William Pierce Owen
# William Pierce Owen

William Pierce Owen (20 November 1860 – 13 December 1937) was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a midfielder (winger, sometimes wing half) for Ruthin Town. He made a total of twelve appearances for Wales.

## Personal life

William was the second son of Rev. Elias Owen and older brother of the younger Elias Owen, who also played for Wales. After his playing career, William became a solicitor in Aberystwyth.

## Club career

Owen played with Ruthin Town, one of the leading teams in North Wales at that time. He was part of the Ruthin team that lost the final of the 1880 Welsh Cup against Druids.

## International appearances

Owen made his senior debut on 15 March 1880 and was part of the first Welsh team that achieved an international victory (0–1 against England in 1881). He scored six times in twelve appearances for Wales in official international matches, as follows:

| Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Goals | Competition |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 15 March 1880 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | England | 2–3 | 0 | Friendly |
| 27 March 1880 | 1st Hampden Park, Glasgow | Scotland | 1–5 | 0 | Friendly |
| 26 February 1881 | Alexandra Meadows, Blackburn | England | 1–0 | 0 | Friendly |
| 14 March 1881 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | Scotland | 1–5 | 0 | Friendly |
| 25 February 1882 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | Ireland | 7–1 | 2 | Friendly |
| 13 March 1882 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | England | 5–3 | 2 | Friendly |
| 25 March 1882 | 1st Hampden Park, Glasgow | Scotland | 0–5 | 0 | Friendly |
| 3 February 1883 | Kennington Oval, London | England | 0–5 | 0 | Friendly |
| 13 March 1883 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | Scotland | 0–3 | 0 | Friendly |
| 9 February 1884 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | Ireland | 6–0 | 2 | British Home Championship |
| 17 March 1884 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | England | 0–4 | 0 | British Home Championship |
| 29 March 1884 | Cathkin Park, Glasgow | Scotland | 1–4 | 0 | British Home Championship |

## Honours

### Ruthin Town

* Welsh Cup finalist: 1880
