Ron Greener

Ronald Greener (31 January 1934 – 19 October 2015) was an English footballer, who played as a centre half. Born in Easington, County Durham,[2] he played his entire career in his native North-East. He started his career with Newcastle United, before he moved to Darlington in 1955. He spent most of his playing career with Darlington, and set the club's appearance record of 490 first-team appearances.

Ron Greener
Personal information
Full name Ronald Greener[1]
Date of birth (1934-01-31)31 January 1934
Place of birth Easington, County Durham, England
Date of death 19 October 2015(2015-10-19) (aged 81)
Place of death Darlington, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position(s) Centre half
Youth career
– Barnsley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
19??–1952 Easington CW
1952–1955 Newcastle United 3 (0)
1955–1967 Darlington 442 (5)
1967–1969 Stockton
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Greener worked as a blacksmith at Easington Colliery,[3] and began his football career playing for Easington Colliery Welfare and for Barnsley at youth level, before joining Newcastle United as a professional in 1952.[2][4] He made his first-team debut on 3 October 1953, in a 2–0 home defeat against Charlton Athletic in the First Division. He played only twice more for Newcastle[5] before signing for Darlington in 1955. He immediately established himself in the first team, playing 132 consecutive games, a run which came to an end in February 1958 when he was snowbound at home, unable to join up with the team travelling to Workington.[6] The run included the "thrashing" of Chelsea, Football League champions only three years earlier, in the Fourth Round of the 1957–58 FA Cup.[7] After letting slip a three-goal lead at Stamford Bridge, Darlington won the replay 4–1 after extra time.[3] His performances earned him selection for the Third Division North representative side to play against the South in April 1957.[8]

He missed most of the club's first season in the newly formed Fourth Division after breaking his leg in August 1958, but returned the following season to play regularly for the remainder of his Darlington career.[9] He was part of the squad which won promotion to the Third Division in 1965–66 under manager Lol Morgan, and a regular first-team player the following season under Jimmy Greenhalgh, but was released on a free transfer at the end of the 1966–67 season.[10] Nicknamed "The Man Mountain", Greener had made 490 first-team appearances for Darlington, still, as of 2010, a club record, his final appearance coming in April 1967 against Bristol Rovers at Feethams.[9][11] He finished his football career with two years at Stockton.[4]

In 2004, the club named a conference room at their Darlington Arena stadium in Greener's honour,[12] and after the Feethams ground was demolished for housing, a road on the development was named after him.[13]

Greener died in Darlington on 19 October 2015 at the age of 81.[1]

Honours

As a player

Darlington

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References
  1. "Ron Greener". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  2. "Ron Greener". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  3. Amos, Mike (29 January 2008). "The day Greener's Darlington made FA Cup clowns of Chelsea". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  4. "Why the grass was always Greener down at Feethams". The Northern Echo. 1 December 2000. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  5. "Player Profile: Ron Greener". Toon1892. Kenneth H. Scott. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  6. Amos, Mike (8 February 2008). "Blackhall v Dawdon: the greatest game". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  7. "Darlington's three quick goals". The Times. 30 January 1958. p. 12. Darlington joined the Giant-killers' Club by thrashing Chelsea during extra time in yesterday's F.A. Cup replay ... It was a most meritorious win, earned by a combination of sound tactics and an enthusiasm that Chelsea never equalled
  8. Langley, Mike (3 April 1967). "So Ackerman earns North victory No. 1". Daily Express. p. 14.
  9. "Ron Greener – 1955–1967". Darlington F.C. 18 May 2007. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  10. "Greener finally getting his chance to say goodbye". The Northern Echo. 3 May 2003. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  11. "Club Honours and Records". Darlington F.C. 7 July 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  12. "Former Quakers' stalwart to be honoured". The Northern Echo. 23 July 2004. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  13. Burton, Nigel (20 October 2015). "Tributes to arguably Darlington FC's greatest player Ron Greener". Durham Advertiser. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
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