Ray Goddard

A Londoner who spent almost all his career in the capital, Ray Goddard was one of Orient’s longest-serving keepers and one of the most popular, which meant there was a lot of sympathy for him when John Jackson was signed, effectively as a replacement, in autumn 1973. Born in Fulham, he signed for the Cottagers as an apprentice, without making a first-team appearance, and in February 1967 moved to east London as an 18 year-old understudy to Ron Willis, who was only a year older. At that point Dick Graham’s team were almost bottom of the Third Division but a series of improved results meant being comfortably clear of relegation worries by the final game of the season, when Goddard was given a debut for a 2-1 win over Workington. Early in the following season he was made number one choice, which meant Willis moving on to Charlton and then Brentford, where he was unable to establish himself. So it was Steve Bowtell who had to content himself with just the occasional match as Goddard played 46 League and Cup games that season, 50 the next and was then instrumental in helping secure promotion to Division Two in 1969-70. Eight teams scored more goals than the O’s but nobody got near the defensive record of 36 conceded in 46 games, with Ray’s 22 clean sheets – plus two more in Cup games. The following season back at the higher level Orient struggled badly for goals – 29 was the worst in the division – and the defensive record saved them from immediate relegation. Ray kept another 15 clean sheets, including one run of six in succession that was unequalled for 53 years. He remained remarkably consistent in George Petchey’s first two seasons, missing only three League games and playing in the 1972 FA Cup quarter-final run. But in October 1973 the manager could not resist the chance to add to his large contingent of former Crystal Palace players by bringing in the redoubtable John Jackson. An injury to him still gave Goddard a part to play and he featured in the last nine games of that frustrating season, including the final three games, all drawn 1-1, when victory in one of them would have meant promotion. From the start of 1974-75 it was obvious that a fully fit Jackson would be wearing the jersey, so after playing one game on loan in Scotland for Morton, Ray ended up as reserve instead to another consistent south London keeper in Millwall’s Bryan King, who played every game. Only in 1975/76 when King left did he take over, and was ever-present in Gordon Jago’s Third Division promotion-winning team alongside former O’s team-mates Terry Brisley and Barrie Fairbrother. After more than 80 games he joined Football League newcomers Wimbledon, winning promotion from the Fourth Division, and in 1979 scored the winning penalty in a League Cup tie against the O’s at Plough Lane. He finished his career at non-League Wealdstone, then ran a bar in Spain, but in December 2007 died from a stroke at the shockingly young age of 58.