John Ritson (born 6 September 1949) is an English-born former footballer, who played as a defender in the Football League in the 1960s and 1970s, most notably for Bolton Wanderers.[1]

John Ritson
Personal information
Full name John Ritson
Date of birth (1949-09-06) 6 September 1949 (age 74)
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Position(s) Full Back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1967?–1978? Bolton Wanderers 324 (9)
1978?–1980? Bury 41 (2)
1980?–1981? Southport 10 (1)
Total 375 (12)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He joined the club as an apprentice and made his league debut in the 1967-68 season. He went on to play 324 league matches for the club, and was a member of the promotion-winning team of 1977-78.

However, following a contractual dispute[2] he moved to Bury in the late 1970s and made over 40 league appearances for them, before moving into non-league football with Southport.[3] Ritson made 12 appearances for Southport in 1980/81.[4]

Following the end of his playing career, he ran a newsagents, and as of 2004 he was running his own builder's firm.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ "John Ritson". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  2. ^ a b Times - Caught in Time (subscription required)
  3. ^ Neil Brown Stats - Bury
  4. ^ "Southport FC Complete NL Player List" (PDF). Southport FC Stats. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.[permanent dead link]

External links edit