# Ron Hillyard > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ron_Hillyard > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ron_Hillyard.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Hillyard > Source revision: 1350468081 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English football player and coach (born 1952)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Use British English|date=September 2014}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Ron Hillyard | fullname = Ronald William Hillyard | image = Ron Hillyard.jpg | upright = 0.7 | caption = Hillyard in 2001 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|3|31|df=y}} | birth_place = [Brinsworth](/source/Brinsworth), England | height = 5 ft 11 in{{cite book |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88 |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Dunk |publisher=Queen Anne Press |location=London |date=1987 |page=174 |isbn=978-0-356-14354-5}} | position = [Goalkeeper](/source/Goalkeeper_(association_football)) | currentclub = | youthyears1 = | youthyears2 = 1969 | youthclubs1 = [Leeds United](/source/Leeds_United_F.C.) | youthclubs2 = [York City](/source/York_City_F.C.) | years1 = 1969–1974 | clubs1 = [York City](/source/York_City_F.C.)[http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/york/york.html York City all-time players' records] | caps1 = 61 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 1972 | clubs2 = → [Hartlepool United](/source/Hartlepool_United_F.C.) (loan)[http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/hartlepool/hartlepool.html Hartlepool United all-time players' records] | caps2 = 23 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 1973 | clubs3 = → [Bury](/source/Bury_F.C.) (loan)[http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/bury/bury.html Bury all-time players' records] | caps3 = 0 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 1973 | clubs4 = → [Brighton & Hove Albion](/source/Brighton_%26_Hove_Albion_F.C.) (loan)[http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/brighton/brighton.html Brighton & Hove Albion all-time players' records] | caps4 = 0 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 1974–1991 | clubs5 = [Gillingham](/source/Gillingham_F.C.){{cite book | first=Roger|last= Triggs | title=The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club| publisher=Tempus Publishing Ltd | year=2001| isbn=0-7524-2243-X|pages=158}} | caps5 = 563 | goals5 = 0 | totalcaps = 647 | totalgoals = 0 }} '''Ronald William Hillyard''' (born 31 March 1952) is an English former [football](/source/Association_football) [goalkeeper](/source/Goalkeeper_(association_football)). He spent seventeen years playing for [Gillingham](/source/Gillingham_F.C.), for whom he holds the record for the most matches played in all competitions. ==Career== Born in [Brinsworth](/source/Brinsworth), Hillyard was a schoolboy inside forward before being put in goal as a punishment. He joined [Rotherham United](/source/Rotherham_United_F.C.) as an amateur until the training nights were discontinued. He then played for Brinsworth Athletic in the Sheffield Amateur League before being recommended to [Leeds United](/source/Leeds_United_F.C.) where he spent a season as fourth-choice keeper before being recommended to [York City](/source/York_City_F.C.) by [Bobby Sibbald](/source/Bobby_Sibbald).{{cite book |title=Goalkeepers Are Different, Ron Hillyard testimonial brochure |date=15 May 1984 |pages=9–10 |publisher=Ron Hillyard Testimonial Committee}} Joining as a junior, Hillyard was thrust into the first-team in October 1969, when the club was facing a goalkeeping crisis.{{cite book | last = Batters | first = Dave | title = York City: A Complete Record 1922-1990 | publisher = The Breedon Books Publishing Company Limited | year = 1990 | pages = 170 | chapter = York City Stars | isbn = 0-907969-69-0 }} Loan spells at [Hartlepool United](/source/Hartlepool_United_F.C.), [Bury](/source/Bury_F.C.) and [Brighton & Hove Albion](/source/Brighton_%26_Hove_Albion_F.C.) followed where on his first meeting with [Brian Clough](/source/Brian_Clough) was told to get his hair cut. Although he made 61 [Football League](/source/The_Football_League) appearances for [York City](/source/York_City_F.C.) over the next five years, he was unable to establish himself as a first-team regular. Finally in 1974, [Gillingham](/source/Gillingham_F.C.) manager [Len Ashurst](/source/Len_Ashurst), who had been attempting to sign the [Yorkshire](/source/Yorkshire)man for his former club [Hartlepool United](/source/Hartlepool_United_F.C.) for three years, was able to secure his transfer to his new club. For almost the entirety of the next seventeen years, Hillyard was the [Kent](/source/Kent) club's first-choice goalkeeper, until a back injury forced him to retire in 1991. Two years earlier he had been appointed assistant manager by [Damien Richardson](/source/Damien_Richardson_(footballer)), a post he continued to hold until 1992 when both he and Richardson were sacked. On 15 May 1983, Hillyard enjoyed a testimonial game when Gillingham beat [West Ham United](/source/West_Ham_United_F.C.) 3–2 at [Priestfield Stadium](/source/Priestfield_Stadium).[http://whu-programmes.co.uk/1983-84-friendlies/4552123690 WHU Programmes] Hillyard was expected to break [John Simpson](/source/John_Simpson_(footballer_born_1933))'s record for the most league appearances for Gillingham but ultimately his career ended 8 matches short of Simpson's tally of 571. Nonetheless, Hillyard set a new record for appearances for the club in all competitions with a total of 657, during which he kept 202 clean sheets. Hillyard was appointed goalkeeping coach of [Ebbsfleet United](/source/Ebbsfleet_United_F.C.) in 2002 and remained with the club until 2016.{{Cite news|date=5 July 2016|title=Gillingham's record appearance holder Ron Hillyard leaves Ebbsfleet United after 14 years as goalkeeping coach|work=Kent Online|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/sport/ron-calls-time-at-fleet-98456/|access-date=2 May 2020}} He also held a dual-role position of goalkeeping coach with [Gillingham](/source/Gillingham_F.C.) during the 2011–12 season.[http://www.gnfc.co.uk/index.php?mainmenu=matchdaymenu.html&content=player_profiles.php&submenu=matchday.php&photos=players_tn.html#117 Ebbsfleet United website]{{Cite news|date=28 August 2011|title=Hillyard rejoins Gillingham as goalkeeping coach|work=BBC|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gillingham/9574687.stm|access-date=2 May 2020}} ==References== {{commons category|Ron Hillyard}} {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hillyard, Ron}} Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:English men's footballers Category:Men's association football goalkeepers Category:York City F.C. players Category:Hartlepool United F.C. players Category:Bury F.C. players Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Category:Gillingham F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:Gillingham F.C. non-playing staff Category:Sportspeople from the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham Category:Footballers from South Yorkshire Category:20th-century English sportsmen --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ron Hillyard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Hillyard) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Hillyard?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.