Ray Powell (Welsh footballer)

Raymond Powell (5 August 1924 – May 2014) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a centre forward in the Football League for Swansea Town and Scunthorpe & Lindsey United. He played non-league football for Haverfordwest Athletic, Kettering Town, Banbury Spencer and Wellingborough Town, where he was player-manager.

Ray Powell
Personal information
Full name Raymond Powell[1]
Date of birth (1924-08-05)5 August 1924[1]
Place of birth Morriston, Wales
Date of death May 2014(2014-05-00) (aged 89)[1]
Place of death Essex, England
Position(s) Centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
194?–1947 Haverfordwest Athletic
1947–1951 Swansea Town 18 (5)
1951–1952 Scunthorpe & Lindsey United 31 (14)
1952–1956 Kettering Town
1956–195? Banbury Spencer
Managerial career
Wellingborough Town (player-manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Life and career

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Powell was born in 1924 in Morriston, Swansea, and attended Glanmôr School. He was called up to the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, and met his future wife while serving in South Africa. He played both football and rugby during the war for RAF teams and football for Cambridge Town,[2] Morriston and Haverfordwest Athletic.[3] While playing against Swansea Town in 1947, Powell impressed that club's manager enough to take him on as a professional.[2] He scored freely for the reserve side,[3] but played little first-team football – after his first season, in which he scored four goals from 13 Football League matches, he made just 6 first-team appearances in any competition in three years.[4] In 1951, Powell joined Third Division North club Scunthorpe & Lindsey United. He stayed for only one season, in which he was the club's top scorer with 14 league goals,[3] and then left the professional game. He remained in non-league football, playing part-time for Kettering Town[2] and Banbury Spencer[5][6] and acting as player-manager of Wellingborough Town, until moving to Romford, Essex, in 1961 and working as company secretary of a security firm.[2][7] Powell died in Essex in 2014 at the age of 89.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Ray Powell". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Powell, Ray (February 2000). "Ray Powell". Swans100. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Players of the past". Swansea City A.F.C. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Powell, R (Ray)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Firm rearguard". Sports Argus. Birmingham. 18 August 1956. p. 6.
  6. ^ Shadbolt, David (29 September 2015). "Birmingham Senior Cup Second Round Draw". Banbury United F.C. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Rest in peace, Ray Powell". Scunthorpe United F.C. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2020.