| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1932-05-26)26 May 1932 | ||
| Place of birth | Epsom, Surrey, England | ||
| Date of death | April 1993 (aged 60) | ||
| Place of death | South Africa | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | |||
| Crystal Palace | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1949–1956 | Crystal Palace | 118 | (0) |
| 1956–1965 | Ipswich Town | 315 | (0) |
| Total | 433 | (0) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1 | Cape Town City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roy Bailey (26 May 1932 – April 1993) was an English professionalfootballer who played as agoalkeeper. He made a total of 433Football League appearances forCrystal Palace andIpswich Town.
Bailey was born inEpsom, Surrey, the fifth child in a family of thirteen. DuringWorld War II, he was evacuated toSomerset, and was educated inWeston-super-Mare, before returning to his nativeSurrey at the age of 15. He played forTottenham Juniors; however, it was a long way to travel from Epsom to North London, so he joined nearbyCrystal Palace as an Amateur. During hisNational Service, he served in Germany, where he represented B.A.O.R., also reaching the quarter finals of theArmy Cup.
Bailey signed professional terms in June 1949[1] and made his League debut againstTorquay United at the age of 17 when Palace lost 3–1. However, he did not make regular appearances until after his Army service. Bailey missed only one match in the 1953–54 season and was granted a benefit, along withJack Edwards in 1954.[1]
He was signed forIpswich Town, byAlf Ramsey,[1] on the day before the transfer deadline in March 1956, and came into the League side in the Easterlocal derby match withNorwich City at Carrow Road. He conceded two goals in the first three minutes. Despite this start, he soon displacedGeorge McMillan as the Town's regular'keeper, and won Championship medals in the First, Second, and Third Divisions of the Football League. He became a qualified M.C.C. coach and F.A. coach.
During the summer, he played cricket for Ipswich and East Suffolk, one of the leading clubs in Suffolk, for whom he kept wicket. He also ran the Ipswich footballers' darts team, which played weekly matches against local clubs.
His son,Gary Bailey, was a goalkeeper forManchester United and helped them win twoFA Cups in the 1980s, and was also capped twice byEngland, before retiring due to injury in 1987.
Roy Bailey,Larry Carberry,John Elsworthy,Ted Phillips, andJimmy Leadbetter became the first players to have won First (nowPremier League), Second (nowFootball League Championship), and Third Division (nowFootball League One) Championship medals with the same club; a feat that is only equaled by Leicester City'sAndy King in 2015–16 season afterLeicester City F.C. won the Premier League, having also previously won League One, and Championship with Leicester. In South Africa he coachedCape Town City.[2]
He moved to South Africa in 1964 on retiring as a player, and lived there until he died in April 1993 at the age of 60.
Individual