1st May 1942

Belfast

Winger

Irish international Eric Welsh signed from Distillery in 1959 and remained with the club until 1965 although he missed all of the 1963/64 promotion season because of injury. Playing just over a hundred league games during his six year stay, he then enjoyed four seasons at Carlisle United and two years with Torquay United. 

One of a number of players that Exeter City signed from Irish League clubs in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had been playing for Distillery when he moved to St James’ Park in September 1959.

Taking time to feature for the first-team, Eric made his debut against Crystal Palace on 18 April 1960 as he played in the final four games of the season. After seven league appearances in 1960/61, he scored six times in twenty games during the following campaign and another four league goals came in 1962/63 from twenty-one starts. 

During that time he had also enjoyed the distinction of appearing in the club's inaugural League Cup game at home to Manchester United on 19 October 1960, a game which ended in a 1-1 draw watched by a crowd of 16,000.

Having now been at St James' Park for nearly four years, Eric would have been increasingly confident of a regular starting place ahead of the new 1963/64 campaign. But he then suffered the severe misfortune of missing the entire season due to injury just as the club's fortunes changed for the better as City went on to claim the fourth promotion spot from Division Four with Graham Rees generally taking the number seven shirt.

Regaining fitness after a full season out - and with Rees switching to the left - Eric easily adjusted to Division Three football in 1964/65 as he scored seven times from the wing in forty matches in a team which finished 17th.  

Starting 1965/66 as one of City's most highly-regarded players, Eric had enjoyed a run of thirteen starts - scoring twice - when he was the subject of a £7,500 offer from Carlisle United with Jimmy Blain in part-exchange. With the move going through in October 1965, Eric joined a team that had recently won Division Three and would now go on to finish 14th in Division Two in his first season. Showing good form for the Cumbrians he became a Northern Ireland international winning four caps as well as playing once for the under-23s.

Having made a total of 77 league appearances for Carlisle (20 goals), he returned to Devon to sign for Torquay United - then doing well in Division Three - in June 1969 and in two seasons added a further 39 league games (11 goals). His final Football League club was Hartlepool United in July 1971 where he featured in 15 league games netting twice. He then played for a number of clubs in South Africa before having another spell in Belfast with Distillery then managed by his brother Ray.

Later living in Torbay, Eric made a number of return visits to St James' Park including the supporters' trust former players reunion in January 2019 as well as several Senior Reds events.

League 105, Cups 9 (114)

League 19