WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Ray Crawford

Jon Culley
Tuesday 20 February 1996 00:02 GMT
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If Leeds tend to tremble in the face of lower-division FA Cup opponents, the cause can probably be traced back to 13 February 1971. Leading the First Division by three points, Don Revie's side visitedFourth Division Colchester United. It was not a happy excursion.

No one played a greater part in their downfall than Ray Crawford, whose two goals in the first 28 minutes - the second hooked in as he lay on his back - left Leeds stunned. They were to concede a third before a desperate but unavailing comeback. Colchester won 3-2.

"We always felt we could trouble them," Crawford said. "Dick Graham, our manager, reckoned Gary Sprake was vulnerable coming for crosses and basically that's what we tried to exploit."

It was Crawford's swan-song. Twice capped by England, he won a League championship under Alf Ramsey at Ipswich, scoring 143 goals in 197 League games from 1958-63. He left Colchester, his seventh club, after one season, eventually returning home to run Portsmouth's youth team.

Now in his 60th year, he lives in Portsmouth, working as a merchandising rep. "I'm a bit envious of the money players make today," he said. "But I'm happy and settled. I still do the Lottery. If I won, I'd buy Pompey."

Jon Culley

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