Graham Vearncombe was a 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...

 international football player. A goalkeeper, he played his club football for 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...

 and was part of the Wales squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup

1958 FIFA World Cup

The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...

 in Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

.

Career

Vearncombe was born in Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff 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...

. He made his professional debut for 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 the final match of the 1952–53 season during a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa

Aston Villa F.C.

Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...

. However he made just 17 appearances during the next two years as he served as understudy to Ron Howells

Ron Howells

Ronald Gilbert "Ron" Howells is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was capped by Wales and played in The Football League for three clubs.-Playing career:...

 before becoming the clubs first choice goalkeeper during the 1955-56 season. At the end of the season he won the first of his Welsh Cup

Welsh Cup

The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...

 winners medals after beating Swansea Town

Swansea 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...

 3-2 in the final.

During the 1957–58 he shared the number one goalkeeper spot with Ken Jones before losing his place the following season to Ron Howells

Ron Howells

Ronald Gilbert "Ron" Howells is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was capped by Wales and played in The Football League for three clubs.-Playing career:...

, making just one league appearance on the final day of the season but did play in all but one of the sides games in Welsh Cup

Welsh Cup

The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...

, beating Lovells Athletic

Lovells Athletic F.C.

Lovell's Athletic F.C. was the works team for Lovell's sweet factory in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, which played professional football from 1918 until 1969.-History:...

 2-0 in the final. He would later regain his spot as number one goalkeeper before leaving the club in 1964, his last appearance in a 2-0 win over Bangor City

Bangor City F.C.

Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....

 to win his third Welsh Cup winners medal. He later went on to play for non-league side Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil F.C.

Merthyr Tydfil Football Club was a Welsh football club based at the Penydarren Park ground in Merthyr Tydfil. In 2010 the club was liquidated and reformed under the name Merthyr Town, which was accepted into Division One of the Western League.-History:...

.

Honours

Cardiff City

• Football League Second Division
  Football League Second Division
  From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
  
   Runner-up: 1

1959–60

• Welsh Cup
  Welsh Cup
  The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
  
   Winner: 3

1955–56, 1958–59, 1963–64

• Welsh Cup
  Welsh Cup
  The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
  
  Runner-up: 1

1959–60