Ray Ferris

Infobox Football biography
playername = Ray Ferris


fullname = Raymond Osborn Ferris
dateofbirth = 22 September 1920
cityofbirth = Newry
countryofbirth = Ireland
dateofdeath = February 1994 (aged 73)
cityofdeath = Manchester
countryofdeath = England
height = height|ft=5|in=8.5
position = Left half
youthyears =
1938–1939
1939
youthclubs = Distillery (trial)
Glentoran (trial)
Brentford (amateur)
Cambridge Town
years = 1945–1949
1949–1953
1953–1954
clubs = Crewe Alexandra
Birmingham City
Worcester City
caps(goals) = 101 (23)
090 0(3)
nationalyears = 1949–1951
nationalteam = Northern Ireland
nationalcaps(goals) = 003 0(1)

Raymond Osborn "Ray" Ferris (22 September 1920 – February 1994) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a left half. He played nearly 200 games in the Football League for Crewe Alexandra and Birmingham City, and won three international caps for Northern Ireland.

Born in Newry, County Down, Ferris spent short trial spells at Irish League clubs Distillery and Glentoran before crossing to England where he signed amateur forms for Brentford. By the time the Second World War broke out he was playing non-league football for Cambridge Town. During the war he made guest appearances for Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

After the war he signed professionally for Crewe Alexandra, for whom he played over 100 times. He then moved to First Division club Birmingham City, for whom he also made over 100 appearances. He was a hard-working, hard-tackling type of half-back with great determination. In the closed season of 1953 he went on a representative tour with the Irish FA to the United States and Canada, where he sustained a leg injury which eventually ended his career. Though he played for Worcester City in the Southern League for one more season, he was forced to retire in 1954.

In later life he had both legs amputated due to circulation problems attributed to his football career, and died in a Manchester nursing home at the age of 73.

References

*cite book
author=Matthews, Tony |title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record |year=1995 |publisher=Breedon Books |location=Derby |pages=pp. 86 |isbn=1-85983-010-2
*cite web
url=http://nifootball.blogspot.com/2006/11/ray-ferris.html |title=Ray Ferris |publisher=Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats |date=2006-11-23 |accessdate=2007-11-01

Persondata
NAME = Ferris, Ray
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Ferris, Raymond Osborn
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Professional footballer
DATE OF BIRTH = 1920-09-22
PLACE OF BIRTH = Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland
DATE OF DEATH = February 1994
PLACE OF DEATH = Manchester, England