Fred Ryecraft
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Fred Ryecraft
| image =
| caption = Ryecraft while with Brentford in 1963.
| fullname = Frederick Ryecraft
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|8|29|df=y}}
| birth_place = Southall, England
| death_date = {{death date and age |2017|9|26|1939|8|26|df=y}}
| death_place = Hampshire, England
| position = Goalkeeper
| years1 = {{0|0000}}–1959
| clubs1 = Southall
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| years2 = 1959–1964
| clubs2 = Brentford
| caps2 = 33
| goals2 = 0
| years3 =
| clubs3 = Gravesend & Northfleet
| caps3 =
| goals3 =
}}
Frederick Ryecraft (29 August 1939 – 26 September 2017) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford as a goalkeeper. He was a member of the club's 1962–63 Fourth Division championship-winning squad.
Club career
= Brentford =
After a short spell at Athenian League club Southall,{{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 |location=Harefield |pages=139–140}} Ryecraft joined Third Division club Brentford in September 1959.{{hugman|17360|accessdate=17 October 2017}} First team goalkeeper Gerry Cakebread's durability meant that a spell doing national service saw Ryecraft confined to the club's reserve team, until the first team's relegation to the Fourth Division in 1962. Ryecraft finally made his first team debut in a 2–1 defeat to Gillingham on 21 August 1962.{{Cite book |title=100 Years Of Brentford |publisher=Brentford FC |year=1989 |isbn=0951526200 |editor-last=White |editor-first=Eric |page=387}} He went on to make 18 appearances during a 1962–63 season which saw the Bees return to the Third Division at the first time of asking. Ryecraft made 20 appearances during the 1963–64 season, but mainly appeared for the reserves and was released at the end of the campaign. Ryecraft made a total of 38 first team appearances for the Bees and along with Micky Ball and Johnny Hales, he is one of three players to make over 150 appearances for the Brentford reserve team.{{Cite book |title=Brentford F.C. Griffin Gazette versus Chester City |date=15 April 1995 |publisher=Quay Design of Poole |page=29}}
= Gravesend & Northfleet =
After his release from Brentford, Ryecraft dropped back into non-League football and played for Southern League First Division club Gravesend & Northfleet.
Representative career
While undertaking his national service, Ryecraft played for the British Army representative team and the Combined Services. He played on a tour of South East Asia in 1962 and was a member of the victorious Kentish Cup-winning team the same year.{{Cite web |title=History |url=http://www.armyfa.com/about/history |access-date=15 June 2015 |website=armyfa.com}}{{Cite web |title=British Army representative team tour of South East Asia 1962 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/barmysea62.html |access-date=17 October 2017 |website=RSSSF}}
Personal life
While on national service in the British Army, Ryecraft was a member of the Royal Army Service Corps.
Career statistics
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ! rowspan="2" |Club ! rowspan="2" |Season ! colspan="3" |League ! colspan="2" |FA Cup ! colspan="2" |League Cup ! colspan="2" |Total |
| Division
!Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals |
|---|
| rowspan="2" |Brentford
|18 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |18 |0 |
| 1963–64
|15 |0 |1 |0 |4 |0 |20 |0 |
| colspan="3" |Career total
!33 !0 !1 !0 !4 !0 !38 !0 |
Honours
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryecraft, Fred}}
Category:Footballers from the London Borough of Ealing
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Brentford F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Southall F.C. players
Category:Ebbsfleet United F.C. players
Category:Southern Football League players
Category:Men's association football goalkeepers
Category:Royal Army Service Corps soldiers
Category:20th-century British Army personnel
Category:20th-century English sportsmen
{{England-footy-goalkeeper-1930s-stub}}