Daniel Ralph Ruffell (3 October 1867 – 3 October 1940) was an English

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Southampton St. Mary's from their inaugural fixture in November 1885 until 1894, including making six appearances in the FA Cup.

Football career

Ruffell was born in Southampton and was associated with St. Mary's Church; the St Mary's Church of England Young Men's Association decided to arrange a football match against

Freemantle Freemantle is a suburb and electoral ward in Southampton, England. There are similarly named places in Hampshire: notably Henry II's hunting lodge in Kingsclere; a suburb of Hannington; and Freemantle Common in Bitterne. These were formerly t ...

, which took place on 21 November 1885 on a pitch in Northlands Road, where the Hampshire Bowling Club was subsequently situated, close to the County Cricket Ground, with Ruffell playing in goal. The "Saints" won the match 5–1 with three goals from Ned Bromley and two from Arthur Fry; Freemantle's goal was an own goal when the ball came off a defender's legs after a corner. Ruffell remained with the "Saints" for nearly ten years and helped the club grow rapidly to participate in the Hampshire Junior Cup, which was won in 1888, 1889 and 1890, followed by the Hampshire Senior Cup (winners in 1891 and 1892, and losing finalists in 1893 and 1894), before participating in the FA Cup for the first time in

1891 Events January–March * January 1 ** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany. ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new Africa ...

. Throughout this time Ruffell was the first-choice goalkeeper, and played in every cup match until October 1892. In the FA Cup, the "Saints" reached the Second Qualifying Round for each of the three seasons from 1891–92 to 1893–94 with Ruffell in goal for all six matches. In the Hampshire Senior Cup final played on 10 March 1894, Ruffell sustained a dislocated

knee cap The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as m ...

in the 1–0 defeat by the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

which ended his playing career, although he continued to make occasional reserve-team appearances.

Later career

Ruffell was employed as an engineer in Southampton Docks. He died in Southampton on his 73rd birthday, 3 October 1940.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruffell, Ralph 1867 births 1940 deaths Footballers from Southampton English men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Southampton F.C. players