Remembering Ray

This Saturday’s game against Salford City will see the club give the opportunity for supporters to remember former goalkeeper and Vice President, Ray Clemence MBE.

The club have received dispensation for the current Iron goalkeeper to play the game in a special edition shirt produced with Ray’s signature sublimated into the shirt and embroidery which will be auctioned after the game for charity.

Members of Ray’s family will be in attendance and will be presented with a framed version of the shirt ahead of the game while there will be a minute's applause ahead of kick-off to celebrate Ray’s life.

The day will provide the chance for a charity Ray supported in Prostate Cancer UK to raise some valuable funds and help get some key messages to supporters. Bucket collectors will be in attendance while there are limited edition versions of the goalkeeper shirt available to buy from the club shop HERE with all profits going to PCUK.

Born in Skegness, Lincolnshire, Clemence played as an amateur with Notts County but signed for the Iron in August 1965. He then had to wait until the following April for his debut, against Swansea, but he was still only 17-years-old.

The following season he took over the green jersey in the third game and, despite conceding seven goals at Grimsby in the next match, kept it for the rest of the campaign.

His progress was swift and, though still a raw teenager, his potential prompted Bill Shankly to spend £18,000 to take him to Anfield in June 1967 after he'd made 50 appearances for United.

Ray, who went on to play many games for Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and England in a historic career, sadly died from prostate cancer in November last year after a long fight with the disease. 

One man dies every 45 minutes from prostate cancer; it’s the most common cancer in men in the UK and Ray worked tirelessly to promote the dangers of the disease as an ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK.

Ray’s son Stephen said: “Scunthorpe United always had a special part in my dad’s heart and he never forgot the special times he had at the club right at the start of his career, and we as a family are touched by this wonderful gesture from the club.”

We are supporting Prostate Cancer UK this weekend raising awareness of a cancer that kills one in four men.

To help men find out whether they are at increased risk of developing the disease, Prostate Cancer UK has launched an online risk checker, available at prostatecanceruk.org/riskcheck where men can check their own risk in 30 seconds.

Tickets details for the fixture are available here while the special edition goalkeeper shirt is available now with full details here.