Fred Keenor: The Man Who Never Gave Up

Product Information

A small boy found that the occasion offered splendid opportunity for a remunerative business on the canal bridge, where a large number of people had ensconced themselves on the parapet and pillars. To their mortification a gust of wind carried away a dozen hats, some landing on the towpaths and others sailing down the stream. The boy volunteered at twopence per man to shin down the side of the bridge to retrieve the lost headgear. So we’re doing a DJ set at the Burgess Green pub, which is the home of the PVM, the Port Talbot Pure Violence Mob, so we knew it was going to be a bit lively,” the musician remembers. a b "Keenor 'out of favour' in 1927 FA Cup run up". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 17 March 2009. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009 . Retrieved 12 October 2009. Reports are that he retired because he developed diabetes. But in actual fact his diabetes started when he was playing for Cardiff,” said Graham, 67, of Mynachdy, Cardiff. Apparently he [Keenor] sat down with the team before the match and memorably said, 'We have 11 players, they have 11 players - there's one ball out there and that ball is ours,'" Emrys added.

Nephew's tribute plans for City's FA Cup hero". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 8 June 2009. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009 . Retrieved 12 October 2009.Port Talbot is a divided town, half is Cardiff, half is Swansea, but this pub was a Cardiff City pub.

Under the stewardship of Fred Stewart and George Latham, Keenor was handed regular First Team opportunities during the 1913/14 season, having played prominently for City’s amateur side in the Western Football League prior to that. Fred made his competitive Cardiff City debut in a 1-1 draw with Exeter City on 6th December, 1913. Before the match, Keenor had asked Robbins if he could have the players to himself for four hours before the game. Taking the team to relax and discuss tactics for the match, in his pre-match team talk he exhorted his teammates, "There's eleven of them and eleven of us, and there's only one ball, and it's ours". [78] Despite their inexperience, the Welsh side held Scotland to a 1–1 draw having taken the lead after six minutes through a Tommy Bamford goal. [79] The display led the Welsh public to call for the same side to remain for the following match against England. There was no repeat of the result; the Welsh side lost 4–0 at the Racecourse Ground. [79] Keenor won his final cap for Wales on 26 October 1932 in a 5–2 victory over Scotland. [80] International goals [ edit ] Results list Wales' goal tally first. Goal Nov 2023 Not enough research into women's rugby concussionThe game's governing body says there is a "definite need" to close the gap in knowledge.

Our Supporters

The close childhood friend of Sean Lemass, who later became Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) between 1959 and 1966, was a non-violent member of the Irish Republican Army and was jailed for removing wanted posters from St Stephen's Green in Dublin. When the rule came in in 1930 it hit the Welsh team especially very hard," said Emrys, who will be in Aarhus for Wales' game on Sunday.

Cassidy’s return from injury saw Keenor drop out of the side. He didn’t appear for the first team from October 1914 until a match on 2nd January 1915. Following this, he featured in 15 of The Bluebirds’ next 18 matches. In 1925 he guided Cardiff to a first FA Cup final appearance, a game they lost 1-0 to Sheffield United, and then to a 1-0 win over the Arsenal two years later. He won six Welsh Cup winners medals, held aloft the Charity Shield and earned 32 caps for Wales, captaining them to the Home International Championship in 1924. He also helped Wales to win the title in 1920 and 1928. More than 1,000 have already signed a petition started by supporter Mike Inker, 32, of Llandaff North, Cardiff, to put up a monument. He came through the ranks of Cardiff Blues and is still enjoying being at the peak of his powers having toured with the British Lions twice and won 65 Wales caps to date. He is also a graduate of Cardiff University School of Medicine. Shepherd, Richard (2002). The Definitive: Cardiff City F.C. Nottingham: SoccerData Publications. ISBN 978-1-899468-17-1.Leighton, James (2010). Fred Keenor – The Man Who Never Gave Up. Derby: Derby Books Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-85983-828-0. On reaching their destination the City players rose from their seats and waved to the crowd. Keenor lifted the Cup time and time again, and each time he did so the cheering was doubled. On the portico of the City Hall each player was brought forward to shake hands with the Lord Mayor, and ten minutes elapsed before there was anything like silence. Then the singing began, and after patriotic songs others in honour of the occasion and of the eleven players were rendered. It was his connections with the School which ultimately set Fred on his journey as a footballer, as his former teacher, Walter Riden, joined the Bluebirds’ board of directors and urged the young midfielder to join the club. Graham hopes to carry out more research on this and other aspects of his uncle’s life before putting pen to paper. However, just as Fred’s football career was beginning to take off, War broke out across Europe, and the young Welshman was soon forced to enlist for active service. He served in the famous 17th Battalion Middlesex Regiment, commonly known as the ‘Football Battalion’ due to the number of young players who signed up together.

All but one of those who played up in Scotland faced England, but unfortunately it didn't work out quite as well on that occasion because they lost 4-0," said Emrys. Jonny played it to Eddie Piller, the owner of Acid Jazz Records who agreed to release it,” explains Owen. “He’s a really nice bloke who understood immediately the social history of the chant. The song is about coal coming down the Taff Vale railway to Cardiff, and Eddie was really interested in both the song’s industrial and football history.” There was no real band, it was just me and Jonny DJing and doing Q&As. We asked Cardiff City if we could have a player come around with us to sign a few autographs, although when we told them about the pubs where we were appearing they said, ‘no way’,” he laughs, recalling the club’s reaction when they detailed the earthy watering holes they were appearing at.Perhaps you’re studying local history and have been particularly moved by a story? Or maybe you’re a relative of a former Bluebird and have oral histories you’d like to share? Whatever it is, get in touch. Keenor was selected to represent the Welsh schoolboy side in 1907 and appeared in the first-ever meeting between the English and Welsh schoolboy sides, [67] playing in the match as an outside-right. [6] He also featured in two Victory Internationals at the end of the First World War. [67] Keenor was handed his debut for the senior team on 15 March 1920. He was named in the squad for their 2–1 victory over England in the 1919–20 British Home Championship, following the withdrawal of Billy Jennings through injury. [68] On 16 February 1924, Keenor was handed the Wales captaincy for the first time in his career for a match against Scotland. [69] The Scots were captained by his Cardiff teammate Jimmy Blair, making the match the first time in the history of international football that opposition teams had been captained by players from the same club side. [70] As a consequence the original squad, including Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen and Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City, will now be available to face Wales. Family announcements: Graham followed in his dad's football footsteps". South Wales Echo. 29 August 2002. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019 . Retrieved 17 August 2016– via The Free Library. But his love affair with Wembley continued as in 1932 he completed a treble, captaining Newcastle to FA Cup final victory - over Cardiff's 1927 Cup final victims Arsenal.