Ray Hancock

Charles Raymond Hancock (16 February 1925 – 20 April 2007) was an English football goalkeeper. He was Ken Hancock's elder brother. He played for Port Vale between 1948 and 1956, and later turned out for Northwich Victoria. He was Vale's regular custodian as the club finished second in the Third Division North in 1952–53.

Ray Hancock
Personal information
Full name Charles Raymond Hancock[1]
Date of birth (1925-02-16)16 February 1925[1]
Place of birth Stoke-on-Trent, England[1]
Date of death 20 April 2007(2007-04-20) (aged 82)
Place of death Stoke-on-Trent, England
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Abbey Hulton United
Bury
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948–1956 Port Vale 50 (0)
Northwich Victoria
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Hancock played for Abbey Hulton United and Bury before joining Port Vale in May 1948.[1] He made three Third Division South appearances in the 1948–49 campaign, but manager Gordon Hodgson kept him behind George Heppell and Ray King in the first team pecking order.[1] Hancock, now aged 27, was selected by manager Freddie Steele as the club's first team goalkeeper in the 1952–53 season, as Vale posted a second-place finish in the Third Division North.[1] However, King regained his first team spot in the 1953–54 season, as Vale won the league title and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup – Hancock featured just once all season.[1] He played one Second Division game in 1954–55 and featured twice in 1955–56.[1] Having made 53 appearances in all competitions for the "Valiants" he departed Vale Park when he was transferred to Northwich Victoria in the summer of 1956.[1]

Personal life

Hancock married wife Joan, a schoolteacher, in 1949.[2] He worked at Masons Textiles in Leek, Staffordshire for many years.[3]

Statistics

Source:[4]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Port Vale 1948–49 Third Division South 300030
1949–50 Third Division South 000000
1950–51 Third Division South 000000
1951–52 Third Division South 000000
1952–53 Third Division North 43020450
1953–54 Third Division North 100010
1954–55 Second Division 100010
1955–56 Second Division 200020
Total 50020520

Honours
Port Vale

References
  1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 125. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. Kent, Jeff (December 1991). Port Vale Tales: A Collection Of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories. Witan Books. p. 142. ISBN 0-9508981-6-3.
  3. Sherwin, Phil (2013). Men of Steele. Hanley, Staffordshire: Pass. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-9926579-1-8.
  4. Ray Hancock at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  5. Sherwin, Phil; Askey, Steve (2013), Men of Steele: The story of Port Vale's stunning 1953/54 season, Pass Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9926579-1-8
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