Coventry City Former Players Association is very sorry to hear the news that Ray Paul CCFC’s earliest surviving player has passed away on Saturday 15th April*. Our sympathies go to Ray’s family and friends.
The then 93 year old Ray (who had been then only recently been tracked down by CCFPA chairman Jim Brown) paid us an emotional visit in February 2016 for our Legends Day 2016 celebrations. Along with 40 other former CCFC ‘legends’ he shared our pleasure in watching the Sky Blues demolish Bury 6-0! He was then officially ‘signed up’ by CCFPA’s Membership Sec. Sarah-Jane Morris (above). Sadly we cannot find a good photo of Ray in action for Coventry City, so ones from his time at near neighbours Nuneaton Town must suffice.
Apparently, Ray was an outstanding all round sportsman who, at the age of 16, was offered trials for the England Rugby team but his father would not let him attend. He was also a talented gymnast, keen swimmer and squash player who at the age of 50 finished 4th in a national squash competition.
Ray played centre forward in his football days and was son of Nuneaton Town trainer George Paul. He went on to become a ‘Borough Legend’ becoming a striking sensation at Nuneaton scoring 42 goals in the 1941-42 season and 119 goals in just 83 appearances for the Borough by the end of WW2.
Ray turned out for Coventry City as a guest player in the wartime Football League North. He first turned out for the ‘Bantams’ (as CCFC were then known) towards the end of the war, debuting in a 4-1 defeat at W.B.A. in September 1944. Ray scored 8 goals in his total of ten CCFC appearances in 1944-45.
From March 1945 he also guested in a further six games for Nottingham Forest before returning to Manor Park in time for the 1945-46 season (initially as a guest). Though injuries took their toll in his subsequent spell at Nuneaton he nevertheless managed to net 54 times in his 56 games! Ray finished his playing career at Atherstone Town in 1948.
We will announce details of funeral arrangements when we have them and a fuller obituary and appreciation will appear on this site in due course.
*For those that like to keep track of such things we believe that another CCFPA member Colin Collindridge at 96 is still our oldest surviving former player (though he wasn’t signed for the City until 1954). Another member Jack Lovering who is 94 was a WW2 junior for CCFC but didn’t make his first team debut for the Bantams until 1946. CCFPA has recently been told that the oldest surviviving former football league player is apparently Arthur H. Smith who was born in Bury on 8th May 1915 and played 4 games for Bury from 1934 and 10 for Leicester City from 1939. Arthur is therefore approaching his 102nd Birthday! Colin who was born on 15th November 1920 therefore is currently the sixth oldest FP in Britain!
Picture copyright of CNS Sport