John Price Davies (1862 – 31 March 1955) was a Welsh footballer who played as either a forward or half back for various clubs, including Druids and Berwyn Rangers in the 1870s and 1880s. He also made two appearances for Wales in 1883.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Price Davies | ||
| Date of birth | 1862 | ||
| Place of birth | Ruabon, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 31 March 1955 | ||
| Place of death | Wrexham, Wales | ||
| Position(s) | Forward / Half back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1878–1879 | Corwen | ||
| 1879–1881 | Berwyn Rangers | ||
| 1881–1884 | Druids | ||
| 1884–1886 | Wrexham Olympic | ||
| 1886–1887 | Wrexham Cambrian | ||
| 1887–1889 | Berwyn Rangers | ||
| 1889–1890 | Wynnstay | ||
| 1890–1892 | Ruabon | ||
| International career | |||
| 1883 | Wales | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Football career
editDavies was born in Ruabon, but started his football career at Corwen in 1878. The following year he joined Berwyn Rangers of Llangollen, where he played for two years before moving to Druids in 1881.[1] In 1882, he was a member of the Druids team which won the Welsh Cup with a 5–0 victory over Northwich Victoria (two goals each from Charles Ketley and Edward Bowen).[2]
In 1882–83, Druids had their best run in the FA Cup. After victories over Oswestry Town and Northwich Victoria in the first two rounds, they were drawn against Bolton Wanderers. After two draws, the clubs met for a second replay at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground on 29 January 1883; a single goal from Jack Vaughan was sufficient to see the Druids through. They then defeated another Bolton-based club, Eagley, before being defeated 4–1 on 24 February 1883 at Blackburn Olympic, who went on to win the trophy a month later.[3]
His international debut came on 3 February 1883, when he was one of four Druids players selected to play (as a forward) against England at the Kennington Oval, London.[4] The England selectors had chosen an "attacking side" in an attempt to avenge defeats by Wales in the two previous meetings,[5] resulting in a comfortable 5–0 victory for the English, with Clement Mitchell scoring a hat-trick.[6] Davies' second cap came as a half back on 17 March in a 1–1 draw with Ireland.[7] His international appearances were summed up by the Football Association of Wales as "useful but not very ornamental".[1]
In September 1883, he was a guest player for Wrexham when they staged the first match under floodlights in North Wales (against Oswestry) at their Grosvenor Road ground.[1] He left the Druids in 1884 and over the next eight years he made appearances for five clubs.[1]
Family
editHe was brother-in-law to fellow Welsh international, Bob Roberts.[1]
Honours
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 39. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
- ^ "Druids 5 – 0 Northwich Victoria". Welsh Cup Final 1882. Welsh Football Data Archive. 8 April 1882. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ Collett, Mike (2003). The Complete Record of the FA Cup. Sports Books. p. 279. ISBN 1-899807-19-5.
- ^ "England 5 – 0 Wales". Welsh Football Data Archive. 17 March 1883. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ Gibbons, Philip (2001). Association Football in Victorian England – A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900. Upfront Publishing. pp. 69–70. ISBN 1-84426-035-6.
- ^ "England 5 – 0 Wales". www.englandstats.com. 3 February 1883. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "Ireland 1 – 1 Wales". Welsh Football Data Archive. 17 March 1883. Archived from the original on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
External links
edit- John Price Davies at EU-Football.info