Lifetime Achievement Award:

 
Today, we at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk is proud to finish off our unique coverage of this year’s fantastic Sport Pembrokeshire Awards with the final presentation of the evening – the prestigious ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’, writes Bill Carne.
 
Simon Davies hails from Solva and, as he said on the evening, he is very proud of his roots in our county, right from the time he played as a junior at Solva and I can remember the interest he created with the Pembrokeshire Schools Under 11s. I had gone along at the behest of the late Pedr McMullen, who later became one of the county’s best referees but at that time was teaching in the far north of the county and running the county team.
 
He had told me about this talented young player from Solva, whom he said was nicknamed ‘Digger’ because there were two players of the same name in the squad – and I toddled off to Bush Camp, the home of Pennar Robins, and even then, it was clear that he not only had all the skills but a maturity beyond his years.
 
He found his niche at Peterborough United after starting out at Norwich City and from then on it is history that he became a top Premier League player and a marvellous advert for Welsh Football – but it was equally lovely that he still came home as often as possible and I met him again, when our photo was taken, as he attended a five-a-side tournament at Maes y Mor, where he was ready to chat to everyone and encourage the on-field action.
 
He remained the same throughout his fantastic career and anyone who attended the Sports Awards couldn’t help but notice how much the award meant to him!
 
Simon Davies - Welsh International Footballer – and proud to be from Pembrokeshire!
(Spoken on the night by Geoff Williams, the former head of sport with BBC)
 
Simon Davies, as a deserved recipient of this prestigious award, made an incredible journey from Solva before he  played for Premier League clubs Tottenham, Everton and Fulham and achieved European recognition with a runners-up medal in the 2009-10 Europa League, winning 58 caps for Wales and making more than 350 senior club appearances.
 
Simon started his career as a junior at Solva AFC, before becoming a trainee at Norwich City and then moving to Peterborough United at the age of 15.
 
He was taken to White Hart Lane by the legendary manager, George Graham in 1999, and made 154 appearances for Spurs over five years, before moving to Goodison Park in 2005 and then Craven Cottage in 2007.
 
Davies made his debut for Wales in a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in 2001. In all, he scored six international goals; captained his country during the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, and was Welsh Footballer of the Year in 2002. His pace and high work-rate made him a crowd favourite and he was Fulham's player of the season in 2007-08, before eventually leaving the club in 2013. 
 
July, that year, incredibly, he returned to his boyhood club, Solva and started there as he played against Tish, paying £3 subs per game for the privilege. 
 
That, probably, indicates the measure of this talented, modest and approachable man.