Ron Davies

After an unsuccessful trial with Blackburn Rovers, Davies signed his first professional contract in July 1959 with Chester. There 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. He went instead to Luton Town for a fee of £12,200 and, when they were relegated, he moved on again to Norwich City.

He left Southampton for Portsmouth 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, but then moved to Los Angeles to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs alongside George Best. When the 1976 North American Soccer League season ended, Davies returned to the UK for the winter and had a five-month spell (October 1976 to February 1977) playing in the Southern League for Dorchester Town. He then had two further seasons with the Aztecs with a modest scoring record before moving on to the Tulsa Roughnecks in 1978 and the Seattle Sounders in 1979. He also coached at local schools in LA and Florida. Davies subsequently moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he lived in a motor-home and worked in the construction industry. He lost touch with many of his former playing colleagues. Contact was re-established in 2006 when there were discussions of an appeal for support to enable him to have a hip replacement. He said that his hip had been damaged due to the wear and tear of his playing days and that he could not afford the necessary surgery and would…

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