Tivyside | Archive | 2003 | January | 15
From the Tivyside Advertiser, first published Wednesday 15th Jan 2003.
A playing career in the Cardiganshire Football League with both Ffostrasol, St Dogmaels and Llandysul remarkably spanned TWENTY-EIGHT years for Peter Davies before he last year hung up his boots.
But don't dare run away with the idea that the retirement of the long serving Llandysul player and secretary Peter has finished with football entirely.
No way. His love of the game is too deep seated for that to happen.
What perhaps stands out about his playing record in the Cardiganshire League is that not once was Peter ever sent off or even booked.
His retirement from the game has enabled him to enjoy it as a spectator and for one so committed this really has come as a luxury.
In the course of just one week lately he was at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth, for a Tuesday night match; at the Vetch Field, Swansea, the following night and then at Carmarthen's Richmond Park on the Saturday.
A week or so later Peter was again in Aberystwyth for a midweek Welsh League match before travelling on to Ninian Park for Cardiff City's pulsating FA Cup showdown with Coventry.
And he and his family have witnessed every match played by Wales at the Millennium Stadium.
As a player, those followers slightly longer in the tooth will remember Peter as a cultured midfield operator with the Ffostrasrol team that rather ruled the roost during the 70's and 80's.
He has lost count of the number of trophies he helped win. But a roll of five or six championships, playing in six Easter Monday Cup Finals - winning three and scoring in two of them - Mond Cup winner twice, Bay Cup "a few times", South Cards Cup and J Emrys Morgan Cup isn't bad going!
But it is the 1974/75 season that lives uppermost in Peter Davies' memory because Ffostrasol became the first team in the history of the Cardiganshire League to capture five trophies in one season.
And, in the Emrys Morgan Cup Final with Ffostrasol trailing 3-1 at half-time and still looking down and out of it at 3-2 10 minutes from time, Peter seized the equaliser that brought them the lifeline of extra time.
And it was in the second period of this, with Ffostrasol sensationally leading 4-3, that Peter netted again as he and his team-mates sealed an epic encounter 5-3.
Peter happily reflects on having managed a goal against every side in the league and another that especially stands out is the spot kick he rifled seconds from time in a South Cards quarter-final to ensure Ffostrasol, a goal down at Tregaron, lived to fight another day.
Ffostrasol won the replay and went on to land this particular cup for the one and only time in their distinguished history.
"I have been very lucky," says Peter, the immediate past chairman of enterprise agency Antur Teifi and the Farmers' Union of Wales' long serving county secretary/organiser for Carmarthenshire.
"I can look back very happily on a career in local football, which has brought me countless lasting friendships from some truly wonderful people I have played alongside and against.
"If my own sons enjoy the game half as much as I did they will have done well," he said.
The eldest of his boys, Robert, aged 15, is a skilful midfielder with Bargod Rangers whilst Michael (12) is a member of the Llanybydder team, which has won all its matches so far this season.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008