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CLUB STATEMENT: Ron Rafferty

Aldershot Town Football Club has been deeply shocked and saddened at the passing of former player Ron Rafferty.

Newcastle-born Ron began his football career in the Isthmian League with Wycombe Wanderers in the early 1950’s. While playing for Wycombe, he was spotted by Portsmouth and he joined the playing staff at Fratton Park in July 1954. In two years on the south coast Ron made 23 appearances, scoring five goals.

Inside forward Ron then made the move to Humberside, joining Grimsby Town in December 1956. It was in his seven year spell at Blundell Park that Ron really made his name as a free-scoring striker, making 263 appearances for The Mariners and scoring 145 goals. This included 34 in the 1961/62 season when Grimsby were promoted into the old Division 2 as runners-up to Ron’s previous club, Portsmouth.

A fee of £10,000 took Ron to Hull City in 1963 but in three seasons with the Tigers, Ron managed only 16 appearances, scoring six goals before arriving at The Recreation Ground and signing for Aldershot in 1966.

Ron stayed with The Shots for two years, during which he made 79 first-team starts and scored ten goals. However, many of his games for the club were played in a new position as a centre-half. Ron left the club at the end of the 1968/69 season.

Ron then played for Guildford City as a player-manager in 1969, but retired 6 months later.

Aldershot Town continued to play a massive part within the Rafferty family following Ron’s retirement, with Ron’s family involved with many sponsorships at Aldershot Town and often attended games at the EBB Stadium with Ron as well.

We offer our deepest condolences to Ron’s family and friends at this extremely difficult moment in time.

He will be greatly missed by all and everyone involved at Aldershot Town is truly heartbroken.

A full club tribute/statement outlining Ron’s legacy at Aldershot Town from a number of people who knew Jack and what an important role he played at the football club, will be released very soon.

We will also look to include a tribute to both Jack Rollin and Ron Rafferty within our Shots TV Live coverage on Tuesday night’s home game against Weymouth FC, as well as a respectful tribute for both Jack and Ron that will later be decided ahead of kick-off on Tuesday.