Remembering Ringo

Incredibly, Tuesday 8th of January saw the 10th anniversary of the death of Glossop North End legend Chris Ringland.

Like many, former GNE Director Adrian Priestley will never forget the man nor the date.

'When we lost Chris Ringland in the January 2003 Turkish air crash, there was an atmosphere round the Club, normally associated with losing a close relative. The fact that Chris had moved on and was no longer playing for us was never mentioned once and I can vividly remember people being openly upset and devastated, in the weeks thereafter.

He played for Glossop between 1994 and 2000 and was probably one of the first names on Syd White’s teamsheet, every match. He epitomized team spirit, which won him accolades from players and fans alike, winning the Players Player of the season trophy twice and also the Supporters player trophy.

On the pitch, Chris was a colossus of a centre half. Commanding, committed and hard working, he was always a fans favourite and the scratting shed absolutely loved him. Off the pitch, he was quiet, softly spoken, mild mannered and polite and is one of those very few players I have seen in my time at Surrey Street, who I would have no hesitation in describing as a lovely man.

We were absolutely committed to remembering him in any way we could, so we named the old clubhouse ‘ The Chris Ringland Lounge’ in large blue letters above the door and arranged for a shirt to be framed, with one or two other bits and a plaque with a few poignant words. The shirt took a long time to find, as we wanted one that he had definitely worn, but eventually, in the bottom of an old discarded kit bag, there it was….in a corner of the boiler room. It was the number 5 shirt that had been worn by him many, many, times. It wasn’t in a good state and although the wife never knew him, she fully understood, repairing it the best she could and washing it umpteen times, to get it ready for framing.

We deliberated for an age as to what to put on the plaque, searching endlessly for something that would sum up our feelings for the player perfectly. I remember to this day being on the M62 when it came to me in a flash and instantly knew it was what we had been trying to say all along.

The plaque reads….. Vey simply…. “One of our own“   because he was!'

Ringo's framed shirt is on display in the clubhouse and Saturdays game with Alsager Town will be a great opportunity for supporters to remember the man and the service he gave to our club.