William David Davies, better known as Dai Davies (born April 1, 1948 in Glanaman, South Wales), was a professional footballer, who played in goal between 1969 and 1987. He made 52 appearances for the Wales national football team, and played for Everton, Wrexham (twice), Tranmere Rovers and three spells at Swansea. April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Glanamman or Glanaman is a small town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the River Amman. ... Approximate extent of 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. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A goalkeeper leaves his feet to parry a shot on goal In many team sports, a goalkeeper (termed goaltender, or goalie in some sports) is a designated player that is charged with directly preventing the opposite team from scoring by defending the goal. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... First international Scotland 4 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876) Largest win Wales 11 - 0 Ireland (Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888) Worst defeat Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) World Cup Appearances 1 (First in 1958) Best result Quarter-finals, 1958 European Championship Appearances none (First... Everton Football Club is a football club based in the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. ... Wrexham Association Football Club (nicknamed The Red Dragons, or more traditionally, The Robins) is a football team. ... Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English football club, based at Prenton Park, Tranmere, Birkenhead, Merseyside. ...

Background

David 'Dai' Davies (in Wales, the diminutive for 'David' is 'Dai') was born in Glanamman in the Amman valley on April 1, 1948. His father was a coal miner and an amateur footballer, who had trials with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... It has been suggested that Musical Instruments of King David be merged into this article or section. ... Dai or DAI can mean: Distributed artificial intelligence, a subfield of artificial intelligence Dai people, one of the 56 recognized ethnic minorities of China Diffuse axonal injury, a type of traumatic brain injury Do As Infinity, a Japanese band State of Dai was a Xianbei state during the Sixteen Kingdoms... Glanamman or Glanaman is a small town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the River Amman. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. is a Wolverhampton-based football club playing at Molineux. ... Sheffield United F.C. are a football club in The Football League. ...

Dai attended Amman Valley Grammar School, Ammanford, where he was often known affectionately as Dai Dai. He showed ability as a goalkeeper from an extremely early age, being picked for the village under-18 team when only 12 years old, and playing for nearby Ammanford United's adult team at just 15. Ammanford (Welsh: Rhydaman) is the fourth largest town in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales with a population 5,299 according to the 2001 census. ... A goalkeeper leaves his feet to parry a shot on goal In many team sports, a goalkeeper (termed goaltender, or goalie in some sports) is a designated player that is charged with directly preventing the opposite team from scoring by defending the goal. ...

In school, Davies played both football and rugby union, appearing for West Wales School in the second row, alongside such Welsh rugby greats as Paul Ringer, Barry Llywelyn, Peter Nicholas and Selwyn Williams. He finished playing rugby when the local football club he played for, Ammanford United, lost 4-0, with Davies being at fault for all four goals, after playing a full rugby match a few hours earlier. General phase play in rugby union. ... Peter Nicholas cofounded medical device firm Boston Scientific with partner John Abele. ...

Davies played schoolboy and youth soccer with local clubs (Ammanford United, and then Ammanford Town) – soccer was not played at the local grammar school - before becoming a professional footballer at the age of 21, in 1969, after qualifying as a PE teacher. He signed for Swansea Town immediately after leaving training college, as Swansea Town were offering him £17.50 a week, while a teacher's salary at that time was just £14 a week. In 1970, the town of Swansea gained city status, and the club changed its name to Swansea City, to match. 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Physical instruction at the U.S. Naval Training Station, Newport, RI, 1917 In most educational systems, physical education (PE), also called physical training (PT) or gym, is a course in the curriculum which utilizes the learning medium of large-muscle activities in a play or movement exploration setting. ... GBP may be: short for Game Boy Player the ISO currency code for the British Pound Sterling. ... Swansea (Welsh: , mouth of the Tawe) is a city and county in South Wales in the United Kingdom, situated on the coast immediately to the east of the Gower Peninsula. ... Swansea City F.C. are a Welsh football team currently playing in Football League Two. ...

Footballing career

The Swansea youth team (which also featured Giorgio Chinaglia) had an excellent run in the English Youth Cup, losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers' youth team in the fourth round. Davies was spotted by an Everton scout, and after just over a year at Third Division Swansea City, Dai Davies signed for First Division Everton, then Football League champions in December 1970 for £40,000. He played for Everton for 7 seasons. Giorgio Chinaglia. ... Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. is a Wolverhampton-based football club playing at Molineux. ... In sport, the Third Division is usually the third highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. ... Swansea City F.C. are a Welsh football team currently playing in Football League Two. ... In sport, the First Division is usually the highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions below. ... Everton Football Club is a football club based in the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

In 1977, Davies moved to Wrexham F.C., playing there for one season, before returning to Swansea. A spell at Tranmere Rovers followed, before he went back to Swansea. He then returned to Wrexham from Swansea in 1985, and stayed until 1987, when he retired. Dai Davies played 199 games in total for Wrexham, conceding a total of 210 goals (an average of 1.06 goals a game), and kept 63 'clean sheets'. He received 28 of his 52 Welsh caps while playing for Wrexham, making him the club's most capped player. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Wrexham Association Football Club (nicknamed The Red Dragons, or more traditionally, The Robins) is a football team. ... Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English football club, based in Birkenhead, Merseyside. ... Swansea (Welsh: , mouth of the Tawe) is a city and county in South Wales in the United Kingdom, situated on the coast immediately to the east of the Gower Peninsula. ... This article is about the year. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After retirement from football

Dai Davies's autobiography was published first in Welsh, where it bore the title Hanner Cystal a' Nhad ('Half the Man my Father Was') in tribute to his father. It was later published in an English translation in 1986, by when its title had become 'Never Say Dai', a pun. An autobiography, from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write, is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that dajare be merged into this article or section. ...

Davies is part-owner of a Welsh book and craft shop (Siop y Siswrn) in Mold, Flintshire, and is a football commentator on S4C, in both English and Welsh. Mold (Welsh: Yr Wyddgrug) is the county town of Flintshire in Wales and lies on the River Alyn. ... S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru - Channel Four Wales) is a Welsh-language television channel broadcasting in Wales, United Kingdom, which was established in response to demands for a channel to cater for the Welsh-speaking minority population in Wales. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

He is a qualifed teacher, and often works as a supply teacher. He runs a natural healing centre in Llangollen, North Wales, specialising in herbal remedies, remedial massage, muscle work and reiki. [1] Llangollen is a small town in Denbighshire, north Wales, famous for the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, the Llangollen Canal (whose Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is nearby), and the Llangollen Railway. ... Reiki is performed through a technique similar to the laying on of hands. ...

He is also a Druid, having been initiated into the Welsh Gorsedd of Bards (Gorsedd y Beirdd Ynys Prydain) in 1978. In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ... A gorsedd (SAMPA /gO:rsED/), occasionally spelled gorseth, plural gorseddau, is a community of bards. ... A bard is a poet and singer, with the particular meaning differing for various countries and epochs. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

External links

• Dai Davies fan site - large archive of interviews, images, statistics relating to Dai Davies, and the first 3 chapters of his autobiography

References

• Hanner Cystal a' Nhad ('Half the Man my Father Was') - The autobiography of Wales goalkeeper Dai Davies (Published by Siop y Siswrn, Mold, Flintshire, 1984)
• Never Say Dai - English translation of Hanner Cystal a' Nhad, translated by Iorweth Roberts (Published by Siop y Siswrn, Mold, Flintshire, 1986)