Ray Kitchener
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| Ray Kitchener | |
| |
| Full Name | Ray A Kitchener |
| Date of Birth | 31 October 1930 |
| Place of Birth | Letchworth, England |
| Position | Left winger |
| Chelsea career | 1954-1956 |
| Debut | 11 February 1956 |
| Games (goals) | 1 (0) |
| Other clubs | Hitchen Town Norwich City |
Ray Kitchener (31 October 1930 – June 2013) was a winger who made one appearance for Chelsea in 1955, having joined from Hitchin Town the previous year.
Contents |
Before Chelsea
Born in Letchworth Garden City, Kitchener started his career at Letchworth Boys Club, before joining Hitchen Town and going on to make his debut in 1952; scoring twice in a win against Wolverton in the FA Cup. He helped his side to a second-place finish in the Athenian League during his time at the club and in 1953-54 Hitchin reached the quarter-finals of the FA Amateur Cup, but the young winger was injured for the match and therefore spared a crushing 10-1 defeat against Crook. Kitchener's performances had caught the eye of Chelsea scouts, and though he was initially reluctant to become professional (and therefore losing out on what was a realistic prospect of representing England at amateur level), he later accepted an invitation from Ted Drake to join Chelsea's post-season tour of North America and subsequently signed for the Blues. [1]
Chelsea career
Kitchener saw his club win the league title for the first time in their history in the 1954-55 season. Though he didn't appear for the first team over the course of the campaign he appeared regularly for the reserves, earning a winner's medal as his side won the Football Combination. His only first team appearance for the Blues came the following season, in a 2-2 away draw against Manchester City.
After Chelsea
Kitchener left to join Norwich City in 1957 and later played in the Eastern Counties League. He died in 2013 at the age of 82 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. [2]
Statistics
| Season | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 1955-56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
