Daniel Grey

Welsh medical practitioner and footballer

Daniel GreyPersonal information

Date of birth|  c. 1848
Place of birth|  New Mills, Scotland
Date of death|  26 February 1900(1900-02-26) (aged 51–52)
Place of death|  Ruabon, Wales
Senior career*
Years|  Team|  Apps|  (Gls)
1876–1880|  Druids|  |
International career
1876–1878|  Wales|  2|  (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Daniel Grey (c. 1848 – 26 February 1900) was a Welsh medical practitioner who was prominent in the early days of Welsh football, making two appearances for the Wales national football team in the 1870s.

## Early life

[edit]

Grey was born in New Mills, Lanarkshire in Scotland[citation needed] and attended Glasgow University. He obtained his medical qualifications in 1874, when he moved to Ruabon, near Wrexham, Denbighshire to start a medical practice.[1]

## Football career

[edit]

Grey was a keen sportsman and soon became one of the principals of the Druids club alongside Llewelyn Kenrick and the Thomson brothers, George and David. Grey became a founder member of the Football Association of Wales and attended the Association's inaugural Annual General Meeting at Shrewsbury on 24 May 1876.[1]

In 1876, he also took part in trials organized by Kenrick to select Welsh players to represent their country in a match against Scotland.[2] The match was played at Hamilton Crescent, Partick, the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club on 25 March 1876, with Grey playing on the right wing.[3] The Welsh were well defeated, conceding four goals without reply.[4]

In 1877, Grey, described as "a busy player and tremendous worker",[1] played (and scored) for Druids in the inaugural Welsh Cup tie,[5] contributing £15 to the FAW's fund to purchase a trophy.[1] Druids reached the final on 30 March 1878, losing 1–0 to local rivals Wrexham.[6]

Grey's second international appearance came a week before the Cup Final, on 23 March 1878, in a 6–0 defeat by Scotland at the original Hampden Park.[7]

## Later career

[edit]

Grey had retired from active playing by 1880, but continued to attend Druids and Wrexham matches as a spectator. In his medical capacity, he was often called upon to tend to injured players. In 1889, a Welsh Cup match between Wrexham and Westminster Rovers became particularly violent and Grey was called upon to lecture the players about their behaviour.[1]

Grey continued to live in Ruabon, where he died in February 1900 aged 51.[1][8]

He was buried in Rhosymedre Church Cemetery.[9]

## Honours

[edit]

Druids

* Welsh Cup runners-up: 1878

## See also

[edit]

* List of Wales international footballers born outside Wales

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. pp. 72–73\. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
2. ^ "The Story of Welsh Football". 1876 Kenrick's Challenge. www.wrexham.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
3. ^ "1876 Programme". The Story of Welsh Football. www.wrexham.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
4. ^ "Scotland 4 Wales 0 (25 March 1876)". Welsh Football Data Archive. Archived from the original on 20 August 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
5. ^ "Welsh Cup 1877–78". Welsh Football Data Archive. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
6. ^ "Wrexham 1 Druids 0 (30 March 1878)". Welsh Cup Final. Welsh Football Data Archive. Archived from the original on 6 March 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
7. ^ "Scotland 6 Wales 0 (23 March 1878)". Welsh Football Data Archive. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
8. ^ "Welsh Newspapers". newspapers.library.wales. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
9. ^ "Welsh Newspapers". newspapers.library.wales. Retrieved 31 July 2024.

*[Apps]: League appearances
*[Gls]: League goals