| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Walter Ray [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 November 1968 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Newmarket, England [1] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Colchester United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1988 | Colchester United | 1 | (0) |
| 1988 | → Wycombe Wanderers (loan) | ||
| Aveley | |||
| Barking | |||
| Billericay Town | |||
| Ford United | |||
| Grays Athletic | |||
| 1998–2000 | Romford | 70 | (2) |
| Tilbury | |||
| Total | 1 | (0) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Walter Ray (born 21 November 1968) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League as a defender for Colchester United.
Born in Newmarket, Ray was a regular in the Colchester United youth teams and reserves, and was offered a short-term professional contract with the option of a further year towards the end of his apprenticeship with the club in the 1987–88 season after impressing manager Roger Brown. Having sat on the substitutes bench for a number of games, Ray finally played his one and only Football League game on 30 January 1988, as a substitute for Tony English, where he handled the ball to concede a penalty and allow Scarborough to score their third in a 3–1 defeat for Colchester at the McCain Stadium. [2] [3] [4]
Following his solitary appearance, he went out on loan to Wycombe Wanderers alongside fellow youth product Scott Young before he was released by Colchester on his return. He subsequently joined a host of Essex-based non-league clubs, including Aveley, Barking, Billericay Town, Ford United, Grays Athletic, Romford and Tilbury. [2]