Alfred Ringstead (14 October 1927 – 15 January 2000) was a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played in the position of

outside right Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

for

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games a ...

between 1950 and 1959. He was the son of jockey Charlie Ringstead. As a 14-year-old, Ringstead played his football for Everton junior teams where he received a wage of just three shillings and sixpence. The

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral ...

club showed little interest in keeping him and he returned home without any encouragement. After serving in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, Alf returned to play for Ellesmere Port Town while working as an

upholsterer Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English word ...

. In 1950, Alf joined

non-league Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is s ...

Northwich Victoria {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

in the Cheshire League, and after little more than a handful of games, he had scored eleven goals, and it was while he was with them that he was spotted by Sheffield United. He was watched by

United United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

in a match at

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Teddy Davison John Edward Davison (2 September 1887 – 1 February 1971) was an English footballer and manager who had a long and successful association with the football clubs of Sheffield, playing for Sheffield Wednesday for 18 years and later managing Shef ...

in November 1950, in a double transfer along with fellow winger Derek Hawksworth, for a total outlay of £15,000, with Hawksworth joining two weeks later. After two appearances in the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently cons ...

side, Ringstead made his first team league debut against

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall family of file and graver manufacturers. ...

on 2 December 1950, scoring with a flying header and, scored in the following two games in Division Two. He was fast, penetrative, determined, eager to take on an opponent, and shared these characteristics with the ability to shoot and centre with power and accuracy with both feet. He was a good header of the ball, but it was his sense of anticipation for being in the right place at the right time, that brought him so many goals. He made his debut for the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park ( Irish: ''Páirc Cnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known ...

, Dublin, on 13 May 1951, and had such a good game that he won a regular place in the side, building up to a total of 20 international

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. Ringstead played a significant part in Sheffield United's 7-3 defeat of

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

in the

Steel City derby The Steel City Derby (also known as the Sheffield Derby) is a local derby that takes place between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, the two professional football league teams based in the city of Sheffield, England. It is widely consi ...

at Bramall Lane on 8 September 1951, scoring two of the goals in the famous victory. In total, he played 247

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matches for the Blades and scoring 101 goals, in his eight years at Bramall Lane. Soon after scoring his 101st League goal for Sheffield United, Alf was transferred to

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and y ...

in July 1959. He played 27 matches scoring three goals for

the Stags Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ye ...

. He then played for non-league

Frickley Colliery Frickley & South Elmsall Colliery was opened by the Carlton Main Colliery Company Ltd in 1903 in South Elmsall, in Yorkshire, England. Frickley & South Elmsall Colliery The first sod was cut on 23 April 1903 of shafts No.1 and No.2 and the ...

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and ...

References

Bibliography

*Clarebrough, Denis (1989). ''Sheffield United F.C., The First 100 years''. Sheffield United Football Club. . *Young, Percy A. (1962). ''Football in Sheffield''. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. . * A to Z Encyclopedia, Sheffield United Match Day Programme, 22 March 1986. * They Played at the Lane, Sheffield United Match Day Programme, 17 September 1988. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ringstead, Alf 1927 births 2000 deaths Association footballers from County Dublin Republic of Ireland association footballers Ireland (FAI) international footballers Republic of Ireland international footballers Sheffield United F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Ellesmere Port Town F.C. players Frickley Athletic F.C. players English Football League players Association football wingers Northwich Victoria F.C. players 20th-century British Army personnel