Old Trafford trip set Wilson on road to ‘world’s best left-back’
On the second anniversary of Ray Wilson’s death, Stuart Rayner reports how the World Cup winner ended up being converted to a left-back.
THE uncharacteristically flamboyant name of Ramon Wilson has to come into any conversation about England’s greatest left-back, yet it was a position the future World Cup winner had to be won over to – by a trip to glamorous Old Trafford.
Wilson, named after Mexican actor Ramon Novarro but better known as “Ray”, started as a wing-half and would later fill in at centre-forward, but it was as Huddersfield Town’s left-back he made a name for himself.
They are memories Andrew Pearce, author of Of Amos, ‘Erbert and Friends, Flying High with Huddersfield Town, looked back on ahead of today’s second anniversary of Wilson’s death.
As a teenager at Leeds Road, Wilson found competing with England World Cup right-half Bill McGarry and B international Len Quested no easy task. The 20-year-old’s debut in a position he had never played was a hiding to nothing. On October 22, 1955, he was part of the relegationbound Huddersfield side who travelled to champions-to-be Manchester United and lost 3-0.
“The story goes that, in the previous midweek, when asked for his view on moving from wing-half into deeper defence, Ray had been unenthusiastic,” reveals Pearce, “until he realised it involved him playing at Old Trafford rather than in Town’s reserves side!”
His four-match run ended when Laurie Kelly returned from injury and although it would be two years before he established himself, it put him on course to be one of the great left-backs.
Bobby Moore called Wilson “a comfort to play alongside. A fiery little fellow who’d stand up to all the pressure.”
Pearce goes further still.
“I was fortunate to witness considerably more than half of his 293 appearances for my beloved blue and whites,” he says. “Fleet-footed, position-perfect and the best timer of a tackle I’ve ever seen, in the mid-60s he was surely the world’s best left-back.”
Wilson’s mistake allowed West Germany to score first in the biggest game of his life, the 1966 World Cup final, but he composed himself to play his part in England’s 4-2 victory.
“It was the only mistake Wilson ever made in his 63 games for England,” said manager Alf Ramsey.
Pearce points to the famous picture of Wilson and Geoff Hurst carrying Moore on their shoulders as typifying the man.
“Notice the contrast in facial expression between Geoff and Ray,” says Pearce.
“The former looks proud and happy whilst Ray, at 31 the oldest man in the team, grimaces as he bears the brunt of Bob’s weight. Ray Wilson was the ultimate team man.”
His first 30 caps came as a
Division Two footballer before joining Everton in 1964.
A 1966 FA Cup winners’ medal was his only major domestic honour before a serious knee injury saw him moved on to Oldham Athletic and Bradford City. He joined his father-in-law’s undertaking business, watching his first club from the stands.
Wilson’s next Wembley final 11 weeks later made him an English footballing immortal.
Despite that, the left-backturned-undertaker never did live up to his glamorous first name, or try to. On May 15, 2018, he passed away in a Huddersfield care home, another footballing victim to Alzheimer’s Disease.
Attended by some of the great and the good, his funeral showed how highly he was thought of.
“This would, I’m sure, have meant far more to him,” argues Pearce. “Ray was never a man to crave awards or the spotlight. Just a wonderful footballer and a marvellous man.”