Jack Evans (Welsh footballer)

Football player infobox
playername = Jack Evans


fullname = John Hugh Evans
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|1889|01|31|df=y
cityofbirth = Bala
countryofbirth = Wales
dateofdeath = 1971
cityofdeath = Cardiff
countryofdeath = Wales
height =
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Outside-left
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = ?-?
?-?
?-1909
1909-1910
1910-1926
1926-1928
clubs = Bala Wanderers
Welshpool
Wrexham
Cwmparc
Cardiff City
Bristol Rovers
caps(goals) = 00? 0(?)
00? 0(?)
00? 0(?)
00? 0(?)
356 (58)
00? 0(?)
nationalyears = 1912-1923
nationalteam = Wales
nationalcaps(goals) = 008 0(1)
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

John Hugh "Jack" Evans (born 31 January, 1889 in Bala, died 1971 in Cardiff) is a former Welsh professional footballer and Wales international.

Career

As a youngster Evans was working as an apprentice printer while playing for local side Bala Wanderers, despite his three older brothers playing for Bala Press. He joined Wrexham in 1908 but sustaind a serious shoulder injury and was told he may never play football again. He decided to move to South Wales to continue his work as an apprentice printer and began playing for Cwmparc and was spotted by Cardiff City, becoming the first player to be officially bought by the club when he signed for six shillings. He made his first appearance for the club on 1 September, 1910 in a friendly match to mark the opening of Cardiff's new ground Ninian Park against Aston Villa, with Evans scoring the first ever goal at the ground in a 2-1 defeat.

In 1912 he became the first ever Cardiff City player to receive a call-up for the Wales squad when he was called up to replace Ted Vizard for a match against Ireland. Evans possessed a cannonball shot which was eventually nicknamed the "Bala bang" on account of the fearsome power he put into his shots. His shots were so ferocious that one goalkeeper once broke his wrist attempting to stop the ball and a Manchester City goalkeeper was knocked out cold by another shot. [The Who's Who of Cardiff City pg.59 Retrieved on 13 March, 2008] He was a regular for Cardiff during the decade, only leaving the club to serve in World War I before returning. A consistent scorer he went on to score 52 goals in 170 Southern league appearances before moving into a more orthodox position for Cardiff's entry into the football league in 1920.

Evans eventually left Ninian Park in 1926 to join up with former Cardiff teammate Joe Clennell at Bristol Rovers, where he spent two years before retiring. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/sport/jack_evans.shtml "Jack Evans"] BBC Retrieved on 13 March, 2008]

His shirt and runners-up medal from the 1925 FA Cup Final, as well as his first cap for Wales, are now displayed in the boardroom of Cardiff City after being bought at auction by one of the clubs directors, Steve Borley. [ [http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/footballnation/cardiff-city-fc/2008/05/17/thank-evans-for-wembley-return-91466-20923293/ "Thank Evans for Wembley return"] South Wales Echo Retrieved on 28 May, 2008]

References