David Charles Giles (born 21 September 1956) is a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international. During his career he attained 12 caps for Wales, scoring on two occasions.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Charles Giles[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 September 1956[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Cardiff,[1] Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cardiff City | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1974–1978 | Cardiff City | 59 | (3) |
| 1978–1980 | Wrexham | 38 | (3) |
| 1980–1982 | Swansea City | 54 | (13) |
| 1981–1982 | → Leyton Orient (loan) | 3 | (2) |
| 1982–1984 | Crystal Palace | 88 | (6) |
| 1984–1985 | Birmingham City | 0 | (0) |
| 1985 | Newport County | 32 | (1) |
| 1985–1987 | Cardiff City | 50 | (0) |
| 1987 | Stroud | ||
| 1987–1988? | Barry Town | 30 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 1980–1983 | Wales | 12 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1994–1995 | Ebbw Vale | ||
| 1999 | Inter Cardiff (joint) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
Giles was a Welsh schoolboy international when he signed for Cardiff City. He made his debut for the Bluebirds in a 0–0 draw against Nottingham Forest in February 1975. Unable to hold down a permanent first team spot he left the club in December 1978 for £20,000 and joined Wrexham where he spent two years before again moving on, this time for £40,000 to Swansea City.[4] He continued to move around in the next few seasons, playing for Leyton Orient on loan before moving to Crystal Palace and then Birmingham City.[3]
After a spell at Newport County he returned to the club where he started his career, Cardiff City. Giles then played for Stroud.[3]
He later joined Barry Town on a part-time basis eventually retiring there.
In 1994, he became manager of League of Wales side Ebbw Vale. He later had a short spell in charge of Inter Cardiff, jointly with his brother Paul.[5]
After football
Giles was a regular analyst for ITV Wales on the late night football magazine show Wales Soccer Night until its axing in December 2005.
He also works as a journalist and previously wrote a regular sports column in the South Wales Echo covering Cardiff City and the Wales team.