Ray Jones (footballer born 1944)
Encyclopedia
Ray Jones was an English
professional footballer who played as a full back. He made 170 Football League
appearances for Chester City
and also played and managed in non-league football.
on December 7, 1962 in the number two shirt. By the 1964–65 season
Jones was a regular in the side, performing well when asked to mark George Best
in an FA Cup
tie against Manchester United
in January 1965.
Unfortunately, Ray and his namesake and fellow full-back Bryn Jones
suffered broken legs in a match against Aldershot
12 months later. The pair missed the remainder of the season as Chester fell out of promotion contention, with Ray not returning to action until October. He remained at the club until the end of the 1968–69 season
, with his final game being a 1–0 home defeat to Exeter City
on April 19, 1969.
That was to be the last Football League
match played by Jones, as he joined non–league side Runcorn. He followed it up by playing for Oswestry Town
, Bethesda Athletic
and Colwyn Bay
, where he became player–manager. He went on to have spells as manager of Rhyl
, where he achieved three promotions, and Connah's Quay Nomads
. Away from football he worked as an engineer
.
Jones died in July 2007 at the Hospice of the Good Shepherd near Chester
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional footballer who played as a full back. He made 170 Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
appearances for Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
and also played and managed in non-league football.
Playing and Managerial Career
Jones joined Chester as a schoolboy, making his first-team debut in a 1–0 win over Hartlepool UnitedHartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
on December 7, 1962 in the number two shirt. By the 1964–65 season
1964-65 in English football
The 1964–65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* After a three-way tussle for the League title between Manchester United, Leeds United and Chelsea, Manchester United came out on top and were crowned champions....
Jones was a regular in the side, performing well when asked to mark George Best
George Best
George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...
in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
tie against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in January 1965.
Unfortunately, Ray and his namesake and fellow full-back Bryn Jones
Bryn Jones (footballer born 1939)
Bryn Jones was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a full back. He played in The Football League for Watford and Chester.-Playing career:...
suffered broken legs in a match against Aldershot
Aldershot F.C.
Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...
12 months later. The pair missed the remainder of the season as Chester fell out of promotion contention, with Ray not returning to action until October. He remained at the club until the end of the 1968–69 season
1968-69 in English football
The 1968–69 season was the 89th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Leeds United won the League for the first time in their history, finishing six points ahead of Liverpool...
, with his final game being a 1–0 home defeat to Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
on April 19, 1969.
That was to be the last Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
match played by Jones, as he joined non–league side Runcorn. He followed it up by playing for Oswestry Town
Oswestry Town F.C.
Oswestry Town F.C. was a football club, formerly playing in the League of Wales.The club was founded as Oswestry United in 1860, which meant they were one of the world's oldest football clubs. Matches were latterly played at Park Hall stadium, Oswestry, after a spell at Victoria Road...
, Bethesda Athletic
Bethesda Athletic F.C.
Bethesda Athletic F.C. is a football club based in the Welsh town of Bethesda, in northwest Wales.The club currently play their trade in the Welsh Alliance League Dvision 1. At the start of 2009/10 they have founded a reserve team...
and Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay F.C.
Colwyn Bay F.C. are a Welsh football club, as of the 2011–12 season are playing in the Conference North. Nicknamed the Seagulls, the club play at Llanelian Road in Old Colwyn.-History:...
, where he became player–manager. He went on to have spells as manager of Rhyl
Rhyl F.C.
Rhyl Football Club is a Welsh football club, playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1882 and the team plays its home matches at Belle Vue, Rhyl, which can accommodate 3,000 spectators.- History :Few clubs in the Welsh Premier League have as distinguished a past as Rhyl's...
, where he achieved three promotions, and Connah's Quay Nomads
Connah's Quay Nomads F.C.
Gap Connah's Quay F.C. is a football team, playing in the Cymru Alliance.gap Connah's Quay, formerly known as Connah's Quay Nomads FC, was the subject of a takeover from Welsh independent recruitment firm 'gap personnel' in June 2008....
. Away from football he worked as an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
.
Jones died in July 2007 at the Hospice of the Good Shepherd near Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
.