I was just reading about the oldest ever player, playing for Yokohama in Japan, aged 53. An ex-Japan international, and I seem to remember him as a decent player.
This got me thinking about old Cardiff players, and the first name I thought about was Stevey White White White and I assumed he might have been the oldest. Then there was Billy Hardy. So, I did a bit of research and found that Billy Hardy was 41 when he played the last of his 590 games for Cardiff. He was once seen on a news reel in a Cardiff cinema in the 1920s and the audience cheered for 10 minutes and only stopped when the movie started.
Steve White was 39 when he played his last game for Cardiff. Cardiff signed him when he was 37.
So, it is fair to say I thought that I had instantly found both the oldest player to make his Football League debut for Cardiff (Steve White) and the oldest player to play for Cardiff (Billy Hardy).
But, no, the oldest debutant and the oldest ever Cardiff player is Captain George Latham. Cardiff played Blackburn in the 1921-22 season, and two players withdrew late because of sickness. Cardiff had little option than to call on George Latham, their coach, to play at the age of 41. It was the only time Latham played for Cardiff in the Football League. He had played for Liverpool between 1904-1908, had fought in the Boer War, World War I and won the Military Cross. Cardiff won the game easily 3-1, and the Cardiff players would deliberately hit long balls for Latham to chase, much to the amusement of the Blackburn fans. At one stage, Latham simply sat on the ball waiting to catch his breath, and a Cardiff player stood behind him pretending to take golf swings.
Latham had played for Cardiff before they entered the Football League, and he also won 10 caps for Wales. He usually filled in for injured players, and in one Welsh Cup final, that Cardiff won against Pontypridd (Cardiff's first ever Welsh Cup win), he gave his medal to the injured player.
Whilst at Cardiff, he also arranged matches with Newtown (his hometown club) to raise money for a local hospital. Newtown named their ground Latham Park in his honour.
Edit by TH63
I found this pic of George Latham in order to give your thread a thumbnail
This got me thinking about old Cardiff players, and the first name I thought about was Stevey White White White and I assumed he might have been the oldest. Then there was Billy Hardy. So, I did a bit of research and found that Billy Hardy was 41 when he played the last of his 590 games for Cardiff. He was once seen on a news reel in a Cardiff cinema in the 1920s and the audience cheered for 10 minutes and only stopped when the movie started.
Steve White was 39 when he played his last game for Cardiff. Cardiff signed him when he was 37.
So, it is fair to say I thought that I had instantly found both the oldest player to make his Football League debut for Cardiff (Steve White) and the oldest player to play for Cardiff (Billy Hardy).
But, no, the oldest debutant and the oldest ever Cardiff player is Captain George Latham. Cardiff played Blackburn in the 1921-22 season, and two players withdrew late because of sickness. Cardiff had little option than to call on George Latham, their coach, to play at the age of 41. It was the only time Latham played for Cardiff in the Football League. He had played for Liverpool between 1904-1908, had fought in the Boer War, World War I and won the Military Cross. Cardiff won the game easily 3-1, and the Cardiff players would deliberately hit long balls for Latham to chase, much to the amusement of the Blackburn fans. At one stage, Latham simply sat on the ball waiting to catch his breath, and a Cardiff player stood behind him pretending to take golf swings.
Latham had played for Cardiff before they entered the Football League, and he also won 10 caps for Wales. He usually filled in for injured players, and in one Welsh Cup final, that Cardiff won against Pontypridd (Cardiff's first ever Welsh Cup win), he gave his medal to the injured player.
Whilst at Cardiff, he also arranged matches with Newtown (his hometown club) to raise money for a local hospital. Newtown named their ground Latham Park in his honour.
Edit by TH63
I found this pic of George Latham in order to give your thread a thumbnail
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