Alfred Day
Encyclopedia
Alfred "Alf" Day was a Welsh
professional footballer who played at wing half
for Tottenham Hotspur
, Millwall
, Southampton
, Tranmere Rovers
, Swindon Town
in the 1930s and represented Wales
at international level on one occasion.
and attended Pontygof School. After playing youth football with his home-town club
, he moved to London where he began his career at non League club Cheshunt
. In May 1931, he signed for Tottenham Hotspur
as a trainee, being "farmed out" to the Spurs' nursery team Northfleet United
, where he joined his former Ebbw Vale colleague, Eugene "Taffy" O'Callaghan
.
On 4 November 1933, Day made his only international appearance for Wales. The Football Association of Wales
secretary, Ted Robbins, rang the secretary at Spurs, Arthur Turner, to enquire if he knew anyone who could help out the depleted Welsh team. Turner mentioned that he had a promising reserve half-back whom he believed was Welsh, leading to Day being capped before having appeared in League football. The match at Windsor Park
, Belfast
against Northern Ireland
ended in a 1–1 draw.
Shortly afterwards, Day made his debut for the Spurs' first-team, going on to make 14 appearances in all competitions. The form of fellow-Welshman Tom Evans
at right half prevented Day from becoming a regular in the Spurs' side, with nine of his League appearances coming in the 1934–35 season at the end of which Spurs were relegated from Division One. Despite his limited first-team appearances, Day made 139 appearances in the reserves in London Combination matches.
He joined Millwall
in 1936 where he spent one season and participated in five matches in the Third Division South, before joining Second Division Southampton
on a free transfer in the summer of 1937.
At The Dell, Day took over from Cyril King
for the first half of the 1937–38 season before King returned in December. Day was described as "a calm, neat player who specialised in the ground pass rather than the cleared high ball", he had solid defensive qualities, but tended to "dwell on the ball" and "his thoughtful distribution was sometimes marred by his being caught in possession". Day was never fully appreciated by the Dell crowd and moved on to Tranmere Rovers
after 12 months.
After a season with Tranmere in which Day made 32 League and one FA Cup
appearance, at the end of which they were relegated from the Second Division, Day moved again to join Swindon Town
in June 1939. He made his debut for Swindon at home to Aldershot
on 2 September, the day before World War II
was declared. Day remained with Swindon until June 1940, making a further 29 appearances in wartime competitions.
in the Royal Air Force
, but appeared as a guest for Brighton & Hove Albion
, Lincoln City
, Ipswich Town
and Reading
. After the war, he was employed at Brimsdown Power Station
in North London
, continuing to live in the area up to his death in 1997.
In 2005, his Wales international cap and shirt came up for auction.
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...
professional footballer who played at wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
for 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....
, Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
in the 1930s and represented 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...
at international level on one occasion.
Playing career
Day was born in Ebbw ValeEbbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
and attended Pontygof School. After playing youth football with his home-town club
Ebbw Vale F.C.
Ebbw Vale Football Club were a football team from Ebbw Vale, South Wales.Ebbw Vale played in the first season of the League of Wales in 1992-93. The club then finished 11th before finishing 3rd in two successive seasons to 1997-98. During the years when they finished 3rd the Giles brothers, Paul...
, he moved to London where he began his career at non League club Cheshunt
Cheshunt F.C.
Cheshunt Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire and currently playing in the Isthmian League Division One North.-Original club:...
. In May 1931, he signed for 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....
as a trainee, being "farmed out" to the Spurs' nursery team Northfleet United
Northfleet United F.C.
Northfleet United Football Club was a football club based in Northfleet, Kent.Founded in 1890, Northfleet United joined the Kent League in 1906-07 and were runners-up in their inaugural season. They followed that with three championship titles in 1907-08, 1908-09 and 1919-20...
, where he joined his former Ebbw Vale colleague, Eugene "Taffy" O'Callaghan
Taffy O'Callaghan
Eugene "Taffy" O’Callaghan was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a forward for Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Wales during the 1920s and 1930s.-Club career:...
.
On 4 November 1933, Day made his only international appearance for Wales. The Football Association of Wales
Football Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of association football in Wales. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB.Established in 1876 , it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and is one of the four associations The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is the...
secretary, Ted Robbins, rang the secretary at Spurs, Arthur Turner, to enquire if he knew anyone who could help out the depleted Welsh team. Turner mentioned that he had a promising reserve half-back whom he believed was Welsh, leading to Day being capped before having appeared in League football. The match at Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor 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:...
, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast 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...
against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
ended in a 1–1 draw.
Shortly afterwards, Day made his debut for the Spurs' first-team, going on to make 14 appearances in all competitions. The form of fellow-Welshman Tom Evans
Tom Evans (footballer born 1907)
Tom Evans was a professional footballer.Evans was born in Ton Pentre, and played for Ton Pentre F.C., Leytonstone, Northfleet, Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion.- Playing career :...
at right half prevented Day from becoming a regular in the Spurs' side, with nine of his League appearances coming in the 1934–35 season at the end of which Spurs were relegated from Division One. Despite his limited first-team appearances, Day made 139 appearances in the reserves in London Combination matches.
He joined Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in 1936 where he spent one season and participated in five matches in the Third Division South, before joining Second Division Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
on a free transfer in the summer of 1937.
At The Dell, Day took over from Cyril King
Cyril King (footballer)
Cyril William King, is a former English professional footballer who played his entire career, as a half back, with Southampton in the 1930s.-Playing career:...
for the first half of the 1937–38 season before King returned in December. Day was described as "a calm, neat player who specialised in the ground pass rather than the cleared high ball", he had solid defensive qualities, but tended to "dwell on the ball" and "his thoughtful distribution was sometimes marred by his being caught in possession". Day was never fully appreciated by the Dell crowd and moved on to Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
after 12 months.
After a season with Tranmere in which Day made 32 League and one 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...
appearance, at the end of which they were relegated from the Second Division, Day moved again to join Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
in June 1939. He made his debut for Swindon at home to Aldershot
Aldershot F.C.
Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...
on 2 September, the day before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was declared. Day remained with Swindon until June 1940, making a further 29 appearances in wartime competitions.
Later career
During the war he was a telephone operatorTelephone operator
A telephone operator is either* a person who provides assistance to a telephone caller, usually in the placing of operator assisted telephone calls such as calls from a pay phone, collect calls , calls which are billed to a credit card, station-to-station and person-to-person calls, and certain...
in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, but appeared as a guest for Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
, Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
and Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
. After the war, he was employed at Brimsdown Power Station
Brimsdown Power Station
Brimsdown Power Station was a coal-fired power station on the Lee Navigation at Brimsdown in Enfield, North London. The station had seven cooling towers which were visible from a wide area.-History:...
in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, continuing to live in the area up to his death in 1997.
In 2005, his Wales international cap and shirt came up for auction.