Ronnie Starling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ronnie Starling | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald William Starling | |
| Date of birth | 11 October 1909 | |
| Place of birth | Gateshead, England | |
| Date of death | 1991 December 17 | |
| Place of death | Sheffield, England | |
| Playing position | Inside Forward | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| Washington Colliery | ||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1927 - 1930 1930 - 1932 1932 - 1937 1937 - 1948 |
Hull City Newcastle United Sheffield Wednesday Aston Villa |
78 (13) 51 (8) 176 (31) 88 (11) |
| National team | ||
| 1933 - 1937 | England | 2 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Ronald William "Ronnie" Starling (11 October 1909 — December 17, 1991) was an English footballer of the 1930s.
[edit] Playing Career
Born in Pelaw, County Durham, Ronnie Starling began working in the coal mines in the north-east at the age of 14, firstly at Usworth colliery and then Washington Colliery. He was spotted by Hull City manager Billy McCracken while playing amateur football for Washington Colliery and signed for the Yorkshire club in 1927 at the age of 18. Starling was part of the Hull side which reached the FA Cup semi-final in the 1929-30 season, losing to Arsenal after a replay. Soon after the semi-final he moved back to his native North-East with a £4,000 move to Newcastle United. He was not part of Newcastle's 1932 FA Cup-winning side, and left that summer to join Sheffield Wednesday.
Starling was signed by Bob Brown for a £2,5000 fee but within a year Billy Walker was in charge. Walker made Starling club captain and played him in a central midfield role prompting him to produce the best football of his career. He played for The Owls for four-and-a-half years, and captained their 1935 FA Cup-winning team. In April 1933, he won his first England cap, playing as inside right in the 2-1 defeat by Scotland.[1]
For Wednesday he played a total of 176 league matches, scoring 31 goals, and played 17 FA Cup matches without scoring. In January 1937, he joined Aston Villa for £7,000. Starling was a prominent member of Villa's 1937-38 side which won promotion to Division One. During his time with Villa he made his second England appearance on April 17th 1937, also against Scotland, as inside left in the 3-1 defeat. He remained at Villa Park throughout World War II finally retiring in 1948, aged 39.[2]
After retiring as a player, he spent time as a coach with Nottingham Forest before retiring from football altogether, becoming a newsagent, with a shop near to Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough ground.
Sheffield Wednesday won the 1991 Football League Cup Final, Wednesday's first trophy since Ronnie Starling lifted the FA Cup in 1935. Starling was photographed for the Sheffield Star newspaper with the trophy and Wednesday players shortly before his death on 17th December 1991, aged 82.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Sheffield Wednesday, Illustrating The Greats", Michael Liversidge & Gary Mackender, Page 8 Gives biographical information.
- ^ www.englandstats.com. Gives England details.
- ^ Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database. Gives career details.
