John Ridley (footballer)

John Ridley

Personal information
Full name	John Ridley[1]
Date of birth	(1952-04-27)27 April 1952
Place of birth	Consett, England[2]
Date of death	3 May 2020(2020-05-03) (aged 68)
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Position(s)	Defender; midfielder
Youth career
	Port Vale
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1973–1978	Port Vale	156	(3)
1978	→ Fort Lauderdale Strikers (loan)	22	(1)
1978–1979	Leicester City	24	(0)
1979–1982	Chesterfield	124	(8)
1982–1985	Port Vale	114	(5)
1985–19??	Stafford Rangers
19??–19??	Matlock Town
19??–19??	Newcastle Town
19??–19??	Eastwood Hanley
19??–19??	Silverdale Athletic
19??–1992	Rists United
Total		440+	(17+)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

John Ridley (27 April 1952 – 3 May 2020) was an English footballer. He had a twelve-year professional career in the English Football League. He played for Port Vale and Chesterfield, as well as Leicester City.

He also played for non-league Stafford Rangers and for American side Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

Ridley was born in Consett, County Durham. He died on 3 May 2020, aged 68.^[4]

Career statistics

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Port Vale	1973–74	Third Division	10	1	0	0	0	0	10	1
	1974–75	Third Division	18	0	0	0	1	0	19	0
	1975–76	Third Division	46	1	3	0	3	0	52	1
	1976–77	Third Division	35	1	6	0	4	0	45	1
	1977–78	Third Division	40	0	4	1	3	0	47	1
	1978–79	Fourth Division	7	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
	Total		156	3	13	1	11	0	180	4
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (loan)	1978	NASL	22	1	–	–	–	–	22	1
Leicester City	1978–79	Second Division	24	0	2	0	0	0	26	0
Chesterfield	1979–80	Third Division	46	3	2	0	3	0	51	3
	1980–81	Third Division	40	1	4	0	12	0	56	1
	1981–82	Third Division	38	4	0	0	5	0	43	4
	Total		124	8	6	0	20	0	150	8
Port Vale	1982–83	Fourth Division	41	3	1	0	2	0	44	3
	1983–84	Third Division	30	2	1	0	4	0	35	2
	1984–85	Fourth Division	43	0	2	0	6	0	51	0
	Total		114	5	4	0	12	0	130	5
Career total			440	17	25	1	43	0	508	18

Honours

Individual

• Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year: 1976^[5]

Chesterfield

• Anglo-Scottish Cup: 1981^[6]

Port Vale

• Football League Fourth Division third-place promotion: 1982–83^[7]

Stafford Rangers

• Northern Premier League: 1984–85^[2]
• Conference League Cup: 1986^[2]
• Staffordshire Senior Cup: 1987^[2]

References

1. "John Ridley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
2. "The John Ridley Interview". The Vale Park Beano. 92.
3. Rollin, Jack (1980). Rothmans football yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 134. ISBN 0362020175. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
4. Former Port Vale player John Ridley passes away
5. Kent, Jeff (1990). The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale. Witan Books. p. 305. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
6. "Former Spireite John Ridley dies at the age of 67". Peak FM. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
7. Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Rags to Riches (1979–1990)". The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 258–290. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.