Gareth Melville Davies (born 11 December 1973) is a Welsh 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 lea ...

who played as a central defender. He made over 100 appearances in the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

during his career before being forced to retire after a long-term knee injury. Although he was born in England, he grew up just across the border in Wales and represented them at Under 21 level.

Personal life

Davies was born in

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

. His cousin, Kevin Sheedy, was also a professional footballer. His son, Rhys, is also a professional footballer who plays for Aberystwyth Town having previously played for Hereford FC.

Career

Davies joined his local club

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 'Th ...

as a YTS trainee at the age of 15, making his debut for the first team in 1992. He was sold to

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

in 1995 for a £120,000 fee, and was later transferred for £175,000 to

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

. He made one Premier League appearance for Crystal Palace in a game against

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. He first suffered an injury to his knee while playing for

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

, which severely restricted his appearances for the club. In 2002, after undergoing three operations on his knee, Davies decided to retire from professional football. He later played for non-league side Chippenham Town, before retiring from football altogether in 2003 to work in the recruitment industry.

References

External links

*
Gareth Davies Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Gareth 1973 births Living people Welsh men's footballers Wales men's under-21 international footballers Hereford United F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Reading F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players Chippenham Town F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players Men's association football defenders