Dickie Morris

Richard Morris (born 1 January 1879 ) was a Welsh footballer who played as an inside forward. He made 87 appearances in the Football League for Liverpool, Leeds City and Grimsby Town. He also played in the Southern League for Plymouth Argyle and Reading. He was capped eleven times by the Wales national team, scoring one goal. Morris served the British Army as a soldier during the Second Boer War.

Early life Morris was born in Newtown. When the conflict was nearing its end, Morris returned to Wales to begin his football career.

Club career He signed with Newtown, who were a founding member of the Football Association of Wales, and was called up to win a first cap for his country soon after joining the club. Described in a club programme as "one of the trickiest players who ever kicked a ball", Over the next three years, Morris made 38 league appearances for Liverpool, scoring five goals. The club was relegated at the end of that season and Morris was restricted to seven league appearances in the next campaign, where the club won promotion back to the First Division as Second Division champions. and scored his first goals for the club three weeks later in a 3–1 win against Hull City at Elland Road. "Singleton and Morris were a capital left wing pair," said the Yorkshire Post. In March 1905, Morris became the first Leeds City player to appear in a senior international when he won his ninth cap for Wales. he left the club in June to sign for Grimsby Town. He made his debut in a 1–0 win at Northampton Town on 2 September and scored his first goal in a 4–0 win at Crystal Palace twelve days later. In April 1908, Morris became the first Plymouth Argyle player to be capped in a senior international. At the end of the 1907–08 season, Morris moved on again, having helped the club finish second in the Southern League. He made 37 appearances in all competitions for Argyle, scoring 10 goals. He had a brief spell with Reading in 1908 before joining newly founded North Eastern League club Huddersfield Town.

International career Morris received his first call-up to the Wales national team in February 1902. He retained his place in the side for their next match a few weeks later, a 0–0 draw with England, where Dick Roose saved a penalty for the Welsh. He made six more appearances over the next two years before losing his place in the squad. He was recalled in March 1906 and played in a 2–0 win against Scotland at Tynecastle. He scored his first goal for Wales the following year in a 3–2 win against Ireland on 23 February 1907 which helped the team win their first British Home Championship title. His final appearance came on 11 April 1908 in a 1–0 defeat to Ireland at Aberdare Athletic Ground.