Ted Davis (footballer)

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 most notably Bath City's longest serving manager of all time.

Management career

Bath City

Davis was appointed at Bath City in 1927.[2][3] In 1929, he won the club their first competitive trophy, The Somerset Cup.[4] The following season, the team finished first in the Southern League Western Section, 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 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] Though he then left the club in 1947. In total, Davis spent 17 years as Bath's first team coach, their longest serving manager.

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.

• Ian Thomas; Owen Thomas; Alan Hodgson; John Ward (2007). 99 Years and Counting: Stats and Stories. Huddersfield Town A.F.C. ISBN 978-0955728105.