Craig Ravenscroft

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Craig Ravenscroft

| fullname = Craig Anthony Ravenscroft{{Hugman|16368|accessdate=25 October 2015}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1974|12|20}}

| birth_place = Hammersmith, England

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=6}}

| position = Forward, right winger

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1993

| youthclubs1 = Brentford

| years1 = 1993–1996

| clubs1 = Brentford

| caps1 = 9

| goals1 = 1

| years2 =

| clubs2 = → Woking (loan)

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1996

| clubs3 = Kingstonian

| caps3 =

| goals3 = 1

| years4 = 1996–1997

| clubs4 = Bishop's Stortford

| caps4 =

| goals4 =

| years5 = 1997–1998

| clubs5 = Hayes

| caps5 =

| goals5 =

| years6 = 1998–1999

| clubs6 = Chertsey Town

| caps6 =

| goals6 =

| years7 = 2000

| clubs7 = Wealdstone

| caps7 =

| goals7 =

| years8 = 2001

| clubs8 = Hemel Hempstead Town

| caps8 =

| goals8 =

| years9 = 2004

| clubs9 = Chertsey Town

| caps9 =

| goals9 =

}}

Craig Anthony Ravenscoft (born 20 December 1974) is an English retired footballer. A forward, he began his career in the Football League at Brentford and upon his release in 1996, he dropped into non-League football.

Career

=Brentford=

Ravenscroft began his career as a youth at Brentford and signed trainee forms prior to the beginning of the 1991–92 season.{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|2013|p=82}} He signed a short-term contract after completing his traineeship at the end of the 1992–93 season.{{Cite book |last=Croxford |first=Mark |title=The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties |last2=Lane |first2=David |last3=Waterman |first3=Greville |publisher=Legends Publishing |year=2013 |isbn=9781906796723 |location=Sunbury, Middlesex |page=402}} After signing a longer contract, Ravenscroft scored his first senior goal on 27 November 1993 in a 3–1 Second Division away win over Huddersfield Town and made 9 appearances during the 1993–94 season.{{Cite web |date=27 November 2012 |title=On this day – our look back at Brentford... |url=https://www.facebook.com/brentfordfootballclub1889/posts/10151281369623022 |access-date=13 July 2014 |publisher=Facebook}}{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|2013|p=479-481}} Ravenscroft made only two appearances during the 1994–95 season, starting in a 1–0 league victory over Shrewsbury Town on 1 October 1994 and replacing Robert Taylor in a 3–1 Football League Trophy first round replay win over Gillingham on 8 November.{{Cite book |title=Griffin Gazette versus AFC Bournemouth |date=29 April 1995 |publisher=Quay Design of Poole |pages=34–35}}

During the 1995–96 season, Ravenscroft was an unused substitute for league matches against Rotherham United and Bristol City in September 1995 and made what would be his final appearance for the club in a 3–0 league win over Peterborough United on 21 October. He started the match and was substituted for Carl Asaba.{{Cite book |title=Griffin Gazette versus AFC Bournemouth |date=4 May 1996 |publisher=Quay Design of Poole |pages=30–31}} Ravenscroft departed the club in August 1996, having made 12 appearances and scored one goal in his Brentford career.{{Cite book |last=Haynes |first=Graham |title=Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 |last2=Coumbe |first2=Frank |publisher=Yore Publications |year=2006 |isbn=978-0955294914 |pages=131}}

=Non-League football=

Ravenscroft joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Kingstonian in August 1996 and joined Bishop's Stortford,{{Cite web |title=Fixture List |url=http://www.kingstonian.net/fixtures.jsp?19961997 |access-date=24 October 2017 |website=www.kingstonian.net |language=en}} of the same division, in October 1996.{{Cite web |title=Match Details – Kingstonian 0–1 Aylesbury United – ILPD – 27th August 1996 |url=http://www.aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk/match/1996-08-27/kingstonian/away/ |access-date=13 July 2014 |publisher=Aylesbury United FC}} He made a goalscoring appearance in a 2–0 win over Aylesbury United on 12 October.{{Cite web |date=12 October 1996 |title=Match Details – Bishop's Stortford 2–0 Aylesbury United – ILPD – 12th October 1996 |url=http://www.aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk/match/1996-10-12/bishop%27s-stortford/away/ |access-date=13 July 2014 |publisher=Aylesbury United FC}} Ravenscroft stepped up a level to sign for Conference club Hayes on 1 August 1997.{{Soccerbase|id=6593}} He departed the club at the end of the 1997–98 season and played the following year with Chertsey Town.{{Cite book |title=Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Scarborough |date=27 February 1999 |publisher=Morganprint |location=Charlton, London |page=19}}

Ravenscroft joined Isthmian League First Division club Wealdstone in 2000 and Isthmian League Second Division club Hemel Hempstead Town in 2001. He played and scored in a pre-season friendly for Isthmian League Premier Division club Hendon against former club Wealdstone in July 2002.{{Cite web |title=News – July 2002 |url=http://www.hendonfc.net/News?method=archive&month=6&year=2002 |access-date=13 July 2014 |publisher=Official Hendon FC}} Ravenscroft's last known club was Isthmian League Second Division club Chertsey Town, whom he joined in July 2004.

Career statistics

{{Expand section|1=

Career from 1996 to 2004

|date=April 2016}}

rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|FA Cup ! colspan="2" \|League Cup ! colspan="2" \|Other ! colspan="2" \|Total
style="text-align: center;" class="wikitable" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="3" \|Brentford \|1993–94{{Sfn\|Croxford\|Lane\|Waterman\|2013\|p=479-481}} \| rowspan="3" \|Second Division \|7 \|1 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|2 \|0 \|9 \|1
1994–95{{Sfn\|Croxford\|Lane\|Waterman\|2013\|p=479-481}} \|1 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|1Appearances in Football League Trophy \|0 \|2 \|0
1995–96{{Sfn\|Croxford\|Lane\|Waterman\|2013\|p=479-481}} \|1 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|1 \|0
colspan="3" \|Career total !9	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	12	1