Ray Ilott

Personal Details Date of Birth: 1948 Place of Birth: London, England Height: Position: Striker Club Summary Club Games Goals Letyon Orient 0 0 Walthamstow Avenue ? ? Cheshunt ? ? Ascot (1970-1976) ? ? Rockingham (1977) ? ? Floreat Athena (1978-1979) ? ? Forrestfield United (1979-1983) ? ? Balga (1984-1985) ? ? Wanneroo (1986) ? ? Total International Summary Games Goals Australia 'A' (1975) 4 0 Australia 'B' (1976) 1 0

Career Brief

Ilott gained representative honours with Middlesex Schoolboys and was on the books of then English Division Two side Leyton Orient by the time he was 15. He represented Essex County Boys and played for non-League clubs Walthamstow Avenue and Cheshunt before emigrating to Western Australia in 1970. Upon arriving in Perth he joined Ascot and, over the course of the seven seasons that followed, became a key figure in the most successful period of that clubs history.

Little over twelve months after arriving in WA Ilott represented the State in the February 1971 friendly with touring Czech side VSS Kosice. A few months later he scored in all three games for the State at the Anniversary Cup in Indonesia, and in the next couple of years produced eye-catching displays against Moscow Dynamo, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stoke City, Bournemouth and Aberdeen, against who he scored with a memorable flying header.

By now established as one of the local scenes most accomplished players, Ilott guided Ascot to the 1974 Night Series and First Division championship. It also was a season of personal triumph for the attacker, who was presented with the Gold Medal as the league's best and fairest player. The following year his goal earned WA a draw with Middlesbrough, however, the highlight of Ilott's 34 State team appearances was his winning strike in the historic June 1975 win over Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers.

In November 1975 Ilott was called up to play for Australia in the six-game friendly series with the USSR. His Socceroos debut arrived in the opening match of that tour - a scoreless draw in Perth - with Ilott going on to wear the green and gold at 'A' level on three further occasions. In the weeks after helping WA win the 1976 Marah Halim Cup in Indonesia, he represented the State against Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland.

Ilott joined Rockingham for the 1977 season and played with Floreat Athena the following year before returning to the familiar surrounds of Forrestfield United (as Ascot had become known). In 1980 he took on the added responsibility of player/coach and the following year steered Forrestfield to victory in the Top Four Cup. Ilott began a three-season spell at Balga in 1983 after which he turned out for Wanneroo before calling time on a fourteen-year playing career in Western Australia.

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This page was last updated on the 1st June 2010.