Ray Clemence

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Skegness, Lincolnshire, Clemence played eight matches on trial for Notts County, but was ultimately not signed. He was spotted by Scunthorpe United whilst playing in a county-cup final at their Old Showground ground for his local youth club Skegness Cosmos. After starring in the Cosmos' 4-3 victory, Clemence was invited for formal trials with The Iron, which he duly passed. Clemence went on to sign professional terms for Scunthorpe on his 17th birthday, 5 August 1965, shortly before the start of Scunthorpe's 1965–66 Third Division campaign. Despite initially playing in the club's 'third team', Clemence's big break arrived later in his debut season – making his professional debut in a 1–1 draw at home to Swansea Town on 2 April 1966. Prior to this debut, Clemence remembers a key behind-the-scenes intervention from two Scunthorpe coaches: 'Jack Brownsword and Alan Bushby pulled me aside, gave me a pep talk and told me they thought I could play for England one day but "you've got to work at it"'. Clemence went on to make four appearances in total throughout his debut season, including earning his first professional clean sheet in a 1–0 victory away at Southend United. Having spent much of that season as understudy to the experienced former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa custodian Geoff Sidebottom, Clemence later cited Sidebottom as a crucial early mentor: 'I learned a lot from Geoff. He taught me how to look after myself because 'keepers were a lot less protected then.' During his time at the club, Clemence lived with Mrs Ruby Duce of King Edward Street in Scunthorpe; in the very same digs which would then immediately be occupied by his future England and Liverpool teammate Kevin Keegan following Clemence's departure to Liverpool. After being reintroduced to the side after they had lost their opening three games in all competitions, Clemence became Scunthorpe's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper in their following 1966–67 Third Division campaign, in which they finished a disappointing 18th. After manager and ex-Busby Babe Freddie Goodwin departed mid-season for the New York Generals in the nascent North American Soccer League, Clemence spent the latter half of his season under the guidance of caretaker player-manager Keith Burkinshaw, who would later also sign the player for Tottenham Hotspur. And despite Clemence himself worrying that a humili

In Their Own Story

The 1981 European Cup final in Paris marked the end of an era for Clemence. In a dour contest at the Parc des Princes, he kept Real Madrid at bay to secure a 1-0 victory, his last game for Liverpool after 665 appearances. The emergence of Bruce Grobbelaar had threatened his spot during an eleven-year run where he missed only six matches. Before leaving for Tottenham Hotspur in 1981 for £300,000, he had already secured three European Cups, five League titles, two UEFA Cups, and the FA Cup. His time at Spurs saw him win another UEFA Cup in 1984; though injured for the final against Anderlecht, he was on the bench when Tony Parks made history with two penalty saves. Clemence's career concluded after sustaining an Achilles tendon injury during an away match at Norwich in October 1987, forcing his retirement in 1988.

Reader's Guide

Clemence was signed by Liverpool manager Bill Shankly on 24 June 1967 from Scunthorpe United for a fee of £18,000. He made his debut and kept his first clean sheet in a League Cup third round tie at Anfield on 25 September 1968, Swansea Town were the visitors and were beaten 2–0. He was nurtured through the reserve side over the next two years, with the occasional senior appearance, until 1970, at which point he became the club's first choice goalkeeper. In 1971, Liverpool reached the FA Cup final, where Clemence played well but Arsenal scored twice in extra time to overcome Liverpool's lead and win the game 2–1. There would be joy for Clemence two seasons later in 1973, when Liverpool won both the League title and UEFA Cup, with Clemence saving a penalty from Jupp Heynckes in the final of the latter against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The penalty save meant that Liverpool took a 3–0 lead for the second leg, rather than 3–1. Gladbach went on to win 2–0 in the second leg; had Heynckes scored the penalty, then the tie would have finished 3–3 on aggregate and Gladbach would have won on the away goals rule. The 1973–74 season saw Liverpool claim yet more silverware, winning the FA Cup with a comprehensive 3–0 victory over Newcastle United. Liverpool won another League and UEFA Cup double in 1976 and then made a bid for a unique treble a year later. They achieved the first leg when they won the League title, but lost the FA Cup final 2–1 to rivals Manchester United. A few days later, Liverpool won the European Cup for the first time in Rome, defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1. In the second half, Clemence made a magnificent save against Uli Stielike when the score was 1–1. Liverpool retained the European Cup in 1978 with a narrow 1–0 win over Club Brugge at Wembley, but conceded their League title to Nottingham Forest, to whom they also lost in the League Cup final. In 1979 and 1980, Clemence kept goal as Liverpool clinched the League title in each season. The 1978–79 League success saw Clemence set a record that was never beaten under the two points for a win system, conceding only 16 goals in the 42 league matches (and just four at Anfield). This remarkable record remains for a 42-match season and endured until beaten in the 2004–05 season by Chelsea, who conceded 15 goals in the 38 League matches. In 1981, Liverpool won the League Cup, and for the third time

Did You Know?

• Clemence signed professional terms for Scunthorpe United on his 17th birthday, 5 August 1965.
• He was signed by Liverpool on 24 June 1967, when he was 18 years old (not on his 18th birthday).
• Clemence conceded only 16 goals in the 42 league matches of the 1978–79 season, a record for a 42-match season under the two points for a win system.
• He made over 1,100 career appearances, one of the very few players to do so.
• Clemence's last game for Liverpool was the 1981 European Cup final, a 1–0 win over Real Madrid.