Roger Davies (footballer)
Roger Davies ( born October 25, 1950 in Wolverhampton ) is a former English footballer. The striker won in 1975 with Derby County English Championship, and two years later with FC Bruges the "Double" league and cup in Belgium. In the North American NASL he was active thereafter for three different clubs and he was in 1980 as the league Most Valuable Player ( " MVP " ) awarded.
Sports career
Derby County
In September 1971, Davies joined the English first division club Derby County. Only a short time before had played in the lower class Midland Football Combination for the small club Bridgnorth Town and leave this club in August 1971 in the direction of Worcester City. Worcester was active at least in the Southern League and the performance of the tall center forward must have left such an impression that Derby paid the not inconsiderable sum of £ 12,000 for Davies ' Change.
His first appearance in professional league football he had initially in August 1972 during a Leihphase at Preston North End. The " Rams" on the other hand he had come in the 1971/72 season only in sporting less significant Texaco Cup and in the reserve team for use. In the B-team he had, notwithstanding the Central League and won from the following season 1972/73 he succeeded more to gain a foothold in the root formation. In 20 league games, he scored seven goals. Then there was a hat-trick in the FA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur, as Derby County converted a 1:3 residue in a 5-3 victory shortly before the end. In the semi-final game of the European national champion competition against Juventus (0-0 after a 1:3 in the first leg ), he allowed himself to an assault against Francesco Morini after a provocation and was provided for by the court. In March 1974, Davies played by Substitutes against Scotland (2-0) his first (and only) appearance for the England U-23 selection and winning the English Championship 1975, he was a fixture in the team. To the success he contributed twelve own hits and all five goals for a 5-0 home win against Luton Town on March 29, 1975 went to his account.
Stations to Derby
Just over a year later in August 1976 Davies moved to Belgium for Club Brugge, where he was part of the team that won the "double" league and cup. Before the end of the subsequent season 1977/78 he moved back in December 1977 the first English league for Leicester City. There he got to the end of the season from the Table and the following year he remained with just two goals short of expectations before joining in March 1979 in the North American NASL Tulsa Roughnecks to. In Tulsa Davies ' vormaliger Derby County striker partner Andy Hinton took over as coach and persuaded him to change. Because of sporadic injury his performances were here changeable and also his last return to the English professional football six months later was under an unlucky star. In Derby County, who struggled to avoid relegation in the 1979/80 season, he scored in 22 league games only three goals before the season ends, which ultimately had to destitution, he followed Hinton once more to North America. Hinton had hired temporarily in Seattle at the Sounders and from March 1980 Davies went there hunting for goals. The year 1980 was Davies ' most successful period in the U.S. professional football. He scored 25 goals and finished the season as the most valuable player in the league ( " MVP " ) awarded. Two more years was Davies still active in Seattle and, as he played for the club in the organized indoor soccer. The last stop in the U.S. was 1983, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, however, where only reach three more goals to him.
Once in the twilight of his career, Davies then played back in his native England after a short stay at Burnley FC from November, 1983 to the fourth division FC Darlington and from February 1984 for Gresley Rovers unterklassigen. In Church Gresley, he worked to between July 1984 and January 1985 as a player-coach. Last active station was in the 1985/86 season FC Stapenhill in the Leicestershire Senior League, before Davies ended his career. In the following years he was the football in the region around Derby continue to receive. He began primarily as a radio reporter in reporting of batches of Derby County.
Title / Awards
- English Championship ( 1): 1975
- Texaco Cup ( 1): 1972
- Belgian Championship ( 1): 1977
- Belgian Cup ( 1): 1977
- Most Valuable Player ( " MVP ") in the NASL ( 1): 1980