Gwyn Evans (24 December 1935 – 11 May 2000) was a Welsh 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 ...

who made 80

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

appearances for Crystal Palace as a

centre-half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He also played for Christchurch United and

Nelson United Nelson United was a New Zealand soccer club, based in the South Island city of Nelson. Their home ground was Guppy Park. The team was founded in 1968 through the amalgamation of Nelson Thistle (founded 1924) and Nelson Rangers (founded 1950 ...

in New Zealand. He was the father of Ceri Evans who also had a career in professional football.

Playing career

Evans was born in

Ton Pentre Ton Pentre () is a village in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Historically part of Glamorgan, Ton Pentre, a former industrial coal mining village, is a district of the community of Pentre. The old district of ...

and signed for Crystal Palace, from local club Cwm Parc, in May 1955, but did not make his debut until April 1959, in an away 2–0 defeat to

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

. Between then and 1963, Evans made 80

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

appearances for Palace, all at centre-half, and made 25 appearances in season 1960–1961 when Palace achieved promotion from the

Fourth Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

. However, by the 1962–63 season, Evans was no longer a regular in the side and in 1963, emigrated to New Zealand, signing for Christchurch United (then known as Christchurch City prior to amalgamation with other local clubs). He served Christchurch both as captain and player-coach, leading the club to the final of the Chatham Cup in 1967. He later moved to

where he continued as player-coach. Whilst in New Zealand, Evans also worked part-time as a teacher.

Later career

After retiring as a player, Evans moved into the administrative side of the game. He served as secretary-general of the New Zealand Football Association, a position he held from 1981 to 1987. He retired on health grounds and moved to Waiheke Island where he ran a shop. In his later years his health declined further and his legs were amputated.

Personal life

Evans was married twice. Firstly to Joyce (née Williamson) a New Zealand table tennis player and secondly to Eleanor. He had three children, including

Ceri Ceri () is a hamlet (''frazione'') of the ''comune'' of Cerveteri, in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio (central Italy). It occupies a fortified plateau of tuff at a short distance from the city of Cerveteri. History Inhabited before the 7t ...

who played professionally for

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

and for the

New Zealand national team New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Evans showed ability at several sports and was a British 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 ...

champion. He died on 11 May 2000, and his ashes were buried at Onetangi Cemetery on Waiheke Island.

References

External links

Gwyn Evans obituary: ''The New Zealand Herald''Gwyn Evans at holmesdale.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Gwyn 1935 births 2000 deaths Welsh men's footballers Men's association football defenders English Football League players Crystal Palace F.C. players Expatriate men's association footballers in New Zealand Burials at Onetangi Cemetery Welsh emigrants to New Zealand People from Rhondda Welsh snooker players