Leslie Daniel Canning (21 February 1926 – 30 June 2014) was a Welsh professional footballer. A

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

, he made over 100 appearances in

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

during spells with

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

, Swansea Town and

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

and won promotion from the Third Division South twice in three years between 1947 and 1949 for Cardiff and Swansea.

Career

Canning was born in

Penrhiwceiber Penrhiwceiber is a village and community (and electoral ward) in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, that lies south of the town Aberpennar and north of the village of Tyntetown, and is one of many villages that lies within the Cyn ...

. A goalkeeper, he began his career at local side Abercynon before signing for

at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. At the start of the 1946–47 season, he began the season as backup goalkeeper before replacing George Poland after just two matches. He went on to keep 22 clean sheets in 38 league appearances during the remainder of the season, helping the club become Division Three South champions. He kept two further clean sheets in cup competitions to total 24 during the season which remains a club record. He continued as first choice goalkeeper the following season in Division Two but was allowed to leave the club in January 1949 to sign for their local rivals Swansea Town for £3,000. He spent two years at Swansea, competing with Jack Parry to be first choice goalkeeper, winning the Division Three South title for the second time in his career during the 1948–49 season. In July 1951, Canning was sold to

for £2,000 but struggled to break into the first team, making just five league appearances, and left the club soon after, moving into non-league football.

Later life

Following his retirement from football, Canning began working as an apprentice toolmaker and went on to become an electronics engineer, designing military equipment. He also took up a number of other sports, including golf, snooker and darts.

Honours

Cardiff City *

Football League Division Three South The Third Division South of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to o ...

champions: 1946–47 Swansea Town *

champions: 1948–49

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canning, Danny 1926 births 2014 deaths Footballers from Pontypridd Welsh men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Cardiff City F.C. players Swansea City A.F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players English Football League players