Roger Davies (born 25 October 1950) is an English retired
football forward who played professionally in England, Belgium and the United States. He currently provides radio commentary for
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
games.
Early years
Davies was born and grew up in Wolverhampton where he played football from a young age. When he was fifteen, he left school and became an apprentice in an engineering company. However, he continued to play during his free time, up to three or four games a week.
Europe
When he turned eighteen, he joined
Bridgnorth Town which itself had just joined the amateur
Midland Football Combination
The Midland Football Combination was an English football league covering parts of the West Midlands. It comprised five divisions, a Premier Division, Divisions One and Two and two Reserves Divisions. The league was one of three official feeder l ...
. Davies spent three seasons with Bridgnorth. In the summer of 1971, he signed with
Worcester City
Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane.
Worcester City's ...
of the
Southern Football League. He performed well enough to come to the attention of
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
's manager who purchased Davies' contract for £12,000 in September 1971. He spent the 1971–1972 season with the Derby County reserves in the
Central League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...
where he won the league championship. Derby then loaned Davies to
Preston North End at the start of the 1972–1973 season. He gained his
First Division debut with Preston on 26 August 1972. After two appearances for Preston, he returned to Derby, where he began to see first team time. In 1973, he became a part of Derby County lore during a third round
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
replay at
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
. At the eighty-minute mark, Tottenham held a 3–1 lead, all but assured of advancement to the next round when Davies scored twice in quick succession to tie the game. He rounded out a hat trick in extra time as Derby eliminated Tottenham 5–3. In 1975, Davies and his teammates, including
Alan Hinton who would play a large part in his future career, took the First Division championship. During that season Davies scored all five goals in a 5–0 win over
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
.
In August 1976, Davies moved to
Jupiler League team
Club Bruges for £135,000. He spent just over a season with Bruges, winning Belgium Player of the Year in 1977 and the Jupiler League championship. In December 1977, he returned to England when
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
purchased his contract.
North American Soccer League
In the spring of 1979, Alan Hinton, now managing the
Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams:
*Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984.
*Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...
in the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to:
*North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league
*North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...
induced Davies to move to the United States. He spent the summer season in Tulsa suffering from injuries which limited him to twenty-two games.
In autumn 1979, Davies returned to England, where he rejoined Derby County. By this time, Derby had fallen from the heights of the mid-1970s and were relegated at the end of the season.
While Davies was in England, Hinton had been hired to manage the
Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
. On 14 December 1979, he convinced the Sounders to trade the Roughnecks for rights to Davies' services. In 1980, Davies returned to the States where he signed with the Sounders. That season was one of his best. He scored twenty-five goals in twenty-nine games (0.86 strike rate) and was chosen as the league's most valuable player as voted on by his fellow players. Davies played two more seasons in Seattle, before being traded to the
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to:
*Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983
*Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...
. He played only eighteen games in 1983, scoring three goals and left the league to return to England.
England
In 1983, he signed with
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is an association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League North, at the sixth tier of English football.
The club was founded in 1 ...
of the
Football League Fourth Division after a brief stop at
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club () is an English association football club based in Burnley, Lancashire, that competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, following relegation from the 2021–22 Premier League. Founded on 18 ...
He played only ten games with Darlington before moving to
Gresley Rovers of the
West Midlands (Regional) League
The West Midlands (Regional) League is an English association football competition for semi-professional and amateur teams based in the West Midlands county, Shropshire, Worcestershire, southern Staffordshire and northern Herefordshire. It has tw ...
in February 1984. Over the next two and a half years, he played seventy games for Gresley, scoring eleven goals. In June 1984, he also took over responsibility for managing the team. In November 1985, Gresley released Davies and four other players who quickly moved to
Stapenhill F.C.
Stapenhill Football Club is a football club based in the Stapenhill area of Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Edge Hill.
History
They were formed in 1947 and ten years after formation they jo ...
in the
Leicestershire Senior League
The Leicestershire Senior League (currently sponsored by Everards Brewery) is a football competition based in Leicestershire, England.
History
The league was formed in 1896, had a two-year hiatus between 1901 and 1903, and has run continuously ...
.
While now retired from playing, he continues to devote himself to the game as a radio commentator for Derby games.
Rams Remember – Roger Davies
References
External links
Derby County For the Fans
Gresley Rovers profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Roger
1950 births
Living people
Footballers from Wolverhampton
English footballers
England under-23 international footballers
English expatriate footballers
Bridgnorth Town F.C. players
Bedford Town F.C. players
Worcester City F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Preston North End F.C. players
Club Brugge KV players
Leicester City F.C. players
Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) players
Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players
Burnley F.C. players
Darlington F.C. players
Gresley F.C. players
Stapenhill F.C. players
English Football League players
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players
Belgian Pro League players
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
English football managers
Gresley F.C. managers
Association football forwards
English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate soccer players in the United States