Ted Davis
Personal information
Full name Edwin Davis
Date of birth 1892
Place of birth Bedminster, Bristol, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Clapton Orient ? (?)
1914–1922 Huddersfield Town 50 (0)
1922–1925 Blackburn Rovers 24 (0)
Managerial career
1927-1937 Bath City
1937-1939 Colchester United
1939-1947 Bath City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Edwin "Ted" Davis (born 1892 in Bedminster, Bristol) was a professional footballer, who played for Clapton Orient, Huddersfield Town & Blackburn Rovers. He is Bath City’s longest serving and most successful manager of all time.

Management career

Davis was appointed at Bath City in 1927.[2][3] In 1929, Davis won the club their first competitive trophy, The Somerset Cup.[4] The following season, the team finished first in the Southern League Western Section - the clubs highest-ever league placing. Though Bath lost 3–2 in the play offs to Eastern Section Champions Aldershot Town, hence, they were less applicable for election to the Third Division. The season was labelled "the best in the club's history by the Bath Chronicle."[5] In 1933, the club won the Southern League Western Section for a second time, but lost in the final to play–off Eastern Section Champions Norwich City 2–1. In 1937, Davis left Bath for Colchester United.[6][7]

Ted Davis rejoined Bath City in 1939, Upon the Outbreak of the Second World War, Bath were, by chance, accepted to join the temporary Football League North, competing with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Everton, finishing the eventual champions under Davis, thereby becoming the only semi-professional side ever to win a Football League trophy.[8][9] In 1944, the club were, once again, in talks for entry into the English Football League, with the aim of being admitted into either the Third Division, or the planned Fourth Division, which had not yet been established.

However, on 27 July 1945, the Football League's management committee refused to allow any non-league clubs into the Third Division, despite Third League clubs "wanting Bath City to join".[10] Thus, after the War, with the resumption of competitive football, they were forced to resume playing in the Southern League.[11] Ted Davis, then left the club in 1947. In total, Davis spent 17 years as first team coach. He went on to become the most successful and longest serving manager in the club's history, winning seven trophies.

References

  1. ↑ Woolwinder (22 August 1921). "First Division prospects. Huddersfield Town". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
  2. ↑ "Bright Prospects". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 16 July 1927. p. 21. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Bath City FC dance a great success". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 2 April 1927. p. 5. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  4. ↑ "Bath City football club, successful season from playing point of view". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 10 August 1929. p. 9. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "Bath City Football Club: Most successful season in its history". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 2 August 1930. p. 9. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "From four-day reigns to fairytale cup runs – the U's managers of the past". Gazette. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  7. ↑ "Ted Davis Goes to Colchester". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 10 July 1937. p. 4. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "How English football responded to the second world war". the Guardian. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "Football honours come to Bath: City win League Championship". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 13 May 1944. p. 11. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "Third League wanted for Bath City: But clubs hands were tied". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 28 July 1948. p. 8. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "Bath City and Fourth League". British Newspaper Archive. Bath Chronicle. 7 June 1946. p. 10. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  • Ian Thomas; Owen Thomas; Alan Hodgson; John Ward (2007). 99 Years and Counting: Stats and Stories. Huddersfield Town A.F.C. ISBN 978-0955728105.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.