Ernie Moss

Ernest Moss (19 October 1949 – 11 July 2021) was an English footballer, most associated with his home town club, Chesterfield, where in three separate spells he made 539 appearances, scoring a club record 192 goals.

He was later voted PFA Fans' Favourites and cult hero number one by the club's supporters.

His total of 749 league appearances puts him in the top 25 all-time list for Football League appearances.

Moss worked as a clerk in the Derbyshire County Council education offices at Matlock at the time of his joining his hometown club Chesterfield, in April 1967, from the local Tube Works side.

He made his debut at Bradford Park Avenue on 26 October 1968, signing professional forms a few days later before going on to make sixteen further appearances in the season.

The club were at a low ebb, and finished 1968–69 just two points above the re-election zone in the Fourth Division.

With Chesterfield he won the Fourth Division title in 1969–70 and 1984–85.

The "Spireites" were promoted as champions in 1969–70, winning nineteen of their 23 league games at Saltergate.

Moss was a major factor in the upturn in form, scoring twenty goals in the campaign, including four past Newport County.

In 1970–71 he hit double figures by October, but was then sidelined for a period of months after rupturing his ligaments at Vetch Field.

Chesterfield were on the up though, and finished the season fifth in the Third Division, two points off fallen giants Aston Villa.

Chesterfield dropped back down to thirteenth in 1971–72, and finished just two points above the relegation zone in 1972–73.

They again finished fifth in 1973–74, ending up five points shy of promotion.

The club dropped back into the lower half of the table in 1974–75.

After 95 goals in 271 league games he was sold to Peterborough United, manager Joe Shaw having found a replacement in Steve Cammack.

Noel Cantwell's "Posh" finished tenth in the Third Division in 1975–76, and Moss then spent the latter half of the 1976–77 season with promotion winning Mansfield Town, who under Peter Morris's stewardship topped the Third Division table on 64 points.

He also won the Third Division title with Mansfield Town in 1976–77, and finished second in the Conference with Kettering Town in 1988–89.

He helped the club to avoid relegation by just four points in 1978–79.

After playing for the "Stags" in their first ever season in the Second Division, he returned to the third tier with Chesterfield in January 1979, now managed by Arthur Cox.

The 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons saw Chesterfield come close to promotion, missing out by one point and three points respectively.

He helped the club to win the 1981 Anglo-Scottish Cup.

However, he fell out with the club over a £5 pay rise, and in June 1981 he chose to move on to Port Vale.

The Fourth Division club splashed out £12,000 for his services and were to find the sum a good investment.

In his debut season he became the club's top scorer with seventeen goals, and picked up the Player of the Year award at the end of the campaign.

He was also promoted out of the fourth tier with Port Vale in 1982–83 and with Doncaster Rovers in 1983–84.

In addition to these achievements, he was also voted Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year in 1982.

Other Football League clubs he played for include Peterborough United, Lincoln City, Stockport County, Scarborough, and Rochdale.

He also turned out for non-League sides Matlock Town and Shepshed Charterhouse.

He later embarked on a fifteen-year career as a manager at the non-League level of the English football pyramid, taking charge at Gainsborough Trinity, Leek Town, Matlock Town, Hucknall Town, and Belper Town.

Vale won promotion from the fourth tier in 1982–83, though Moss had been sold to Colin Murphy's Lincoln City for £1,500 in March 1983, despite still being a regular in the first XI.

Despite his tally of 11 goals in 33 games in 1982–83, manager John McGrath claimed that 'age caught up with him'.

McGrath nicknamed Moss and strike partner Bob Newton as the "Kray twins" due to their dominance of opposition defenders.

McGrath had already signed his replacement in Jim Steel and was keen to offload Moss.

His time at Sincil Bank was brief and he finished the 1983–84 season with Doncaster Rovers, as Rovers were promoted from the Fourth Division as runners-up under the management of Billy Bremner.

In 1984 Moss signed with Chesterfield for a third time, now under the leadership of John Duncan.

He won promotion from the fourth tier for the fourth time, Chesterfield coming up as champions in his first season back at Saltergate.

The 1985–86 season was one of consolidation for Chesterfield, and his goals helped greatly.

He led Gainsborough to a Northern Premier League Challenge Cup and Peter Swales Shield double in 1997, as well as a further Challenge Cup final appearance in 1998.

He also won promotion out of the Northern Premier League First Division with Matlock Town in 2003–04.

He also worked as Peter Morris's assistant at Boston United and Kettering Town.