Anthony Keith Villars (24 January 1952 – 9 September 2020) was a Welsh international footballer.

Career

Born in

Pontypool Pontypool ( ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire in South Wales. , it has a population of 29,062. Locat ...

, Villars was a member of the youth set-up and groundstaff at Newport County but quit the job because the pay was so poor. Moving into the Welsh league he signed for

Pontnewydd Pontnewydd is a suburb of Cwmbran in the county borough of Torfaen, south-east Wales. It should not be confused with Pontnewynydd in nearby Pontypool. An 18th century settlement within the historical parish of Llanfrechfa Upper, Pontnewydd b ...

. His time at the club was short after the entire team was signed by Panteg after a number of impressive performances. Working as an apprentice electrician, it was here that he was spotted by

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 ...

who offered him a professional contract in the summer of 1971. Villars soon established himself in the first team, making his debut in a 4–3 defeat to

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

in November 1971 with an impressive performance that led teammate Ian Gibson to comment ''Tony's got the lot, speed, balance and control. He's going to be some player."''. Often an inconsistent player, Villars also scored several crucial goals for the club, including one against

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

during a 1–1 draw to keep Cardiff in Division Two in April 1974. It was during his time at Cardiff that Villars earned all of his three caps 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 ...

, playing in three matches during the

1974 British Home Championship Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. His debut in the opening match against England led Villars to become the 500th player to play for Wales. Persistent injury problems meant that he lost his place in the side and he moved to Newport County in June 1976, reuniting with his former Cardiff manager

Jimmy Scoular James Scoular (11 January 1925 – 19 March 1998) was a Scottish football player and manager. Known as a tough, combative player with precise passing skills, Scoular made over 600 appearances in the Football League with Portsmouth, Newcastle Un ...

. He failed to reproduce the form he showed in his days at Cardiff and just under two years into his spell at the club his contract was cancelled. Incredibly just two and a half years after winning his three caps for Wales, Villars left league football never to return at the age of just 25. He later turned out for

Welsh Football League The Welsh Football League (also known as the Nathaniel Car Sales Welsh Football League for sponsorship reasons) was a club football league in Wales. For its final season in 2019–20 season it operated at levels 3 and 4 of the Welsh football leag ...

side Blaenavon Blues before retiring.

After football

Following his retirement, Villars worked as a milkman for 17 years. He later worked as a delivery driver for

DHL Express DHL (originally named after founders Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn) is a multinational Import-Export Expert Company, founded in the United States and headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It provides courier, package delivery, and express mail service, ...

. He died in September 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villars, Tony 1952 births 2020 deaths Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Wales men's under-23 international footballers Cardiff City F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players English Football League players Gloucester City A.F.C. players Footballers from Pontypool Men's association football wingers Blaenavon Blues A.F.C. players