Ray Charnley

Raymond Ogden 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.

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 later signed as a part-time professional with non-League Morecambe, in the Lancashire Combination, joining them from for £15 in September 1954, whilst also working as a painter and decorater apprentice.

He made his Morecambe 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.

On 27 May 1957, Charnley moved to nearby Blackpool, who were then in the First Division, the top flight of English football, for £750.

He was bought by then-manager Joe Smith.

After being injured in pre-season training, the 22-year-old first played three reserve-team games before making his first-team debut in September, 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 being forced to leave the game with a severely gashed head.

He ended the 1957–58 season as the club's third-highest scorer, with 12 goals in 20 games, behind Jackie Mudie and Bill Perry, who both netted 18.

At the end of the season he was voted as the club's "most promising player".

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., including five consecutive seasons starting in 1958–59, when he scored a total of 26 goals (20 in 35 league games and six in six games in the FA Cup).

He had started that season by scoring three goals in the first two games.

Then, after scoring against Aston Villa in a 1–1 draw on 20 September 1958, he collided with Villa goalkeeper Nigel Sims and suffered a broken clavicle, which caused him to miss the next seven games.

On 4 April 1959, he scored his first league hat-trick, in a 3–0 win over Leeds United.

He again scored three goals in his first two games in 1959–60; however, he then went five games without scoring and was relegated to the reserve team.

After eight games in the second string, he returned to the first team, scoring a hat-trick in a 4–2 win over Leeds United on 5 March 1960.

He finished the season on 18 goals.

In 1960–61, Blackpool struggled against relegation.

On 15 April 1961, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Newcastle United at Bloomfield Road, a result that secured safety for Blackpool.

He finished the season on 27 goals.

His most goals came in 1961–62: 36 goals (30 in the league and six in the League Cup).

He had started the season with eight goals in eight games.

He won one England cap, in 1962.

"There have been Blackpool footballers who have played more games for the club than Ray Charnley; and there have been men who have contributed more league goals to the Bloomfield Road cause than the tall, rangy Lancastrian centre-forward. But on both counts, from faithful fans of the Seasiders whose memories stretch back half a century and beyond, there would have to come the heartfelt and grateful rider: not many"

Born in Lancaster, Lancashire, Charnley started out as a teenager in the Preston North End B team.

When the team was disbanded, he joined North Lancashire and District Football League side Bolton-le-Sands.

On 20 January 1962 he scored four goals in a 7–2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He scored Blackpool's opening goal of the 1962–63 season, in a 2–1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield.

He scored two hat-tricks that season – firstly, in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa on 29 March 1963, and then in a 6–3 victory over Birmingham City on 20 April.

The following season was the first time he did not score in his first game, but he then scored one in each of the next two games.

After a run of eight goals in 24 games, he was left out of the side.

In March 1964, he was placed on the transfer list, before being removed when no other club came in for him.

Alan Ball finished the season as the leading scorer in the league, with 13 goals to Charnley's ten.

Then on 3 February, against Nottingham Forest 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.