Ron Howells
Encyclopedia
Ronald Gilbert "Ron" Howells (born 12 January 1927, Ponthenry) 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.
, joining the club in September 1946. He overcame a broken wrist to make his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw with Walsall
in February 1948. He made nine appearances for the club during the 1947–48 season
in the Football League Third Division South
. However, he dropped out of The Football League
and played for Barry Town
before resurrecting his professional career with Cardiff City
in July 1950.
Due to the presence of Iorrie Hughes, he was forced to wait until 26 December 1951 to make his debut in a 3–0 win over his former club Swansea Town. After winning promotion in his second season at Ninian Park
, Howells was to spend five years playing in the First Division
. This period also saw him win two caps for the Welsh national side
in the 1954 World Cup qualifiers
against England
and Scotland
.
Howells dropped back into non-league football with Worcester City
but revived his league career with Chester
in September 1958. He was a regular in his two seasons at Sealand Road
, but was released at the end of 1959–60
. Howells had continued to live in South Wales
throughout his spell at Chester, who were reluctant to continue paying his expenses.
This marked the end of his professional career and he joined Barry Town
.
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...
former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was capped by 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...
and played in The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for three clubs.
Playing career
Howells began his playing career with Swansea TownSwansea 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...
, joining the club in September 1946. He overcame a broken wrist to make his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw with Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
in February 1948. He made nine appearances for the club during the 1947–48 season
1947-48 in English football
The 1947–48 season was the 68th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
in the Football League Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
. However, he dropped out of The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and played for Barry Town
Barry Town F.C.
Barry Town FC are a football team based in Barry. They dominated the League of Wales during the 1990s, but finished bottom in 2003-04 and were relegated...
before resurrecting his professional career with 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 July 1950.
Due to the presence of Iorrie Hughes, he was forced to wait until 26 December 1951 to make his debut in a 3–0 win over his former club Swansea Town. After winning promotion in his second season at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
, Howells was to spend five years playing in the 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....
. This period also saw him win two caps for the Welsh national side
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...
in the 1954 World Cup qualifiers
1954 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA - Group 3)
The four teams in this group played against each other once. The group winner England and runner-up Scotland qualified for the fifth FIFA World Cup held in Switzerland.This group was also the 1953-1954 British Home Championship.-Group 3:...
against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
and Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
.
Howells dropped back into non-league football with Worcester City
Worcester City F.C.
Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at St George's Lane.-History:...
but revived his league career with Chester
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...
in September 1958. He was a regular in his two seasons at Sealand Road
Sealand Road
Sealand Road was the home stadium of Chester City Football Club from 1906 until 1990. Although officially known simply as The Stadium, it was more commonly referred to as Sealand Road...
, but was released at the end of 1959–60
1959-60 in English football
The 1959–60 season was the 80th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:17 November 1959: Phil Taylor resigns as manager of Liverpool after three years as manager, with all three of his seasons in charge ending with a narrow failure to win promotion to the First...
. Howells had continued to live in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
throughout his spell at Chester, who were reluctant to continue paying his expenses.
This marked the end of his professional career and he joined Barry Town
Barry Town F.C.
Barry Town FC are a football team based in Barry. They dominated the League of Wales during the 1990s, but finished bottom in 2003-04 and were relegated...
.
After retirement
After retiring from football, Howells later became a painter and decorator in his hometown Ponthenry.Career Honours
Cardiff City- Division TwoFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
runners-up: 1951–521951-52 in English footballThe 1951–52 season was the 72nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...