Dai Davies obituary: Former Wales goalkeeper dies aged 72

Former Wales goalkeeper Dai Davies has died at the age of 72.

Davies was at one stage Wales' most-capped keeper, making 52 appearances for his country over a seven-year period.

His career spanned 17 years, starting at Swansea City, before moving on to Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Bangor City and Wrexham, where he ended his career in his second spell with the club.

"Dai was a great goalkeeper but also a wonderful human being with a beautiful soul," his wife Judy said in a family statement.

"Ever the gentleman Dai had time for everyone and was hugely respected and much loved by so many."

The statement, issued by Davies' former club Everton also said:

"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of William David Davies (better known as Dai) today, Wednesday 10 February 2021. He died peacefully at home.

"He was much loved by Judy, Bethan, Gareth, Rhian, Emma, Sally, Kate and his 12 grandchildren. He will live on in the memories we, and many others, hold dear.

"In his last few months, the kindness and support he, and us, have received from our friends and the staff at Nightingale House Hospice has been wonderful, and we thank them all.

"As we do the staff who cared for him at both The Maelor Hospital Wrexham and The Royal Hospital in Liverpool."

Born in the Carmarthenshire village of Glanamman in 1948, Davies was a relatively late starter in the professional game as he focused on college work before joining Swansea in 1969.

He made his Swansea debut at the age of 22 in 1970 and was signed by Everton for £40,000 having played only a handful of games for the south Wales club.

The jump from Third Division football to the top end of the highest division - Everton were league champions at the time - was significant, with Davies admitting he found it hard initially to adjust to life at Goodison Park.

Nevertheless, Davies would spend seven years as an Everton player.

He made 82 appearances for the Merseyside club, many of which came in the 1974-75 season when they pushed hard for the title, only to lose out to Dave Mackay's Derby County.

Davies, who had returned to Swansea on loan in 1974, left Everton on a permanent basis for Wrexham in 1977.

He helped the club to Third Division title success in his first season at the Racecourse before joining Swansea for a third time in 1981.

The return to south Wales meant a return to First Division football, with Davies racking up another 71 top-flight appearances as part of the John Toshack side that threatened to win the title in 1982.

Davies then moved to Tranmere Rovers, making his final Football League appearances for the Wirral club in 1983-84.

His last Wales appearance had come in 1982. He missed only six of Wales' 58 matches during that seven-year spell, a run which made him the nation's most-capped keeper until his record was surpassed by Neville Southall.

Davies was part of the Wales side that beat England 1-0 at Wembley in 1977, and the team who famously thrashed their nearest neighbours 4-1 at Wrexham four years later.

Having retired with more than 350 league appearances to his name, Davies returned to football with Bangor City in 1985-86, playing in their European Cup Winners' Cup campaign and famously saving a penalty in an away tie against Atletico Madrid.

A second, brief stint with Wrexham followed, with Davies claiming the third Welsh Cup of his career before he finished playing for good.

Davies later ran a natural health clinic in Llangollen and worked as a pundit, often for Welsh language outlets.

He was a passionate supporter of the language of his homeland throughout his life, and was honoured at the National Eisteddfod in 1978.

Former Wales manager John Toshack played alongside Davies in the national side and as Swansea City boss signed him in 1981.

"Dai, in my opinion was a very good goalkeeper, more than what he's given credit for," Toshack told BBC Radio Wales.

"Few eyebrows raised when I signed Dai, I just felt that Dai coming back to Swansea in those circumstances was just what we needed - and would suit him down to the ground. He had a terrific season with us at Swansea.

"Dai was a character, he was outstanding. Super guy, good lad and a good sense of humour. Many happy time with him in the Welsh team when we played together."

Former Everton and Wales midfielder Barry Horne worked alongside Davies as a pundit for BBC Wales.

But they had also been team-mates at Wrexham, under Davies' good friend Dixie McNeil, during the mid 1980s at the tail end of the goalkeeper's career.

"He came into the club part way into a season and made a big impact," Horne said.

"He certainly kept my feet on the ground, that is for sure. No matter how well you trained or how well you played, Dai always found something you could improve on.

"He had a heart of gold and a heart of a lion.

"I then spent a lot of time with Dai covering Wales international games and he was always good company - a good raconteur who always had a story.

"It's a great loss to Welsh football and Wales in general."

Former Wales captain Kevin Ratcliffe joined Everton as a 16-year-old while Davies was a member of the first team squad at Goodison Park.

Ratcliffe would later play alongside Davies for the national side and said: "He was a great bloke and I think he was underrated.

"I used to travel with him and a gang of us down to south Wales or Maidenhead where we were staying and they were good times.

"It was great for team spirit. He will be missed by everybody."