Ron Davies (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Ronald Tudor "Ron" Davies (born 25 May 1942) was a Welsh
footballer who played as a centre forward. He spent most of his career with Southampton
in the Football League First Division
, and also for the Welsh national team
.
Davies was born in Holywell
, Flintshire
, Wales
. He was known as a header of the ball and was the top goal scorer in Division 1 for two seasons (1966–1968). In his first season at Southampton, he scored 12 goals in 10 consecutive league games.
His younger brother Paul
was an Arsenal
youth player who went on to play for Charlton Athletic
.
, Davies signed his first professional contract in July 1959 with Chester City
where he was made to hurdle wearing army boots – training, he later claimed, which gave him his strength when jumping for crosses.
He made his debut in a 5-0 defeat to Workington in March 1960 and the following two seasons would see the club finish bottom of the Football League. However, Davies had a strong strike rate and was a regular in the team. Following a rare spell out of favour that saw him placed on the transfer list, his reply was to score four goals in a 6-1 win against Southport
in October 1962. Port Vale
manager Norman Low
offered £7,000 plus Terry Miles
for Davies, but the deal fell through after the Vale directors vetoed the move; and so instead a £12,000 move to Luton Town
followed soon after, and he moved on again to Norwich City
in September 1963 for a fee of £35,000.
He made his international debut at the age of 21 for Wales
on 15 April 1964 in a 3-2 defeat against Northern Ireland
.
had spent a then club record £55,000 for Davies as the club prepared to face their inaugural season in the top division. Already an established Welsh international, Davies scored 12 goals in 10 consecutive League games and ended that season having scored 37 goals in 41 games, more than any other player in the division. The club retained their place in the division. The first of his 134 League goals for Southampton was on 27 August 1966 at Bloomfield Road
as his club beat hosts Blackpool
3–2. In front of a crowd of 15,258, he lobbed Tony Waiters
. "The 'keeper came off his line — way out of the box. I was 35 yards out and I couldn't believe it. I just knocked it over his head."
He was joint top goal-scorer in the division in the following season, 1967–68, along with George Best
. On 16 August 1969 he scored four goals, all headed, in a match against Manchester United
at Old Trafford, Matt Busby
said that Davies had no peer in Europe.
By the 1970s many clubs had learned how to cope with Davies' aerial power and he was often neutralised by defenders playing the man rather than the ball. A series of injuries reduced his effectiveness and his scoring was reduced. By 1973 he was unable to retain a regular place in the first team.
in April 1973, and scored 18 goals for them in 59 games. Manchester United then signed him in November 1974 but his playing opportunities were limited. He left for Millwall
a year later after making eight appearances for United, all of them from the substitute's bench. He appeared three times for Millwall.
His final international appearance was on 11 May 1974 in a 2-0 defeat against England, bringing his total number of caps to 29, with 9 goals scored.
Davies returned to Southampton to live and for a while continued to play for local sides but then moved to Los Angeles
where he coached at local schools and latterly in Florida. He is now living in Albuquerque, New Mexico
, where he is working on a construction site, living in a motor-home.
In October 2007 an appeal fund was established to raise money to help fund a hip replacement. This appeal reached its initial target in mid-November. The appeal was established by Southampton fans and, while the bulk of the monies raised came from fans of Southampton, there were also contributions from fans of his former clubs Norwich City and Chester City. An anonymous Southampton fan has also paid for some dental work.
Davies' caricatures of his team-mates often featured in the local press.
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...
footballer who played as a centre forward. He spent most of his career with 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...
in the Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, and also for the Welsh national team
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...
.
Davies was born in Holywell
Holywell
Holywell is the fifth largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying to the west of the estuary of the River Dee.-History:The market town of Holywell takes its name from the St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a chapel...
, Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, 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...
. He was known as a header of the ball and was the top goal scorer in Division 1 for two seasons (1966–1968). In his first season at Southampton, he scored 12 goals in 10 consecutive league games.
His younger brother Paul
Paul Davies (footballer born 1952)
Paul Davies is a retired Welsh footballer, who played as a forward for Arsenal and Charlton Athletic in the 1970s.Born in Holywell, Flintshire, he is the younger brother of Southampton and Wales striker Ron Davies. He played as a schoolboy for Wales and joined Arsenal as a trainee, featuring in...
was an Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
youth player who went on to play for Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
.
Early career
After an unsuccessful trial with Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, Davies signed his first professional contract in July 1959 with Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
where he was made to hurdle wearing army boots – training, he later claimed, which gave him his strength when jumping for crosses.
He made his debut in a 5-0 defeat to Workington in March 1960 and the following two seasons would see the club finish bottom of the Football League. However, Davies had a strong strike rate and was a regular in the team. Following a rare spell out of favour that saw him placed on the transfer list, his reply was to score four goals in a 6-1 win against Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
in October 1962. Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
manager Norman Low
Norman Low
Norman Harvey Low was a Scottish football player and manager. He was the son of Scottish international footballer, Wilf Low....
offered £7,000 plus Terry Miles
Terry Miles
Terrence Miles is a former English football midfielder. He played for Port Vale between 1955 and 1968, helping them to the Fourth Division title in 1958–1959. He later turned out for Eastwood, before returning to Vale Park as a coach....
for Davies, but the deal fell through after the Vale directors vetoed the move; and so instead a £12,000 move to Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
followed soon after, and he moved on again to Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
in September 1963 for a fee of £35,000.
Norwich City
He averaged more than a goal every other game for the Norwich City starting with a goal in each of his first four matches for the club. He went on to score 30 goals that season in a side who finished 17th in the English Football League, Division Two. In the next two seasons he scored 15 and 21 before being sold to Southampton for £55,000.He made his international debut at the age of 21 for 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...
on 15 April 1964 in a 3-2 defeat 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...
.
Southampton
Ted BatesTed Bates (footballer)
Edric Thornton "Ted" Bates MBE was a former Southampton F.C. player, manager, director and president which earned him the sobriquet Mr. Southampton.-Playing career:...
had spent a then club record £55,000 for Davies as the club prepared to face their inaugural season in the top division. Already an established Welsh international, Davies scored 12 goals in 10 consecutive League games and ended that season having scored 37 goals in 41 games, more than any other player in the division. The club retained their place in the division. The first of his 134 League goals for Southampton was on 27 August 1966 at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
as his club beat hosts Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
3–2. In front of a crowd of 15,258, he lobbed Tony Waiters
Tony Waiters
Anthony Keith "Tony" Waiters is a former England international football goalkeeper and Canadian national football team head coach...
. "The 'keeper came off his line — way out of the box. I was 35 yards out and I couldn't believe it. I just knocked it over his head."
He was joint top goal-scorer in the division in the following season, 1967–68, along with George Best
George Best
George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...
. On 16 August 1969 he scored four goals, all headed, in a match against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at Old Trafford, Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
said that Davies had no peer in Europe.
By the 1970s many clubs had learned how to cope with Davies' aerial power and he was often neutralised by defenders playing the man rather than the ball. A series of injuries reduced his effectiveness and his scoring was reduced. By 1973 he was unable to retain a regular place in the first team.
Later career
He left Southampton for PortsmouthPortsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
in April 1973, and scored 18 goals for them in 59 games. Manchester United then signed him in November 1974 but his playing opportunities were limited. He left for 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...
a year later after making eight appearances for United, all of them from the substitute's bench. He appeared three times for Millwall.
His final international appearance was on 11 May 1974 in a 2-0 defeat against England, bringing his total number of caps to 29, with 9 goals scored.
Davies returned to Southampton to live and for a while continued to play for local sides but then moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where he coached at local schools and latterly in Florida. He is now living in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, where he is working on a construction site, living in a motor-home.
In October 2007 an appeal fund was established to raise money to help fund a hip replacement. This appeal reached its initial target in mid-November. The appeal was established by Southampton fans and, while the bulk of the monies raised came from fans of Southampton, there were also contributions from fans of his former clubs Norwich City and Chester City. An anonymous Southampton fan has also paid for some dental work.
Davies' caricatures of his team-mates often featured in the local press.