Former Shrewsbury Town manager Fred Davies dies at 81
Last updated on .From the section Shrewsbury
Former Shrewsbury Town manager Fred Davies has died at the age of 81.
Liverpool-born Davies had a fine playing career as a goalkeeper with Wolves, Cardiff City and Bournemouth.
He stayed in football after retirement, assisting John Bond at Bournemouth, Swansea, Birmingham and Shrewsbury.
But he is best remembered for the success he had late in his career when, at 54, he succeeded Bond at Shrewsbury, who then won the 1993-94 Division Three title in his first season.
Davies was initially installed as caretaker boss in August 1993 by then Town chairman Ray Bailey, who did not want to tempt fate by announcing that he had made the appointment more permanent.
He did not officially confirm Davies's appointment until Town had beaten Chester to the title in April 1994, putting Davies among the longest-serving and most successful caretaker bosses in football history.
Although Shrewsbury have been promoted three times since, their 1994 triumph was only the club's second and most recent title.
Davies also took Town to Wembley for the first time in April 1996, when Shrewsbury lost 2-1 to Rotherham United in the Auto Windscreens Shield final.
But he was sacked following relegation back to English football's fourth tier in May 1997, after which he spent two seasons in charge of non-league Weymouth.
"Fred's contribution, impact and influence on English football was vast, most notably in his role as manager of Shrewsbury Town," said League Managers' Association chief executive Richard Bevan, who was based in Shropshire in Davies's time in charge at the Gay Meadow.
The boyhood Everton fan, who was born a fortnight before the outbreak of World War Two, cut his teeth in football as understudy to the great Bert Williams at Wolves.
He went on to make over 400 career appearances, including three successive Welsh Cup triumphs with Cardiff from 1968 to 1970.
