| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David John Astley | ||
| Date of birth | (1909-10-11)11 October 1909 | ||
| Place of birth | Dowlais, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 7 November 1989(1989-11-07) (aged 80) | ||
| Place of death | Birchington-on-Sea, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1927–1928 | Merthyr Town | 5 | (3) |
| 1928–1931 | Charlton Athletic | 96 | (27) |
| 1931–1936 | Aston Villa | 165 | (92) |
| 1936–1938 | Derby County | 93 | (45) |
| 1938–1940 | Blackpool | 20 | (6) |
| 1946–1947 | Metz | 10 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 1931–1938 | Wales | 13 | (12) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1948 | Internazionale | ||
| 1949–1950 | Genoa | ||
| 1950–1954 | Djurgården | ||
| 1955–1957 | Sandvikens IF | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
David John Astley (11 October 1909 – 7 November 1989) was a Welsh internationalfootballer who played as aninside forward inThe Football League in the 1920s and 1930s.[3]
Dowlais-born Astley played forMerthyr Town,Charlton,Aston Villa,Derby County,Blackpool andMetz. He scored 92 goals for Aston Villa in 165 matches.
Astley made his league debut on 19 November 1927 againstBournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. WhenAlbert Lindon was appointed player-manager at Charlton Athletic in January 1928, he signed Astley for £100.[4] Astley made his debut forBlackpool, then under the managership ofJoe Smith, two-thirds of the way through the1938–39 campaign, in a 1–1 draw withSunderland atBloomfield Road on 25 January 1939. He went on to make a further sixteen League appearances before the season's end, scoring six goals. In1939–40, he appeared in the three League games that occurred prior to the competition being abandoned as a result of the outbreak ofWorld War II.[5]
After the war, he joinedMetz, where he spent a year.[6]
He was capped 13 times for theWales national football team, scoring on 12 occasions. He scored two goals in Wales' final match of the1933 British Home Championship, a 4–1 victory overIreland which gave Wales the title.[7]
Astley managedDjurgården andSandvikens IF[8] inSweden from 1950 to 1954 and from 1955 to 1957, as well asInter Milan during 1948 andGenoa in 1949.