David Jones was born in Aberdare on 7 January 1932, but his family moved to Kent while he was still a youngster, and then on to Berkshire to escape Hitler’s flying bombs. As a teenager he played in goal for Harwell. He came to the attention of Brenford, signed for the London club, but his call-up for National Service prevented him from making a first team appearance.

He signed for Reading on 1 July 1953 on a free transfer, making his first team debut on 10 Octboer that season in a 3-1 away win against Walsall. By the start off the 1954-55 campaign he had established himself as first choice goalkeeper, remaining as such for the majority of the next six seasons. He won a Southern Professional Floodlit Cup finalist’s medal in 1958, and in the same year was included in the 40-man original Welsh international squad selected for the World Cup finals in Sweden.

His brave, acrobatic and consistent goalkeeping saw David make a total of 234 first team appearances for Reading. He left in July 1961, moving to near neighbours Aldershot, where he again showed great consistency, making a further 187 Football League appearances across the following five seasons. In the summer of 1966 he extended his goalkeeping career by signing for non-league Dartford.

After his playing days ended, David could often be seen as a spectator at Elm Park, reminiscing about his playing career with his great friend Gordon Neate.

More recently living in a care home at Burghfield, David Jones died in September 2022, aged 90. He will always be remembered as one of the great Reading goalkeepers.

David Downs