Background
Canning was born in Penrhiwceiber.
Canning was born in Penrhiwceiber.
A goalkeeper, he made over 100 appearances in The Football League during spells with, and Nottingham Forest. A goalkeeper, he began his career at local side Abercynon before signing for at the end of World World War World War II At the start of the 1946-1947 season, he began the season as backup goalkeeper before replacing George Poland after just two matches. He went on to keep 22 clean sheets in 38 league appearances during the remainder of the season, helping the club become Division Three South champions.
He spent two years at Swansea, competing with Jack Parry to be first choice goalkeeper, winning the Division Three South title for the second time in his career during the 1948-1949 season.
In July 1951, Canning was sold to Nottingham Forest for £2,000 but struggled to break into the first team, making just five league appearances, and left the club soon after, moving into non-league football.