Ron Hillyard
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ronald William Hillyard | ||
Date of birth | 31 March 1952 | ||
Place of birth | Brinsworth, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Youth career | |||
Leeds United | |||
1969 | York City | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1969–1974 | York City[2] | 61 | (0) |
1972 | → Hartlepool United (loan)[3] | 23 | (0) |
1973 | → Bury (loan)[4] | 0 | (0) |
1973 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)[5] | 0 | (0) |
1974–1991 | Gillingham[6] | 563 | (0) |
Total | 647 | (0) | |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Ronald William Hillyard (born 31 March 1952) is an English former football goalkeeper. He spent seventeen years playing for Gillingham, for whom he holds the record for the most matches played in all competitions.
Career
Born in Brinsworth, Hillyard was a schoolboy inside forward before being put in goal as a punishment. He joined Rotherham United as an amateur until the training nights were discontinued. He then played for Brinsworth Athletic in the Sheffield Amateur League before being recommended to Leeds United where he spent a season as fourth-choice keeper before being recommended to York City by Bobby Sibbald.[7] Joining as a junior, Hillyard was thrust into the first-team in October 1969, when the club was facing a goalkeeping crisis.[8]
Loan spells at
For almost the entirety of the next seventeen years, Hillyard was the
Hillyard was appointed goalkeeping coach of Ebbsfleet United in 2002 and remained with the club until 2016.[10] He also held a dual-role position of goalkeeping coach with Gillingham during the 2011–12 season.[11][12]
References
- ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
- ^ York City all-time players' records
- ^ Hartlepool United all-time players' records
- ^ Bury all-time players' records
- ^ Brighton & Hove Albion all-time players' records
- ^ ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.
- ^ Goalkeepers Are Different, Ron Hillyard testimonial brochure. Ron Hillyard Testimonial Committee. 15 May 1984. pp. 9–10.
- ISBN 0-907969-69-0.
- ^ WHU Programmes
- ^ "Gillingham's record appearance holder Ron Hillyard leaves Ebbsfleet United after 14 years as goalkeeping coach". Kent Online. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ Ebbsfleet United website
- ^ "Hillyard rejoins Gillingham as goalkeeping coach". BBC. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2020.