Dilwyn E. John (born 3 June 1944) is a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
and amateur
snooker
Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...
player. He made more than 160 appearances in
The Football League for
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
and
Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
.
Football career
A goalkeeper, John began his career at
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
, making his debut at the age of seventeen in September 1961 during a 3–2 win over
Chelsea. He struggled to maintain the number one spot and found himself in and out of the Cardiff side. During his time at
Ninian Park, he played for the Wales U23 side and eventually moved to
Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
in March 1967. He managed to stem the flow of goals the club were conceding but could not help them avoid relegation to Division Four but helped them to promotion two years later before leaving to play for non-league football for
Hereford United
Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
and
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
before retiring.
Snooker career
John was also a talented snooker player and became Welsh amateur champion during the 1980s and was runner-up in the 1985
IBSF World Snooker Championships.
References
1944 births
Living people
People from Tonypandy
Welsh footballers
Wales under-23 international footballers
Welsh snooker players
Association football goalkeepers
Cardiff City F.C. players
Swansea City A.F.C. players
Hereford United F.C. players
Merthyr Tydfil F.C. players
English Football League players
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