Stanley Griffiths (8 February 1911 – 2003) 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 played as an

outside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. He played six times in the

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 ...

during spells with Gillingham and Cardiff City.

Career

Born in

Pentre Pentre is a village, Community (Wales), community and electoral ward near Treorchy in the Rhondda valley, falling within the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The village's name is taken from the Welsh word Pentref, which translates as ...

, Griffiths began his career with Cardiff City in 1931. Unable to break into the first team, he moved to

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

the following year but again made no appearances. He signed for Gillingham in 1933 and made his professional debut in a 2–1 defeat against

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

. He made three further league appearances for the side before returning to Cardiff in 1934. During the 1934–35 season, he made two appearances for Cardiff, scoring in both, but was not retained by the club at the end of the season. After spells with Bangor and

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

, Griffiths joined Irish side

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

. He made his debut for the club in their opening match of the season, scoring once in a 3–2 victory over Shelbourne in the

Dublin City Cup The Dublin City Cup is a defunct Irish football tournament which was played for by all League of Ireland sides (and not just those from Dublin city as the name suggests). It ran from 1933 and ran uninterrupted until 1973. In the 1975–76 se ...

. He helped the club to win the trophy later in the season, the first time Dundalk had won the competition. Along with fellow winger Jimmy McArdle, he provided numerous assists for forward Joey Donnelly who scored a career high 24 goals during the season and scored ten goals in all competitions himself. The club also finished the season as runners-up behind

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...

in the league and reached the final of the

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

, losing 2–1 to St James's Gate. He returned to England in 1938, joining

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

where he finished his playing career following the outbreak of World War II.

Later life

Griffiths was called up for service during World War II but was later given a medical discharge owing to cartilage injuries suffered during his playing career. He instead went to work in

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century, ...

where he worked until retirement. He also briefly worked as a trainer at his former club Gillingham and as a scout for

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

. He died in 2003 from

neurocysticercosis Neurocysticercosis is a specific form of the infectious parasitic disease cysticercosis that is caused by the infection with ''Taenia solium'', a tapeworm found in pigs. Neurocysticercosis occurs when cysts formed by the infection take hold with ...

at his home in France.

Honours

Dundalk *

winner: 1938 *

finalist: 1938

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, Stan 1911 births 2003 deaths Welsh footballers Cardiff City F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Bangor City F.C. players Folkestone F.C. players Dundalk F.C. players Grantham Town F.C. players English Football League players Association football forwards People from Pentre Sportspeople from Rhondda Cynon Taf