Len Davies
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leonard Stephen Davies | ||
| Date of birth | 28 April 1899 | ||
| Place of birth | Splott, Cardiff, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 1945 | ||
| Place of death | Prescot, England | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Victoria Athletic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1919–1931 | Cardiff City | 306 | (128) |
| 1931–1932 | Thames | 27 | (12) |
| 1932–1935 | Bangor City | 10 | (2) |
| Total | 343 | (142) | |
| National team | |||
| 1922–1929 | Wales | 23 | (6) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1932–1935 | Bangor City | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Leonard Stephen "Len" Davies (28 April 1899 – 1945) was a Welsh professional footballer. 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. His involvement with the club coincided with their greatest period, a term in which Cardiff consolidated their position in the First Division and in which they regularly did well in the FA Cup. He also represented Wales at international level.
Born in the Splott district of Cardiff, Davies trained as a marine engineer in his teens. He also played cricket at youth level for Glamorgan County Cricket Club.
Davies began his career with Victoria Athletic before joining Cardiff City in 1919, making his debut in the 1919–20 season in a 2–2 draw with Luton Town on 13 September 1919 in the Southern Football League. The following season, he played for Cardiff in their first ever season in the Football League. He scored 17 times in the 1921–22 season, including Cardiff's first hat-trick in the Football League on 21 January 1922 during a 6–3 victory over Bradford City. Davies made a goalscoring debut for Wales on 4 February 1922 in a 2–1 win over Scotland.
Davies scored 19 league goals the following season, with 23 in 1923–24 and 19 in 1924–25, going on to score 128 goals for the Bluebirds in 305 league matches for the club (115 in the First Division between 1921 and 1928) Unfortunately, Davies' place in history is for his part in the closest League Championship finish in history. On the final day of the 1923–24 season with Cardiff City needing to win to take the title, Davies missed a late penalty kick against Birmingham City as the match finished 0–0, ensuring that Herbert Chapman's Huddersfield Town won the title by 0.024 of a goal.
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