Letheran: Glanville (Glan)

1973-1977 (Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Llanelli: 01-05-1956

Debut: v Hibernian (a) (substitute): 07-11-1973

6’1 ½” 12st 4lb (1977)

A Welsh Youth International he joined Leeds in May 1973 from his hometown team of Llanelli. Letheran became an instant Leeds hero after a match winning debut in an UEFA Cup-tie. With David Harvey injured, Leeds went to Hibernian after a goalless first leg with reserve John Shaw as first choice and youth-team goalkeeper Letheran on the bench. Shaw was injured and Letheran came on to keep a cleansheet and survived a penalty shoot-out as Leeds squeezed through 5-4. His only start for United came on 19th April 1975 when he was in goal for the 2-1 home win over Ipswich Town, but he was famously the unused goalkeeping substitute in the European Cup Final against Bayern Munich in Paris in the same season. Although he won two Welsh Under-Twenty-one caps, and one at the Under-Twenty-three level, and had ten caps at Youth level, he could not get a regular place at Leeds and after loan spells at Scunthorpe United, in August 1976, where he made twenty-seven appearances, and Notts County, in September 1977, but did not figure in their first team. He was transferred to Chesterfield, for £10,000 in December 1977. After sixty-three appearances in two years, he joined Swansea, for £60,000 in September 1979, where he made twenty-one League appearances. While at Chesterfield, he was called up eleven times for the Welsh senior team and once more while at Swansea. However he never received a cap, as on each occasion he was an unused substitute as understudy to Dai Davies. He had spells with Oxford City and Scarborough and appeared in the 1984 FA Challenge Trophy Final at Wembley for Bangor City against Northwich, which ended in a 1-1 draw, but Bangor lost the replay 2-1 at Stoke. He retired from the professional ranks with Bangor in 1985 but finished his career as a part-timer at Llanelli in the Welsh League. After finishing playing he qualified as a coach and also obtained a goalkeeping coach licence. He was Swansea City goalkeeping coach and also scouted for them. He coached in the Caribbean and was goalkeeping coach with the Welsh schoolboys. He also was goalkeeping coach at Exeter City, Leicester City and Chester. Letheran recommend Matthew Jones to Leeds, and was Welsh scout for Leeds United and later Southampton. He was a successful Cricketer as a medium pace bowler and middle order batsman in South Wales. His son Kyle is a goalkeeper too, already capped by Wales at Under-Twenty-one level, he has played with Swansea, Newport, Chesterfield and Barnsley.