Cymru’s one cap wonders

Iwan Williams

As Cymru prepare for a new chapter under Craig Bellamy, Iwan Williams looks back at those who played for Cymru only once

There’s something fascinating about that exclusive group of players, those who featured for their country but never played again after their debut, often referred to as ‘one cap wonders’. And there’s been plenty of them since 1876, over 170.

They prompt debate and often provide the source for the most difficult Welsh football quiz questions. They went one step further than another group of unfortunate players, those who were called up for national duty but never called upon to play. And the circumstances behind each and every solitary cap are of course different, ranging from a nightmare debut, injuries, a reward for years of service, and war.

Take John Jones of Wrexham for example. Jones played in Cymru’s first ever game in Glasgow, the 4-0 defeat v Scotland in 1876. He never played again.

Historic

The same applied to goalkeeper David Thomson and John Hawley Edwards, who never featured again for Cymru after that historic game. Edwards had previously played for England in 1874. In 1877, Dumfries born Alexander Jones played against Scotland, the land of his birth. A year later, he was tragically killed in a shooting accident.

Very few Ynys Môn and Pembrokeshire born players have represented Cymru at senior level, therefore caps awarded to Robert Lee Roberts of Beaumaris (1890), Roger Evans of Porthaethwy (1902) and Bert Hodgkinson of Pembroke Dock (1908) carry special significance. Leo Newton was born much further away, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His one and only cap was the 3-2 defeat to Ireland in 1912.

Alfred Stan Rowlands played against England in Cardiff in March 1914, a 2-0 defeat. He would never play again for Cymru, as the First World War descended on Europe only a few months later. The same happened to Jackie Williams, who played in Cymru’s last game before the Second World War, a 2-1 defeat to France in Paris in May 1939. Indeed Robert Davies and George Williams were killed in action during the First World War, having played once for Cymru in 1885 and 1907 respectively.

Eddie ‘Ted’ Parris of Monmouthshire made history in December 1931, becoming the first black player to play for Cymru. Rewarded for his club form at Bradford Park Avenue, his only cap took place against Ireland in Belfast, a 4-0 defeat.

Although he provided Swansea City with years of service as player and manager, Harry Griffiths’ Cymru career was confined to the 3-2 win v Northern Ireland in 1953.

1971 was a good year for Caernarfon born Tom Walley and Ray Mielczarek. Watford’s Walley played against Czechoslovakia in April, whilst Rotherham’s Mielczarek featured against Finland in May.

Until recently, Alan Knill was part of Cymru’s coaching staff. His solitary cap stands out as he played against Marco Van Basten in his prime in Amsterdam in 1988. Knill did very well keeping Van Basten quiet, with a late goal by Ruud Gullit the only difference between the sides.

John Toshack’s first managerial spell with Cymru didn’t last long, however the 3-1 friendly defeat to Norway in March 1994 also marked Jason Perry’s solitary cap, taking place in familiar surroundings at Ninian Park.

Whilst Simon Davies of Solfach had a long and successful Cymru career, the ‘other’ Simon Davies only played once, a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland in Lugano in 1996. And whilst the spotlight was firmly on a teenage Ryan Giggs in the early 1990s, another Ryan, Ryan Jones, slipped under the radar for his only cap, a 2-1 friendly win in Estonia in May 1994.

Few Cymru debuts take place in the California sun, but that was the case for David Pipe. After eighteen players withdrew from the squad, Mark Hughes called upon Pipe and several other inexperienced players for the friendly against the US in San Jose in May 2003.

The 1-1 v Belgium in Brussels in October 2013 marked the end of Craig Bellamy’s outstanding Cymru career, and also marked the beginning of Harry Wilson’s. Few remember James Wilson’s one and only cap that evening.

The Euro 2016 qualification campaign will live long in the memory, and full marks to anyone who remembers Jake Taylor’s contribution, a six minute cap v Cyprus in October 2014 marking his only taste of international football.

Should he not win another cap, Billy Bodin’s debut v Uruguay in the 2018 China Cup was enough to place him and father Paul in another exclusive club, fathers and sons to have played for Cymru at senior level.

There have been numerous goalkeepers who played once for Cymru. Blaenau Ffestiniog’s Dave Felgate replaced Neville Southall to win his only cap v Romania in 1983. Roger Freestone’s solitary cap v Brazil in a glamour friendly at the new Millennium Stadium in 2000 stands out. A certain Gareth Bale made his debut v Trinidad and Tobago in Graz in May 2006, but that game also marked the debut of Glyn Garner.

And one of the most memorable debut caps in recent years was Owain Fôn Williams featuring against The Netherlands in Cardiff in 2015. Owain had given years of service to the cause, the third choice keeper (not to mention talented artist and guitar player) who would go on to be part of the Euro 2016 adventure. He was given a huge welcome onto the field by the Cymru supporters, recognising that ‘one of us’ had finally been awarded a senior cap.

Then there’s the group within a group, the ‘One cap, one goal’ crowd. Among them are Richard Hersee of Llandudno (1886), Henry Sabine of Oswestry (1887), Dai Collier of Llwynypia (1921), Billy Mays of Ynyshir (1929), and Les Boulter of Ebbw Vale (1939). John Roach of Oswestry went a step further, scoring two goals on his debut in 1885, an emphatic 8-2 win v Ireland in Belfast.

Their international football experience was brief, and yet they achieved something that us supporters would give anything for: a Cymru cap, that opportunity to wear the kit and represent that crest whether it’s for one minute, ninety minutes or more.

In the same list as Gareth Bale, John Charles, Ian Rush and the other Cymru greats. As highlighted by Podcast Pêl-droed, Owain Fôn said the feeling of winning his debut cap was “incredible…it’s hard to put it in words…it means so much to us Welsh people to put that Cymru shirt on”.

Their solitary caps are theirs to cherish and treasure forever, and their contribution to Cymru’s football journey marked in the history books.