Raymond Mielczarek (10 February 1946 – 30 October 2013) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

professional

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 ...

who gained 1 cap for

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 ...

during his career. He was of both Polish and Luxembourgian descent.

Club career

As a youngster, Mielczarek was persuaded to become an apprentice at

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

by club coach Ken Roberts and later captained Wales at youth level whilst playing in the team's reserve side. He made his professional league debut in 1964 against

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

before establishing himself in the first team. In September 1967, he left to join

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...

for a fee of around £20,000 but a snapped cruciate ligament injury sustained after playing just 25 games for the club eventually lead to him leaving to sign for

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...

in January 1971. After making over 100 appearances for Rotherham, he was forced to retire when he suffered a recurrence of his cruciate ligament injury.

International career

Mielczarek won his only cap for Wales in a 1–0 win over

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

on 26 May 1971. He also later took part in a one-month tour of Asia and Oceania as part of a Wales XI.

After football

After leaving football, Mielczarek worked in a number of professions, including as an ambulance driver, driving instructor, security officer and a cake salesman.

Personal life

He was born in

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...

on 10 February 1946, and died on 30 October 2013 at the age of 67.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mielczarek, Ray 1946 births 2013 deaths Sportspeople from Caernarfon Footballers from Gwynedd Welsh men's footballers Wales men's under-23 international footballers Wales men's international footballers Men's association football defenders English Football League players Wrexham A.F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Rotherham United F.C. players Welsh people of Luxembourgian descent Welsh people of Polish descent