Davies Stan Image 7 West Bromwich Albion 1923

Description

Chirk, near Wrexham born centre forward Stan Davies started his football career with Chirk in 1914, but his footballing ambitions were soon delayed by the onset of the First World War, during which he served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers on the Western Front and attained the rank of sergeant. Davies was wounded during the Battle of Cambrai and later transferred to the Army Signalling School, being awarded the Military Medal and the Croix de Guerre for his service.

He joined Rochdale immediately after the War in January 1919 but soon was transferred to Preston North End for £800 in April 1919, making his Football League debut at Blackburn Rovers that August. He played 26 times  for Preston, scoring 11 goals, and two years later he was signed by Everton for £4,000 in January 1921. After a 22 game 10 goal stay at Goodison Park, which included a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Manchester United in August 1921, he moved to West Bromwich Albion for £3,300 that November, where he stayed for the next six years and scored 83 goals in 159 appearances. This included 17 goals in the remainder of the 1921-22 season followed by 21 goals in their 1922-23 campaign when he was the club’s top scorer in both seasons, scoring another hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Sheffield United in March 1923

In November 1927 he moved to Birmingham City for £1,500 scoring 5 goals in 17 games that season and then on to Cardiff City for £1,000 in August 1928, scoring twice in 14 matches. He became Rotherham United player-manager the same season in March 1929 until May 1930 but only played himself 5 times scoring 3 goals, and finally he signed for Barnsley in August 1930, playing once that September, his last senior appearance after well over a century of career goals. He joined non league Manchester Central in October 1930, playing for Dudley Town in 1933. He finally became trainer of Chelmsford City from April 1938 to May 1941, and during the Second World War managed the Shorts club of Rochester to successive Kent Senior Cup Final victories.

During his career he won 18 caps for Wales between February 1920 when he scored twice in a 2-2 draw against Ireland at The Oval, Belfast, going in goal against Scotland in 1922 and winning his final cap exactly 10 years later against Ireland, scoring 5 times in total for his country. He also toured Canada with the Welsh FA in 1930.

NB taken in a match at Maine Road on 29th December 1923, Manchester City’s Tommy Browell (left) challenges West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper George Ashmore who punches clear with Stan Davies (right) trying to help out his goalkeeper. The match finished a 3-3 draw.