Ray McCoy

Name: Raymond K. McCoy

Born: 22 March 1964, Cookstown

Height: 5.06 ft

Weight: 10.06 st

Position: Winger

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1987), 1 Under-21 Cap (1990); Irish League: 4 Caps (1986-1990).

Club Honours: (with Coleraine) Irish Cup Runner-Up 1985/86; Irish League Cup Winner 1987/88; Ulster Cup Winner 1986/87; North-West Senior Cup Winner; (with Glenavon) Irish Cup Winner 1991/92, 1996/97, Runner-Up 1990/91, 1995/96, 1997/98; Gold Cup Winner 1990/91; Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1990/91, 1995/96; Irish League Floodlit Cup Winner 1996/97; Mid-Ulster Cup Winner 1990/91.

Awards: Ulster Footballer of the Year 1987; NI PFA Player of the Year 1987; Ulster Young Footballer of the Year 1983; NI PFA Most Promising Newcomer 1983.

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	Europe	Other
Cookstown United	-	-	Youth	-	-	-
Coleraine	80/81-89/90	-	Youth	180 (5)/ 77	6(0)/0	/44
Gisborne City	1990	Jul-90	-	(New Zealand)	-	-
Coleraine	90/91	Sep-90	-	0 (0)/  0	-	-
Glenavon	90/91-98/99	Nov-90	£32,000	115(33)/ 33	2(2)/0	83(18)/29
Dundalk	97/98	Oct-97	Loan	8 (3)/  1	-	-
Bangor	98/99	Sep-98	Free	23 (3)/  0	-	7(1)/ 1
TOTALS		£-		326(44)/111	8(2)/0	/74

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Biography:

A milkman by day, at the weekends Ray McCoy was showing himself to be one of the most gifted players in Northern Ireland. Having played with hometown club, Cookstown United from an early age, McCoy signed with Coleraine at the age of thirteen. At eighteen he marked his appearance on the Irish League scene with twenty-two goals (the club’s topscorer) and a Young Player of the Year Award double. At a very young age his skills and goalscoring talent were attracting cross-channel attentions.

Over the following few seasons McCoy featured regularly in the goalscoring charts, culminating in a stunning 1986/87 campaign when he finished equal topscorer in the Irish League, claimed an Ulster Cup winner’s medal, and won another Awards “Double”. Billy Bingham also began to take notice, calling McCoy into the international set-up, and awarding him his first cap, as a 67th minute substitute for Dave McCreery in a European Championship qualifier with Yugoslavia in Belfast. Thereafter McCoy struggled with injuries for a few seasons and dropped out of the international reckoning, though he maintained an admirable goalscoring rate.

In March 1990, with a clear-run free of injuries, McCoy was recalled to the Northern Ireland squad as a late replacement for Robbie Dennison. Although he didn’t make it off the bench for that match, he was clearly back in Bingham’s plans, and the following week was included as an over-age player for an Under-21 match against Israel. He played the full 88 minutes of that match (the floodlights having failed just prior to the final whistle) as Northern Ireland won 2-1 thanks to goals from Iain Dowie and Paul Gray.

After a spending the summer of 1990 playing with Gisborne City in New Zeland, McCoy returned briefly to Coleraine before an Irish League record £32,000 transfer to Glenavon. He made his debut for the Lurgan Blues in a 3-2 defeat by Distillery on 17th November, and the following week netted his first goal for the club, in another 3-2 defeat, this time to Bangor. From then on things picked up, Glenavon finishing fourth in the League and claiming the Gold Cup, Co. Antrim Shield and Mid-Ulster Cup by the end of the season. In near a eight years at Mourneview, McCoy played over 250 matches, and scored over sixty goals and played in five Irish Cup Finals, before moving to Bangor in September 1998.

McCoy hung-up his boots at the close the 1998/99 season, going on to become assistant-manager to Alfie Wylie at Newry Town and coach back at Glenavon under Colin Malone.

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Northern Ireland Cap Details:

29-04-1987 Yugoslavia H L 1-2 ECQ sub

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Summary: 0(1)/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:

03-04-1990 Israel.... H W 2-1 FR

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Summary: 1/0. Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 0.