Fred Stansfield (12 December 1917 – 30 March 2014) was a Welsh international

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

Career

Stansfield, a centre-half, had been playing for Grange Athletic when he joined

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 ...

in 1942 as a part-time professional. He was immediately appointed captain and was a regular in the war-time regional side but, due to

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 ...

, he did not play a league match until 1946, making his debut on the opening day of the season in a 2–1 defeat by

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...

. His form during the following season saw him called up for the

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

squad, winning his first cap against

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in October 1948. It turned out to be the only time he would play for his country as he suffered a broken ankle three months later in a league match against

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

. His recovery meant he missed several months and on his return found his place in the Cardiff side taken by

Stan Montgomery Stanley William Montgomery (7 July 1920 – 5 October 2000) was an English professional footballer and first-class cricketer. He was the son-in-law of 1927 FA Cup winner Jimmy Nelson, who also played over 200 times for Cardiff City. Football ...

, who manager Cyril Spiers had signed from

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...

, and he left to join Newport County. He spent one season playing for the club making 21 appearances before being appointed manager at

Somerton Park Somerton Park was a football, greyhound racing and speedway stadium in Newport, South Wales. Football In April 1912, Newport County had been accepted to play in the Southern League for the 1912–13 season. Shortly afterwards, the site ...

in 1950. After three years in charge at Newport he was appointed manager of Southern League team Bedford Town between March 1954 and March 1955. After leaving football he owned a newsagents in Whitchurch, Cardiff until his retirement. As of 2010 he was, along with Tommy Forse, one of the two oldest surviving Cardiff City players."Legend Fred Our Honoured Guest"
''Cardiff City News'', 22 November 2010 Stansfield died 30 March 2014, aged 96."Former County player and boss Fred Stansfield dies"
''South Wales Argus'' (Newport), 1 April 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stansfield, Fred 1917 births 2014 deaths Welsh men's footballers Footballers from Cardiff Welsh football managers Wales men's international footballers Cardiff City F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players English Football League players Newport County A.F.C. managers Bedford Town F.C. managers Men's association football defenders