Donald Ratcliffe (13 November 1934 – 19 October 2014) was an English
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
for
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
,
Darlington,
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and
Stoke City.
Career
Ratcliffe was born in
Newcastle-under-Lyme and joined
Stoke City in May 1953 after being recommended to the club by a local grocer who had seen him playing football in the street.
He made his debut at home to
Bury on Christmas Day in
1954–55 and of his 11 appearances in that season six were against Bury.
He became the prankster of Stoke's dressing room and was a hugely popular figure amongst the players. On the pitch Ratcliffe's natural position was left wing although he played in every position bar centre half causing Stoke manager
Tony Waddington
Anthony Waddington (9 November 1924 – 21 January 1994) was an English football manager at both Crewe Alexandra and Stoke City.
Waddington had a seven-year playing career with Crewe Alexandra before becoming a coach at Stoke City. He progre ...
to boast that Ratcliffe was the first £100,000 footballer – as they could have sold him for £10,000 for each position.
Under Waddington he was a regular and played in every match in
1962–63 as Stoke won the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
title.
He fell out of favour with Waddington in the First Division and he was sold to
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
for £27,500 in September 1963.
Ratcliffe's time at "Boro" was not that good as he brands manager
Raich Carter
Horatio Stratton "Raich" Carter (21 December 1913 – 9 October 1994) was an English sportsman who played football for Sunderland, Derby County and Hull City, as well as representing England on thirteen occasions. He also played first-class cri ...
as 'a waste of space' which ended with Ratcliffe joining
Darlington in February 1966 helping the club gain promotion in
1965–66 which was followed by an instant relegation.
He moved on again to
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
and again gained promotion from the
Fourth Division and he ended his career with non-league
Northwich Victoria.
Ratcliffe died on 19 October 2014 at the age of 79.
Career statistics
Source:
Honours
; Stoke City
*
Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...
champions:
1962–63
; Darlington
*
Football League Fourth Division runner-up:
1965–66
; Crewe Alexandra
*
Football League Fourth Division 4th place promotion:
1967–68
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratcliffe, Don
1934 births
2014 deaths
Footballers from Newcastle-under-Lyme
Men's association football wingers
English men's footballers
Stoke City F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Darlington F.C. players
Crewe Alexandra F.C. players
Northwich Victoria F.C. players
English Football League players