Gareth Davies Interview

It was a sad day in the Davies household back in 2002. Gareth Davies, the ex-Hereford United defender decided to knock professional football on the head at the relatively young age of 28, but the former Wales Under-21 did it for all the right reasons. After suffering from a knee injury for almost 3 years, Gareth didn’t want his newborn child, Rhys to have a father crippled by injury.

At the time Gareth sounded philosophical, telling the Swindon Town Website “I don’t want people to feel sorry for me, I have to get on with life in the ‘real’ world.” However speaking exclusively to the Official Hereford United Website Gareth tells how he took the decision far worse. “I’m the first person to admit that I lost 6 months of my life, I was that gutted about leaving football, I found it really hard, but I did it for my kid’s. I’ve got two boys, and I didn’t want them to grow up with their daddy as a cripple”

It was thanks to his wife that Gareth came through. “When I had to retire, for the first six months I thought the world owed me everything, I kept thinking ‘why me?’ I couldn’t see further than my own nose. But my wife’s been brilliant, she kept telling me to appreciate what I’ve had, that I’ve been so lucky. She told me to think of all the dreams I’d had that have come true, to think of everyone I’d played alongside”

Now three years on and Gareth is back to his best, another little Davies, one-year-old Ryan, now joins him, his wife Bethan and three-year-old Rhys. They’ve recently moved back to Herefordshire, just outside Clyro, and Gareth now plays football for a small village team. He says that he’s currently scoring a lot more goals than he ever has, he’s back to enjoying life and now works as a career for youngsters with behavioural problems “Its all in a long term plan, I really want to coach kids with special needs and behavioural problems. Basically I’ve had to take a backwards step in what I’m doing, the football side will come into it in years to come I think.” Gareth got the desire to coach youngsters whilst at Crystal Palace, “They’ve got a special needs club, a big supporters club, and I did a lot with them up there. I feel sometimes kids get left behind when they’ve got problems, and I really enjoy working with them.”

Gareth, who had to put a hold on his UEFA B Coaching badge when he retired, still holds aspirations of coaching professional football in the future. “My ideal situation would be to have a job at Hereford, but I’ve only just moved back to Wales, we’re going to get Christmas out of the way first, my family come first and I want to make sure they’re settled back here”

Gareth looks back on his days at Hereford with great fondness, “To be honest, my memories of Hereford are the best memories I have, my parents loved it, they still see people walking through town and they get greeted really nicely, I think that’s what the club is all about. I owe Hereford everything, without them I’d have never made it’”

Gareth started out at Swansea, but being born in Hereford he always supported the Bulls as a lad. “I was at Swansea City at the time, and as I was watching Hereford a lot so I decided to approach Ian Bowyer, I had one trial game and he took me on straight away.”

In 1992 Gareth Davies started his Edgar Street career, completing a two year YTS. Gareth then signed professional terms and completed three happy years before being sold to Crystal Palace for £120,000 where he made 30 appearances. After a brief loan spell at Cardiff, Gareth then moved onto Reading in 1997 for £175,000, making 18 appearances, he then went on a free to Swindon, where he damaged his left knee. The knee injury led to him playing only a handful of games in his 3-year spell, and most of his time was spent on the physio’s couch before making the all-important decision to retire after ten years as a pro.

After Gareth retired from professional football, Bulls boss Graham Turner wanted the centre back to make a comeback to Hereford and contacted Gareth. Sadly it was simply the wrong time “When I retired Graham did ask me to go back, but it wasn’t the right thing at the right time, we stayed living in Swindon, but I was close to coming back, unfortunately it just wasn’t the right situation”

Looking back through Gareth’s career you can see a long list of footballing heroes who’s he’s played with, the likes of Lombardo, Nigel Martin and Ray Houghton. He’s been managed by the likes of Roy Evans, Steve Coppell and Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock, but he classes an ex-United player as a true legend. Steve ‘Chalky’ White made 76 appearances for the Bulls, scoring 44 goals over two seasons. In his second season he played a major part in helping United reach the Division Three Play-Offs.

“Steve White was a legend, he made me train with him and mark him everyday at Hereford, because he wanted me to become a better player. He was awesome. I played a few games for Steve at Chippenham, but really my heart wasn’t in it and I decided to call it a day. He agreed as much as me that it was time for me not to play anymore.” Going on to talk about his time in non-league football Gareth says “I think the hardest thing about playing non-league football is that a lot of non-league footballers, sometimes don’t have the hunger that professional footballers do. I know it’s different in the conference because it’s virtually all full-time, but the lower the level you come down, it gets harder because you weren’t training everyday, people didn’t seem to have the same appetite or hunger as a lot of other footballers do.”

In the interview it became clear that Gareth holds a place very close to his heart for Hereford United, “I love the club, I’m as gutted as anybody when they lose a game, and I go as often as I can, I’ve been to a few games this season.”

“I’d do anything for the club, because without them I’d have never played for Crystal Palace, or Wales under 21. There are a lot of people at Edgar Street who did so much for my career, one of the main ones who I really respect is Peter Isaac, he was like a father to all of us YTS lads. It was an excellent set up, Shane Jones and Paul Burton came through at the same time and had a couple of seasons as pro’s, it was a really good atmosphere, but sadly the finances aren’t there and the clubs lost the youth training scheme now.”

“I’ve always had a good rapport with the fans, I made a lot of friends, and when I come back its good that they all come and see me, and treat me as me. I think the problem in this day and age is that everyone looks as footballers as being like David Beckham, I’m a down to earth person, and I know I’m no bigger or better than any supporter, because without them I know I’d have never got playing.”

Speaking of the present squads chances of promotion back to the football league Gareth feels they need a few more like Lee Mills. “If I’m honest he [Graham Turner] needs to sign a couple of big strong players, but that costs money, and I think Graham would be the first to admit that, a lot of teams will come with big strong sides to defend, perhaps nick a result from a corner. I think the players Grahams got are very good players, but I think they need another just like Lee Mills, a big strong character.” Gareth recalls coming up against Lee Mills before “I’ve played against Lee a couple of times, and we’ve had some really good battles, its not pretty football at times, but sometimes you need big players like that, big 6 foot lumps who can defend corners and score the other end. Promotion is promotion, that’s what every supporter wants to see, and that’s what I want to see because I’m a supporter. We’ve got a good chance, but the Christmas period will be a crucial time.”

Finally there is nothing Gareth wants more than to play one last game at Edgar Street “I’ve got one regret, I’ve been unlucky to finish through injury, but my one dream is to go back and play one last game at Edgar Street, I’ve always wanted to go back and play one more game” Maybe, just maybe Gareth will be running out onto the Edgar Street pitch for one final time in the future, it would certainly be a fitting end to his footballing career.

With special thanks to Gareth Davies for taking time out to talk, and to Stephen Hawker, who without his help there would have been no interview.