Ray Charnley
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Raymond Ogden Charnley | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1954-1957 | Morecambe | ? | (?) |
| 1957-1967 | Blackpool | 363 | (193) |
| 1967-1968 | Preston North End | 23 | (4) |
| 1968 | Wrexham | 20 | (5) |
| 1969-1970 | Bradford Park Avenue | 59 | (15) |
| 1970-1972 | Morecambe | ? | (?) |
| Total | 605 | (293) | |
| International career | |||
| 1962 | England | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Raymond Ogden "Ray" Charnley (29 May 1935 15 November 2009) was an English professional footballer. He was a centre forward and was one of the most prolific scorers for Blackpool, with whom he spent ten years, including all but one season in the top flight of English football.
With 193 goals in 363 league games, Charnley is the third-highest scorer in Blackpool's history, behind Jimmy Hampson and Stan Mortensen.[1]
In a playing career spanning eighteen years, Charnley also played for Morecambe (with whom he began and ended his career), Preston North End, Wrexham and Bradford Park Avenue. He scored a total of 293 career league goals in 605 games.
He won one England cap in 1962.
Club career
Born in Lancaster, Lancashire, Charnley began his career with non-League Morecambe, in the Lancashire Combination, joining them from North Lancashire and District Football League side Bolton-le-Sands for £15 in September 1954. He made his debut on 29 September in a 5-2 defeat at Lancaster City in the Lancashire Combination Cup. In his three seasons at Christie Park he was a regular scorer. In the 1956-57 season he scored 31 goals in 37 league games and 12 goals in 15 cup games.[2]
In May 1957 he moved to nearby Blackpool, who were then in the First Division, the top flight of English football, for £750,[3] bought by then-manager Joe Smith. The 22-year-old made his debut in September, in a 2-0 defeat at Luton Town. A month later, he scored two goals in Blackpool's record home victory, 7-0 against Sunderland, before going off with a serious head injury.
Charnley eventually teamed up with Jackie Mudie, a move inspired by Joe Smith and later used to good effect by his successor as Blackpool manager, Ron Suart. Charnley was the Seasiders' top scorer for nine seasons. He was top scorer for five consecutive seasons starting in 1958–59, when he scored a total of 26 goals (20 in the league and six in the FA Cup). His most goals came in 1961–62: 36 goals (30 in the league and six in the League Cup).[4]
He was my room-mate for 10 years and one of my closest friends. The money Blackpool paid to Morecambe must go down as their best-ever signing – apart from Stanley Matthews, of course. Jack Charlton once told me that he hated playing against Ray.
— Former teammate at Blackpool, Jimmy Armfield on Charnley[1]
He scored his 100th league goal in only his 156th game — a record only marginally beaten by Harry Bedford — playing his best football alongside Alan Ball.
In May and June 1965, Charnley was a member of the Blackpool squad that played in New Zealand for the B.O.A.C. Trophy against Sheffield United. A total of eleven games were played, and Charnley was Blackpool's top scorer with five goals.[5]
In October 1967, with Blackpool then in the Second Division, and after a home defeat at the hands of Millwall, 'Pool manager Stan Mortensen made the unpopular decision to cut Charnley from the line-up. In December, after a total of 222 goals in 407 games in all competitions,[6] the forward was on his way out of Bloomfield Road, to arch-rivals Preston North End for a transfer fee of £12,500.[7] He returned to face Blackpool nine days later, and scored, though the Tangerines won 4-1. He scored four goals in 23 league games for Preston, who just avoided relegation at the end of the 1967–68 season, finishing third-bottom, while former club Blackpool just missed out on promotion back to the First Division on goal average.
In 1968, Charnley signed for Fourth Division side Wrexham, scoring a total of seven goals in 24 games in all competitions before moving to Bradford Park Avenue in January 1969.[8]
They finished bottom of the Fourth Division in the 1968–69 season. The following season they again finished bottom, but this time lost their application for re-election and were were voted out of the Football League and dropped into the Northern Premier League. At the end of the season, and after fifteen goals in 59 league games for the Avenue, Charnley re-signed for former club Morecambe, by then playing in the Northern Premier League. He made 24 league starts in 1970-71, finishing the season as top scorer with 13 goals. After 14 games in the 1971-72 season he was released. His last game came on Good Friday 1972, when he scored in a 3-0 home win over Chorley. In his two stints with Morecambe, Charnley scored a total of 98 goals in 177 appearances in all competitions. After his release, Charnley retired from football, at the age of 37.[2]
International career
In 1962, Charnley received a belated call-up to the England national team for a 1964 European Nations' Cup Preliminary round game against France on 3 October at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield.[9]
English FA World Tour
In May and June 1961, Charnley was a member of the squad for the The English FA World Tour. He played in seven games, scoring a total of eleven goals.[10]
| Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 May 1961 | Nerdera Stadium, Kuala Lumpur |  Malaysia |
4-2 | 3 |
| 17 May 1961 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore |  Singapore |
9-0 | 2 |
| 21 May 1961 | Government Stadium, Hong Kong |  Hong Kong |
4-2 | 2 |
| 23 May 1961 | Government Stadium, Hong Kong | Combined Chinese XI | 3-0 | 1 |
| 3 June 1961 | English Park, Canterbury, New Zealand | Canterbury | 11-1 | 1 |
| 10 June 1961 | Epsom Showgrounds, Epsom |  New Zealand |
6-1 | 1 |
| 19 June 1961 | San Francisco, United States | San Francisco | 2-1 | 1 |
Blackpool F.C. Hall of Fame
Charnley was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Bloomfield Road, when it was officially opened by former Blackpool player Jimmy Armfield in April 2006.[7] Organised by the Blackpool Supporters Association, Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade are inducted.[4]
Personal life
After he retired, Charnley moved back to Blackpool where he set up his own painting and decorating company.[8] After a short illness he died on 15 November 2009 at Rossall Hospital, aged 74.[1][3]
References
- ^ a b c Simpson, Steve (16 November 2009). "Pool mourn scoring sensation". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Ray Charnley RIP 1935-2009". Wrexham A.F.C. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Lancashire legend Charnley dies". bbc.co.uk. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ a b "The Hall Of Fame - 1960's". Blackpool Supporters Association. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ "Blackpool FC v Sheffield United B.O.A.C. Trophy Series (in New Zealand) 1965". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 29 November 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ "Sad News". Blackpool F.C. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ a b Singleton, Steve, ed. (2007). Legends: The great players of Blackpool FC (1 ed.). Blackpool: Blackpool Gazette. p. 55. ISBN 9781845471828.
- ^ a b "Former Player Charnley Passes Away". Wrexham A.F.C. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ "Ray Charnley". englandstats.com. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ "English FA XI 1961 World Tour". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
Further reading
- Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 1-873626-07-X.
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