John Powell was born in Wrexham on 25th March 1860. Powell was a talented footballer and joined Druids in 1879 where he won the Welsh Cup on three occasions.

It is believed that Powell was the first player to leave Wales to become a professional footballer in England. In October 1883 Powell joined Bolton Wanderers. However, this had to be done in secret as the Football Association did not give permission for payment to be made until July 1885.

In 1886 Powell moved to Manchester and became a fitter at the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR). He also played football for the works team, Newton Heath.

During his career he won 15 international caps playing for Wales. After retiring from football he ran a public house in Manchester and Wrexham.

John Powell died in Wrexham on 16th March 1947.

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