Club Historian Ron Parrott has brought us the sad news of the passing of ex-Hereford United player Ralph Oliver. He arrived in Hereford as part of Joe Wade’s rebuilding of the club in 1959 and to his credit, he served the club and the local community in many capacities and remained in the Hereford area until his final days, when he passed away peacefully, aged 90. Ron’s pen-pic for Ralph that describes his career in detail is also reproduced below:-
Appearances: 156 (156+0 sub.) Goals: 2
Seasons played: 1959/60 to 1963/64
Born Tredegar 30th March 1934, died Hereford 10th May 2024
Ralph was offered trials with Shrewsbury Town in the summer of 1955 and impressed sufficiently to be offered a professional contract in August 1955. He made his Football League debut in a 1-1 draw at Brentford in mid-March 1956 and went on to record a total of seven first-team games for the Shrews before being released in May 1959.
Ralph was then signed by Hereford United's player-manager Joe Wade to add some experience to his midfield. Ralph was a stylish wing-half who read a game remarkably well and always seemed to time his tackles to perfection. Ralph served the club for five years and went on to record 156 first-team appearances.
After leaving Edgar Street, Ralph went on to manage Abergavenny Thursdays before returning to Hereford and managing Hereford League side Hinton. Ralph also worked for local company Painter Bros. but before retirement, Ralph also spent a couple of seasons with Llandrindod Wells as their player-manager in the Mid-Wales League.