Ronald Thompson (20 January 1932 – 5 June 2020) was an English professional

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 lea ...

who played as a

wing half In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

Career

Born in

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

, Thompson played for Raffles Rovers and Carlisle United. Thompson, nicknamed "Ginger", is Carlisle's record-holder for number of appearances 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, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

by an outfield player, making 406 appearances in all competitions. He spent his early career with the club as a semi-professional, combining his playing career with a job at an engineering company. After leaving Carlisle in 1964 after suffering an achilles injury, he later played for Gretna and Penrith. Along with former Carlisle United teammate George Walker, he set up Carlisle City in 1975. Thompson died on 5 June 2020 from

bowel cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

References

1932 births 2020 deaths English men's footballers Carlisle United F.C. players English Football League players Men's association football wing halves Footballers from Carlisle, Cumbria Gretna F.C. players Penrith A.F.C. players {{England-footy-midfielder-1930s-stub