Phil Dwyer

Philip John Dwyer (28 October 1953 – 30 November 2021) was a Welsh professional footballer.

Dwyer was born on 28 October 1953 in the house where his family resided on Penarth Road in Grangetown, Cardiff.

The area was in the midst of an economic downturn following the end of the Second World War and a falling demand for coal, one of the main industries of the region, which also affected the local docks.

Dwyer's family home, which he described as having "tiny living quarters", had no bathroom, meaning the family bathed in front of the fire in a metal bath with water boiled on the stove.

The house also had no central heating leading to "very harsh" nights in winter.

His parents, Ted and Constance, had met and married in Tonypandy where his father had worked as a miner.

In the hope of improving their prospects, the pair moved to Cardiff where his father found work at a foundry in Tremorfa.

His mother also took up work in the canteen of an aluminium manufacturing factory.

Dwyer was the fifth child born to his parents.

He had three older brothers, Brian, Kenny and Peter, and an older sister, Maureen.

His siblings were significantly older than Dwyer and his brothers had already moved out of the family home by the time he was born.

Of his three brothers, Kenny died at the age of 36 from diabetes, while Peter joined the armed forces.

His other brother, Brian, was a keen sportsman and played football at amateur level for local side St Patrick's. He also represented Wales in boxing at the Empire Games.

As a child, Dwyer attended St. Patrick's Primary School in Grangetown where he joined the school band as a drummer.

As his family was relatively poor, he and his friends would often steal fruit and vegetables from gardens and, on one occasion, he was caught shoplifting by a policeman.

He took up numerous sporting activities in his youth, including cricket, rugby and baseball, but was most keen on football, idolising the Leeds United side featuring Billy Bremner, as well as Manchester United striker George Best.

Dwyer grew up supporting Cardiff City and began attending matches at the club's home ground, Ninian Park, from a young age.

Often unable to afford the entry fee for matches, he and his friends would often sneak into the ground by climbing disused railway sleepers to scale the fencing around the stands.

Dwyer attended Bishop Mostyn High School in Ely as a teenager, but later admitted to having little interest in pursuing his academic studies, choosing to focus on his sporting activities.

He played rugby during midweek and football on Saturdays, sometimes playing two matches in one day, in the morning for his school's team and in the afternoon for North Clive Street Youth Club.

In summer months, he also played baseball for Cardiff Catholics.

Dwyer met his future wife Ann in his teens at a local nightclub and the pair began dating soon after.

Dwyer's childhood dream was to become a professional footballer and his career began to progress at the age of 14 when he was picked to represent the Cardiff Schools side for the first time.

He gained international recognition soon after when he was selected to represent Wales at under-15 level in the Victory Shield, a youth competition held between the Home Nations.

Despite this, he initially struggled to attract interest from clubs until he was invited to train with the youth team at Cardiff City by Harry Parsons, a long serving employee of the club.

Born in Cardiff, he began his career with his hometown club Cardiff City, joining the side as an apprentice in 1969.

He made his professional debut for the club in October 1972, winning his first honours the same season by helping the side win the Welsh Cup.

He suffered relegation with Cardiff in 1975 but helped the side win promotion back to the Second Division at the first attempt, scoring 10 goals during the season.

Dwyer remained a mainstay of the side for more than a decade, becoming known by the nickname "Joe" due to his perceived resemblance to Joe Royle.

He made his international debut for Wales in April 1978 and gained ten caps over the following year, scoring twice.

He won his last cap in October 1979.

He finished his playing career with a brief loan spell at Fourth Division side Rochdale where he made 15 appearances, scoring once.

He was nearly released by manager Len Ashurst in 1982 following a serious knee injury.

He returned to the first team, winning promotion in the 1982–83 season and was ever present during the 1983–84 campaign.

He set a new club record for Football League appearances the following year, overtaking Tom Farquharson's long standing record.

Dwyer left the club in 1985 after falling out with manager Alan Durban.

He made 575 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 51 times during a 13-year spell.

He retired from playing in 1985 and joined the South Wales Police.

He served with the force for 15 years before resigning after an incident of drink-driving.

He later became a freelance legal representative.