Ray was a big, bustling centre-forward who arrived from Derby County in November 1957 with a reputation for scoring goals. The previous season he had set a post war record for the Rams with 37 goals and manager Billy Frith saw him as the man to revive the club’s fortunes. Ray scored the goals, 14 in 23 games, but the quality of the side around him was poor and the club were to finish in the lower half of Division 3 South and thus become founder members of the new Division Four. Ray or “Toffee” as he was nicknamed because he was always chewing sweets, played a major part in the club’s mini renaissance over the next three years with his goals helping the club to promotion in 1959 and fifth place in Division Three the following season.

Ray had been an outstanding schoolboy footballer and played in the same county schoolboys side as future City team mates Peter Hill and Lol Harvey. He started playing for Ilkeston Town whilst working down the local coal mine and signed for Derby County in October 1951 and made his first team debut as an eighteen-year old in the final game of the 1951-52 season. He played 15 games the following season as the Rams were relegated from Division One and scored four goals. Over the next two years Ray’s appearances were restricted by his National Service and by the time he became a regular in December 1955 the Rams had been relegated to Division 3 North and former Coventry manager Harry Storer was in charge.

In 1958-59 Straw was in fabulous form. In one spell, after George Stewart joined from Accrington in November, Ray scored in eight successive League and Cup games, a post-war club record.  Two matches were special for Ray that season: against Aldershot in September when he scored a hat-trick in a 7-1 win; and against League leaders Port Vale in March, when he lashed home a stunning shot for the only goal of the game. City were promoted from Division Four and Ray bagged 27 goals in 44 games, even though he failed to score in his last nine games!

On the opening day of the following season against Mansfield he created history by becoming the first man (and probably the only man) to appear in all six divisions of the league, Divisions 1,2,3 and 4 plus the old third south and north. He celebrated by scoring a goal in the 2-0 win and went on to average a goal every other game as City came close to a second successive promotion. In 1960-61 City’s form slumped but Ray in his last season at Highfield Road still managed 20 goals and he remains the fifth highest goalscorer in the club’s history.

He signed for Mansfield in 1961 and played there for two seasons, helping them to promotion from Division Four in 1963. He finished his career at Lockheed Leamington in the Midland League.

After hanging up his boots he worked at a power station in Derbyshire and retired in 1994. His death in 2001 was a major shock to the family as he had been in such good health. He never smoked or drank and his only vice were his toffees that he chewed all his life.

Hat tricks (4)
1957-58
24 March 1957 v Walsall H, Division Three South
8 April 1957 v Shrewsbury Town H, Division Three South
1958-59
22 September 1958 v Aldershot H, Division Four
1959-60
4 April 1960 v Mansfield Town A, Division Three