Mark Davies (South African soccer)

Mark Davies (born in South Africa) is a South African retired footballer.

Career
Davies was inspired to start playing football after watching South African Gary Bailey feature in the 1979 English FA Cup final.

After helping Manning Rangers, who he spent his entire professional career with, win their first league title in 1996/97, Davies helped the club go within three points of reaching the 1997/98 CAF Champions League final. [https://archive.today/20200620102346/https://translate.google.com/%23view=home&op=translate&sl=auto&tl=en&text=Davies%20was%20cult%20figure%20for%20Rangers%0AFirst%20skipper%20to%20win%20PSL%20title%0AThe%20Citizen%20(KZN)13%20May%202013NJABULO%20NGIDI%0AIT%E2%80%99S%20not%20that%20Mark%20Davies%20was%20the%20first%20man%20to%20put%20his%20finger%20prints%20on%20the%20inaugural%20Premiership%20crown%20in%20the%20Premier%20Soccer%20League%20era%20that%20makes%20him%20an%20exceptional%20man.%0A%0ANor%20is%20it%20that%20he%20achieved%20that%20by%20captaining%20the%20unfancied%20Manning%20Rangers%20to%20the%20feat%20against%20all%20the%20dominant%20football%20forces%20in%20the%20country.%0A%0ABut%20what%20makes%20Davies%20exceptional%20is%20that%20he%20only%20wore%20the%20Rangers%20jersey%20throughout%20a%20professional%20career%20that%20saw%20him%20make%20close%20to%20300%20starts%20in%20the%20league,%20turning%20him%20to%20a%20cult%20figure%20in%20Chatsworth.%0A%0ADavies%20brought%20strong%20leadership,%20solid%20defence%20and%20sheer%20determination%20to%20the%20outfit%20where%20he,%20with%20players%20like%20Innocent%20Mayoyo,%20Clinton%20Larsen,%20Grant%20Johnson%20George%20Koumantarakis,%20Bradley%20Muir%20and%20Kerryn%20Jordan,%20went%20from%20unknowns%20to%20champions.%0A%0AHe%20and%20Muir%20formed%20a%20solid%20combination%20at%20the%20back%20that%20snuffed%20out%20potent%20opposing%20strikers%20like%20Daniel%20Mudau,%20Nkosinathi%20Nhleko%20and%20Raphael%20Chukwu,%20allowing%20the%20Rangers%20strikers%20to%20go%20forward%20with%20confidence%20knowing%20their%20backs%20were%20covered.%0A%0AHe%20did%20that%20job%20for%20over%20a%20decade%20after%20joining%20Rangers%20from%20amateur%20outfit%20Escombe%20FC%20in%201991%20right%20up%20until%20he%20hung%20up%20his%20boots%20in%202002.%0A%0ADavies%20was%20a%20solid%20man-marker%20who%20was%20the%20foundation%20to%20the%20Durban-based%20side%20Gordon%20Igesund%20coached%20to%20their%20first%20and%20only%20league%20title%20in%20the%20PSL%20era.%0A%0ADavies%20and%20company%20also%20brought%20Caf%20Champions%20League%20football%20to%20the%20city%20in%201998,%20when%20they%20overcame%20Royal%20Lesotho%20Defence%20Force%20and%20Zambia%E2%80%99s%20Power%20Dynamos%20to%20reach%20the%20group%20stages.%0A%0AIn%20the%20group%20stages,%20Rangers%20were%20just%20three%20points%20away%20from%20the%20final,%20a%20spot%20that%20was%20taken%20by%20eventual%20champions%20Ivory%20Coast%E2%80%99s%20Asec%20Mimosa.%0A%0ABut%20the%20Mighty%20Maulers%20did%20finish%20ahead%20of%20Moroccan%20giants%20Raja%20Casablanca%20and%20Young%20Africans%20from%20Tanzania%20with%20Davies%E2%80%99%20leadership%20skills%20coming%20to%20the%20fore%20in%20the%20demanding%20continental%20campaign.%0A%0A%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20vital%20cog%20in%20the%20side,%20both%20as%20skipper%20and%20a%20player.%20His%20worth%20to%20the%20side%20is%20unquestionable,%E2%80%9D%20was%20how%20Igesund%20once%20described%20Davies.%0A%0ADavies%20personified%20Rangers,%20strong%20and%20resilient%20and%20still%20holds%20the%20record%20for%20the%20most%20appearances%20in%20the%20now%20defunct%20club.%20He%20is%20part%20of%20an%20era%20that%20has%20escaped%20the%20city%20with%20clubs%20from%20Durban%20ever%20since%20%E2%80%93%20AmaZulu%20and%20Golden%20Arrows%20fighting%20to%20avoid%20relegation%20rather%20than%20for%20titles.%0A%0ABattles%20for%20honours%20from%20these%20teams%20are%20rare%20as%20winter%20in%20the%20city%20with%20Arrows%E2%80%99%20MTN8%20victory%20in%202009%20the%20last%20time%20in%20the%20past%2010%20years,%20%E2%80%9Cchampions%E2%80%9D%20was%20used%20as%20a%20prefix%20to%20a%20Durban%20side.%0A%0ABeing%20champions%20is%20a%20distant%20memory%20just%20like%20that%20of%20Rangers,%20but%20that%20era%20that%20is%20remembered%20with%20nostalgia%20by%20locals.%20In%20the%20absence%20of%20any%20new%20memories%20to%20change%20that,%20thoughts%20about%20people%20like%20Davies%20still%20brings%20smiles%20to%20Durbanites.%20That%20is%20just%20one%20of%20the%20things%20that%20makes%20him%20an%20exceptional%20man. Davies was cult figure for Rangers] pressreader.com (Archived)