Peter Mann Ronald (5 November 1889 – 21 April 1953) was an English

association 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 ...

. During his career he played for Hebburn Argyle,

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

and

West Stanley South Moor is a village in County Durham, in England. It is located to the south-west of Stanley, County Durham, Stanley on the northern slope of the Craghead valley. It is a well-developed village, yet still semi-rural, containing a main street ...

, primarily as an inside right. Following his retirement as a player, he coached Watford between 1926 and 1946.

Career

Born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, Ronald started his career at nearby Hebburn Argyle, before transferring to

in June 1914 for an undisclosed fee. Despite the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the Southern League continued for the 1914–15 season. Ronald quickly established himself as a regular starter in Watford's team, making 36 appearances and scoring 9 goals as Watford secured the Southern League title. He did not play for the club during wartime league matches, but did return for the 1919–20 season, scoring 10 of Watford's 69 goals as they finished as runners up in the Southern League to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

on goal average. Ronald's third season at Watford coincided with their first in the newly formed

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...

. On 28 August 1920, Ronald scored his team's opening goal in a 2–1 win over QPR at Loftus Road, thereby becoming the first man ever to score for Watford in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

.''The Watford Football Club Illustrated Who's Who'' p. 201 At the end of the 1920–21 season, Ronald transferred to

, for a fee of £500. After two seasons largely as a reserve player, he moved to

in 1923, before rejoining Watford the following year. After failing to make a first team appearance, Ronald retired as a player in 1925, remaining as a coach until the conclusion of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and resumption of peacetime football in 1946. He died in Watford seven years later, aged 63.

Honours

* Southern League Division 1: **Winner: 1914–15 **Runner up: 1919–20

References

* *

External links

Nottingham ForestWatford Football Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ronald, Peter 1889 births 1953 deaths Footballers from Newcastle upon Tyne English men's footballers English Football League players Southern Football League players Hebburn Argyle F.C. players Watford F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players West Stanley F.C. players Watford F.C. non-playing staff Men's association football forwards