Leonard Stephen Davies (28 April 1899 – 1945) was a Welsh professional footballer. Born in Cardiff, he trained as a marine engineer before becoming a footballer, making his senior debut for his hometown club Cardiff City in 1919 in the Southern Football League. Cardiff joined the Football League the following year but Davies remained a reserve until establishing himself in the first team in late 1922. He scored Cardiff's first hat-trick in the Football League in January 1922 and was the club's top scorer in all competitions during the campaign.
In the 1923–24 season, Cardiff went into their final game of the
campaign needing a win to become the first Welsh side to win the Football League First Division title. During the match, Davies missed a penalty kick as his side were held to a goalless draw, missing out on the title via goal average. He also helped the club reach the 1925 FA Cup Final but missed the game due to injury. He played in a final two years later, in the 1927 FA Cup Final, helping the side become the only Welsh side to win the competition as they defeated Arsenal 1–0.
He remains the record goalscorer for Cardiff City in both league and all competitions having scored 179 goals for the club between 1919 and 1931. He later played a single season for Thames before finishing his career with Bangor City. He also represented Wales at international level 23 times during his career, scoring 6 goals
Early life
Born in the Splott district of Cardiff, Davies attended Gladatone Road School. He trained as a marine engineer in his teens and spent time at sea. He also played cricket at youth level for Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
Club career
Early years
Davies began his football career with local youth side Victoria Athletic and represented Wales at youth level in 1913 against England at Penydarren Park. He joined Cardiff City in 1919 and made his senior debut in the 1919–20 season, replacing George Beare for a 2–2 draw with Luton Town on 13 September 1919 in the Southern Football League. However, this proved to be his only first team appearance for more than a year. Cardiff joined the Second Division of the Football League in 1920, but Davies played only three times during the league season. His only other appearance during the 1920–21 season came in the Welsh Cup. With Cardiff meeting Bristol City in the Football League on the same day, they were forced to field a reserve side for their match against Pontypridd. Although Cardiff went on to lose the game, Davies scored the first senior goal of his career.
Davies remained a reserve at the start of the 1921–22 season, during which the club initially struggled in the top tier. With Fred Pagnam having failed to score in 13 appearances, Davies was brought into the side in November and scored a brace during a 2–1 victory over Everton. He scored in his next two appearances and remained a regular in the first team for the remainder of the campaign. In December 1921, Cardiff rejected a £3,000 (around £140,000 in 2021) offer for Davies from a rival First Division club. He scored Cardiff's first hat-trick in the Football League on 21 January 1922 during a 6–3 victory over Bradford City. He was also prolific in the Welsh Cup, scoring four times against Newport County in the third round and adding a hat-trick against Merthyr Town in the fourth. In the final, Davies scored Cardiff's second goal as they defeated Ton Pentre 2–0. He finished the season as Cardiff's second highest scorer in the First Division with 17, 3 short of Jimmy Gill, but his scoring exploits in the FA Cup and Welsh Cup saw him out score Gill in all competitions.
Gill and Davies remained a prolific partnership for the club in the 1922–23 season, with Davies scoring 19 league goals, two more than his teammate. Davies' tally included a hat-trick during a 6–1 victory over Chelsea in March 1923. He also scored six times in four matches as Cardiff retained their Welsh Cup title, including a hat-trick in a 10–0 win over Oswestry in the fourth round and the winning goal in the final during a 3–2 victory over Aberdare Athletic.