Happy 40th birthday to former Bethesda Athletic striker Gareth Davies!
While in many ways Gareth Davies will be most remembered as one half of a prolific striking partnership, he achieved much more in his own right in a short but productive football career.
Born on April 20, 1985, the former Bethesda Athletic, Glantraeth, Beaumaris and Caernarfon Town striker celebrates his 40th birthday today.
Despite retiring from the game early aged 26, Gareth won many trophies both with clubs and individually, and his career goals tally is thought to be not far off the 300-mark.
Perhaps Gareth is best known as part of a relentless goal-getting duo alongside Richie Owen in the Bethesda Athletic team of 2008-09 which stormed to the Welsh Alliance League title by a record 19-point margin under manager Chris O’Neal.
Champions Pesda netted the league’s all-time highest goals total in a single campaign of 146.
Owen notched a remarkable 47 league goals and 59 in all competitions with partner up front Davies bagging 31 in the Welsh Alliance and 43 in total,
Athletic were promoted to the second-tier Cymru Alliance and finished an excellent ninth out of 17.
However, at the end of the 2009-10 season, half of the Cymru Alliance – including Bethesda – were relegated due to a restructuring of the Welsh football pyramid.
Gareth will always have fond memories of that season, however, as he lifted a player of the month award and was second highest scorer behind the league’s record marksman, Shaun Beck of Flint Town United.
A non-stop goalscorer as a junior, netting 85 in one season, Gareth started out with Caernarfon Town Reserves as a senior at 16, going on to represent the first team a year later when Adie Jones and Waynne Phillips managed the League of Wales side.
Gareth then joined Anglesey club Beaumaris Town, scoring more than 100 goals there, but also signed second forms for Bryan Owen at Llangefni Town.
The striker later had a spell with Glantraeth, being part of their 2005-06 Cymru Alliance league and cup double winning-squad under Paul Whelan, although he did not finish the season with the Bodorgan-based outfit, opting to return to Beaumaris.
He next joined Bethesda, where he won trophies galore piled up more than 100 goals, then ended his playing days under Chris Roberts at Glantraeth before hanging up his boots aged just 26.
Football continues to flourish for the Davies family as Gareth’s teenage daughter Rubie is a promising attacking player for CPDM Felinheli. who finished third in Genero Adran North this season and have reached two cup finals.
Hard-working with a talent for scoring spectacular goals, Gareth Davies made a considerable contribution to North Wales football over his 10-year playing career.