Mark Davies (South African soccer) explained
Mark Davies (born in South Africa) is a South African retired footballer.
Career
Davies was inspired to start playing football after watching South African Gary Bailey feature in the 1979 English FA Cup final.[1]
After helping Manning Rangers, who he spent his entire professional career with, win their first league title in 1996/97,[2] Davies helped the club go within three points of reaching the 1997/98 CAF Champions League final.[3]
Notes and References
- https://www.kickoff.com/news/articles/south-africa-news/categories/news/premiership/throwback-thursday-mark-davies/588702 Throwback Thursday: Mark Davies
- https://archive.today/20200620102408/https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/news/articles/local/categories/gordon-s-legends-tavern-news/tavern-talk-with-ex-manning-rangers-mark-davies/198862 Tavern Talk: How Igesund Hurt His Foot...
- https://archive.today/20200620102346/https://translate.google.com/%23view=home&op=translate&sl=auto&tl=en&text=Davies%20was%20cult%20figure%20for%20Rangers%0AFirst%20skipper%20to%20win%20PSL%20title%0AThe%20Citizen%20(KZN)13%20May%202013NJABULO%20NGIDI%0AIT%E2%80%99S%20not%20that%20Mark%20Davies%20was%20the%20first%20man%20to%20put%20his%20finger%20prints%20on%20the%20inaugural%20Premiership%20crown%20in%20the%20Premier%20Soccer%20League%20era%20that%20makes%20him%20an%20exceptional%20man.%0A%0ANor%20is%20it%20that%20he%20achieved%20that%20by%20captaining%20the%20unfancied%20Manning%20Rangers%20to%20the%20feat%20against%20all%20the%20dominant%20football%20forces%20in%20the%20country.%0A%0ABut%20what%20makes%20Davies%20exceptional%20is%20that%20he%20only%20wore%20the%20Rangers%20jersey%20throughout%20a%20professional%20career%20that%20saw%20him%20make%20close%20to%20300%20starts%20in%20the%20league,%20turning%20him%20to%20a%20cult%20figure%20in%20Chatsworth.%0A%0ADavies%20brought%20strong%20leadership,%20solid%20defence%20and%20sheer%20determination%20to%20the%20outfit%20where%20he,%20with%20players%20like%20Innocent%20Mayoyo,%20Clinton%20Larsen,%20Grant%20Johnson%20George%20Koumantarakis,%20Bradley%20Muir%20and%20Kerryn%20Jordan,%20went%20from%20unknowns%20to%20champions.%0A%0AHe%20and%20Muir%20formed%20a%20solid%20combination%20at%20the%20back%20that%20snuffed%20out%20potent%20opposing%20strikers%20like%20Daniel%20Mudau,%20Nkosinathi%20Nhleko%20and%20Raphael%20Chukwu,%20allowing%20the%20Rangers%20strikers%20to%20go%20forward%20with%20confidence%20knowing%20their%20backs%20were%20covered.%0A%0AHe%20did%20that%20job%20for%20over%20a%20decade%20after%20joining%20Rangers%20from%20amateur%20outfit%20Escombe%20FC%20in%201991%20right%20up%20until%20he%20hung%20up%20his%20boots%20in%202002.%0A%0ADavies%20was%20a%20solid%20man-marker%20who%20was%20the%20foundation%20to%20the%20Durban-based%20side%20Gordon%20Igesund%20coached%20to%20their%20first%20and%20only%20league%20title%20in%20the%20PSL%20era.%0A%0ADavies%20and%20company%20also%20brought%20Caf%20Champions%20League%20football%20to%20the%20city%20in%201998,%20when%20they%20overcame%20Royal%20Lesotho%20Defence%20Force%20and%20Zambia%E2%80%99s%20Power%20Dynamos%20to%20reach%20the%20group%20stages.%0A%0AIn%20the%20group%20stages,%20Rangers%20were%20just%20three%20points%20away%20from%20the%20final,%20a%20spot%20that%20was%20taken%20by%20eventual%20champions%20Ivory%20Coast%E2%80%99s%20Asec%20Mimosa.%0A%0ABut%20the%20Mighty%20Maulers%20did%20finish%20ahead%20of%20Moroccan%20giants%20Raja%20Casablanca%20and%20Young%20Africans%20from%20Tanzania%20with%20Davies%E2%80%99%20leadership%20skills%20coming%20to%20the%20fore%20in%20the%20demanding%20continental%20campaign.%0A%0A%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20vital%20cog%20in%20the%20side,%20both%20as%20skipper%20and%20a%20player.%20His%20worth%20to%20the%20side%20is%20unquestionable,%E2%80%9D%20was%20how%20Igesund%20once%20described%20Davies.%0A%0ADavies%20personified%20Rangers,%20strong%20and%20resilient%20and%20still%20holds%20the%20record%20for%20the%20most%20appearances%20in%20the%20now%20defunct%20club.%20He%20is%20part%20of%20an%20era%20that%20has%20escaped%20the%20city%20with%20clubs%20from%20Durban%20ever%20since%20%E2%80%93%20AmaZulu%20and%20Golden%20Arrows%20fighting%20to%20avoid%20relegation%20rather%20than%20for%20titles.%0A%0ABattles%20for%20honours%20from%20these%20teams%20are%20rare%20as%20winter%20in%20the%20city%20with%20Arrows%E2%80%99%20MTN8%20victory%20in%202009%20the%20last%20time%20in%20the%20past%2010%20years,%20%E2%80%9Cchampions%E2%80%9D%20was%20used%20as%20a%20prefix%20to%20a%20Durban%20side.%0A%0ABeing%20champions%20is%20a%20distant%20memory%20just%20like%20that%20of%20Rangers,%20but%20that%20era%20that%20is%20remembered%20with%20nostalgia%20by%20locals.%20In%20the%20absence%20of%20any%20new%20memories%20to%20change%20that,%20thoughts%20about%20people%20like%20Davies%20still%20brings%20smiles%20to%20Durbanites.%20That%20is%20just%20one%20of%20the%20things%20that%20makes%20him%20an%20exceptional%20man. Davies was cult figure for Rangers
