Ronald Gilbert Howells (12 January 1927 – 29 December 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as 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 was capped by

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 ...

and played 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 ...

for three clubs.

Playing career

Howells began his playing career with Swansea Town, joining the club in September 1946. He overcame a broken wrist to make his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw with

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

in February 1948. He made nine appearances for the club during the 1947–48 season in the

Football League Third Division 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 ...

. However, he dropped out of

and played for Barry Town before resurrecting his professional career 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 ...

in July 1950. Due to the presence of Iorwerth Hughes, he was forced to wait until 26 December 1951 to make his debut in a 3–0 win over his former club Swansea Town. After winning promotion in his second season at

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a association football, football stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovatio ...

, Howells was to spend five years playing in the

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. This period also saw him win two caps for the Welsh national side in the 1954 World Cup qualifiers against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

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 ...

. Howells dropped back into non-league football with

Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English Association football, football club based in Worcester, England, Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Southern Football League Premier Division Central, the seventh tier of English football. ...

but revived his league career with

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

in September 1958. He was a regular in his two seasons at

Sealand Road Sealand Road was the home stadium of Chester City Football Club (known until 1983 as Chester Football Club) from 1906 until 1990. Although officially known simply as The Stadium, it was more commonly referred to as Sealand Road. It was much lov ...

, but was released at the end of 1959–60. Howells had continued to live in

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

throughout his spell at Chester, who were reluctant to continue paying his expenses. This marked the end of his professional career and he joined Barry Town.

After retirement

After retiring from football, Howells later became a painter and decorator in his hometown Ponthenry.

Career Honours

Cardiff City * Division Two runners-up: 1951–52

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howells, Ron 1927 births 2011 deaths Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Men's association football goalkeepers English Football League players Swansea City A.F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Barry Town United F.C. players Worcester City F.C. players