Wyn Davies, the Welsh striker whose aerial ability made him a Newcastle United legend, is being remembered 60 years after his home debut for the club. The 6ft 2in forward, nicknamed 'Wyn the Leap', was integral to the Magpies' late-1960s and early-'70s success, including their unlikely European triumph in 1969.
A commanding presence from day one
Davies made his home debut on November 12, 1966, at the age of 24, in a match against Liverpool. A photograph from that day captures the centre-forward in full flight, with Reds defenders Tommy Smith and Ron Yeats looking on. Despite his formidable performance, Bill Shankly's Liverpool won the game 2-0 through goals from Roger Hunt and Ian St John.
Signed from Bolton Wanderers for a club record £80,000 after a long transfer chase by manager Joe Harvey, Davies quickly showed his value as a target man. Match reports highlighted his ability to hold the ball up and flick it on for teammates. The Evening Chronicle noted: "His link-up with Albert Bennett could easily have brought three goals in the first 20 minutes." The Journal reported: "Davies battled tremendously hard, and was close with some dashing headers and one cross shot, while Pop Robson was so close to being a hero."
European glory and a terrace anthem
Born in Caernarfon, Wales, in 1942, Davies turned professional with Wrexham in 1960 before joining Bolton in 1962. His big-money move to St James' Park came four years later. In 1968, Newcastle qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the forerunner of the UEFA Cup and Europa League.
In their inaugural European season, the Magpies lifted the trophy, knocking out some of the continent's biggest clubs. Davies scored against Feyenoord, Real Zaragoza, and Vitoria Setubal twice on the way to the two-legged final victory over Ujpest Dozsa of Hungary in the summer of 1969. He later recalled: "In the final we won the home leg 3-0, but were 2-0 down at half-time in Budapest - and really on the ropes. Joe Harvey told us all we had to do was score a goal and they'd collapse - and that's exactly what happened."
His performances earned him his own terrace anthem, "Come all without, come all within, you'll not see nothing like the mighty Wyn," adapted from Manfred Mann's 1968 hit The Mighty Quinn.
Legacy and final years
In 1971, with a young Malcolm Macdonald arriving, Davies moved on after five years at Newcastle. He departed having scored 53 goals in 216 appearances and earned 34 caps for Wales. He went on to play for Manchester City and Manchester United, finishing his career with Bangor City in 1979. After football, he settled in Bolton and worked at Warburtons bakery.
Reflecting on his time on Tyneside in 2017, he said: "I had a lovely time. I turned Manchester City down to come to Newcastle - but it was the best move I ever made and the Geordie fans were just fantastic. I've got so many memories." Wyn Davies died last July at the age of 83. In a tribute in the Chronicle, John Gibson memorably described his presence on the pitch: "As subtle as an air raid and just as deadly."
