the final, Davies scored the opening goal in Cardiff's 2–0 win over Rhyl in the Welsh Cup final.[21]

Davies remained with Cardiff until 1931, one year after finishing as the club's top scorer for the fifth time in the Football League.[22] He missed the majority of his final season after undergoing surgery for appendicitis,[23] before being released alongside Keenor.[24] The pair both made their final appearance for the club in a goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 6 April 1931. The club had suffered relegation to the Third Division South by the time of his departure.[25] He remains the club's highest scorer with 179 goals in all competitions and also holds the club record for the most hat-tricks, scoring eight during his time in Cardiff.[26][27]

Later career

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He instead joined fellow Third Division South Side Thames. During only season with the club, they played his former side Cardiff which resulted in a clash of kit colours. Thames instead played in 11 of Davies' Welsh shirts which he had obtained on international duty.[28] The match ended in a 9–2 defeat for his Thames side, a record league victory that still stands as of 2021 for his former club Cardiff.[3] Thames finished bottom of the Third Division South in the 1931–32 season and the club was wound up at the end of the season. Davies instead joined Bangor City for the 1932–33 season,[29] staying with the club until 1935 when he finished his playing career.[1]

International career

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Davies made a goalscoring debut for Wales on 4 February 1922 in a 2–1 win over Scotland and was ever present for the side for a further three year, playing in every international fixture until 1925.[3] In 1929, Davies was named in a Football Association of Wales XI that toured Canada. He was a prolific scorer during the tour, including scoring seven times in a single game during a match against a Lower Mainland XI.[3] In total, Davies played 23 times for the Welsh national side, scoring six times and helping Wales to Home Championship titles in 1924 and 1928. His last game for Wales came on 20 November 1929 against England.[3]

Personal life

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Davies met his future wife, Gwendoline Stroud, through his playing career as she was a fervent supporter of Cardiff. The pair married on 1 January 1923.[30] After retiring from playing, Davies became a school sports coach at Mostyn House School, Parkgate, and later worked on an aircraft production line during World War II.[4] He died of pneumonia in Prescot in 1945.[3]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Welsh Cup Other[nb 1] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Cardiff City 1919–20[5] SL First Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 1 0
1920–21[7] Second Division 3 0 0 0 1 1 – 4 1
1921–22[8] First Division 25 17 6 5 4 8 – 35 30
1922–23[11] First Division 27 19 4 3 4 6 – 35 28
1923–24[12] First Division 38 23 6 1 3 0 – 47 24
1924–25[19] First Division 30 20 4 2 0 0 – 34 22
1925–26[20] First Division 37 8 1 1 0 0 – 38 9
1926–27[21] First Division 34 7 7 3 5 5 – 46 15
1927–28[31] First Division 37 15 3 1 5 4 1 1 46 21
1928–29[32] First Division 27 8 0 0 4 2 – 31 10
1929–30[22] Second Division 37 9 2 3 4 3 – 43 15
1930–31[25] Second Division 10 2 0 0 2 2 – 12 4
Total 306 128 33 19 32 31 1 1 372 179
Thames 1931–32 Third Division South[33] 27 12 2 0 0 0 – 29 12
Total 333 140 35 19 32 31 1 1 401 189
  1. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Charity Shield and the East of Scotland Shield.

International goals

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Results list Wales' goal tally first.[34]
Goal Date Venue Opponent Result Competition
1. 4 February 1922 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales   Scotland 2–1 1921–22 British Home Championship
2. 1 April 1922 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland   Ireland 1–1 1921–22 British Home Championship
3. 16 February 1924 Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales   Scotland 2–0 1923–24 British Home Championship
4. 12 February 1927 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales   England 3–3 1926–27 British Home Championship
5. 12 February 1927 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales   England 3–3 1926–27 British Home Championship
6. 26 October 1929 Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales   Scotland 2–4 1928–29 British Home Championship

Honours

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As a player

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Cardiff City[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 47. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
  2. ^ "Cardiff City". Athletic News. 24 August 1925. p. 6. Retrieved 13 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Davies, Gareth M; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. pp. 39–40. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
  4. ^ a b Peter Shuttleworth (4 January 2009). "Cup Friends Reunited". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  5. ^ a b Shepherd 2002, p. 21
  6. ^ "Cardiff City Team". Western Mail. 13 September 1919. p. 10. Retrieved 9 January 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ a b Shepherd 2002, p. 22
  8. ^ a b c Shepherd 2002, p. 23
  9. ^ "Nothing Doing!". Western Mail. 5 December 1921. p. 4. Retrieved 14 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "The roaring twenties". Cardiff City F.C. 17 November 2004. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  11. ^ a b Shepherd 2002, p. 24
  12. ^ a b Shepherd 2002, p. 25
  13. ^ Lloyd, Grahame (1999). C'mon City! A Hundred Years of the Bluebirds. Seren Books. p. 75. ISBN 1854112716.
  14. ^ Saunders, Christian (2013). From the Ashes – The Real Story of Cardiff City Football Club. Llygad Gwalch Cyf. p. 44. ISBN 9781845242138.
  15. ^ Leighton, James (2010). Fred Keenor – The Man Who Never Gave Up. Derby: Derby Books Publishing Company. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-85983-828-0.
  16. ^ "Looking back to 1924: Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town were Britain's best". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  17. ^ Shuttleworth, Peter (22 April 2009). "Top Ten Ninian Park Memories". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  18. ^ "Association football". The Times. 25 April 1925. p. 7. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  19. ^ a b Shepherd 2002, p. 26
  20. ^ a b Shepherd 2002, p. 27
  21. ^ a b c Shepherd 2002, p. 28
  22. ^ a b Shepherd 2002, p. 31
  23. ^ "Cardiff Contrasts". Athletic News. 13 April 1931. p. 1. Retrieved 15 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. ^ "Cardiff City Surprise". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 11 April 1931. p. 8. Retrieved 15 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  25. ^ a b Shepherd 2002, p. 32
  26. ^ Shepherd 2002, pp. 20–32
  27. ^ "Countdown to Kick-off". Cardiff City F.C. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  28. ^ "Similarity of Colours". Northern Whig. 5 February 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 15 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  29. ^ "Bangor Sign Davies". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. 15 August 1932. p. 9. Retrieved 24 February 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  30. ^ "A Romance of the Football Field". Dundee Courier. 2 January 1923. p. 5. Retrieved 18 September 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  31. ^ Shepherd 2002, p. 29
  32. ^ Shepherd 2002, p. 30
  33. ^ Len Davies at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  34. ^ "Welsh International Matches". Welsh Football Data Archive. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2021.

Bibliography

  • Shepherd, Richard (2002). The Definitive: Cardiff City F.C. Nottingham: SoccerData Publications. ISBN 978-1-899468-17-1.
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