506 Ron Young

Biography

Ronald “Ron” Young was born in Dunston on the south bank of the River Tyne, a mile or two west of Gateshead. He headed south to join Hull City’s apprentice scheme as a youngster and signed his first professional contract for the club in August 1963. The Tigers were blessed with a number of talented wide players thanks to the ambitious transfer policy led by manager Cliff Britton and Ron, who regularly impressed in City’s Reserves side, had to wait over a year for his first team debut. When it came he made a strong impression – replacing the injured Doug Clarke in October 1964, City won five and drew two in Ron’s first seven starts as centre forward Chris Chilton, who had been off form, roared back into action with twelve goals in those seven games including four on Young’s debut, a 7-0 demolition of Barnsley – Ron also joined in with the opening goal against Luton Town in October 1964. Whether Young’s presence alone was the catalyst for Chilton’s revival is hard to say, but a total coincidence seems unlikely.

Despite this fine start, the signing of Ken Wagstaff in November 1964 saw Billy Wilkinson nudged to the right wing and Ron Young nudged back to the Reserves. There he stayed for nearly two years as City swept aside all-comers to win the 1965/66 Division Three title and reach the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup. It wasn’t until September 1966, with City now competing in Division Two, that Ron reappeared in the first team, this time on the left wing replacing an injured Ian Butler. He made occasional starts on the wing throughout the 1966/67 season and scored his second City goal at Northampton Town in February 1967. At the start of the 1967/68 season he was a more prominent choice in the first team, starting seven of the first 15 senior fixtures and scoring in an October 1967 defeat of Plymouth Argyle. He dropped out of the first team a week after that goal and promptly scored seven goals for the Reserves in a November 1967 9-1 demolition of Gateshead – despite that fine performance Young started only two more games for the Tigers, scoring in both – a February 1968 League defeat at Middlesbrough squeezed between three FA Cup ties against the same opponent, and a May 1968 1-5 defeat at Charlton Athletic.

After spending the 1968/69 pre-season at Hull City, Young joined Division Three side Hartlepool United in September 1968 in return for a £4,000 fee, reuniting with former City coach Angus McLean who was now manager at the Victoria Ground. Dropping down a division and moving to the inside forward positions, Ron was able to command a regular start for the first time in his career and opened his goal account for Pools on his September 1968 debut against Watford. By Christmas Ron had scored six times in League and Cup, but he added only one further goal in the second half of the season as Pools were relegated to Division Four. He remained a first team regular for the next four seasons, scoring at least a handful of goals every season – indeed in the 1971/72 season he enjoyed his finest hour, netting twenty times in all senior competitions including an impressive run of fifteen goals in 21 starts between Christmas 1971 and April 1972. In the following season Ron’s form dipped and he dropped out of the side for the last three months – he left Hartlepool United in the 1973 close season having scored 46 goals in 199 senior appearances.

Young spent the 1973/74 season at Northern Premier League side South Shields, assisting the Tyneside club to the FA Trophy semi-final where they lost to Lancastrian side Morecambe. In the summer of 1974 South Shields made a controversial move to the Redheugh Park Stadium in Gateshead, rebranding as Gateshead United and jettisoning several players including Young. He signed for Northern Premier League rivals Bishop Auckland ahead of the 1974/75 season where he became captain while playing in midfield. Ron joined Northern League side Blyth Spartans ahead of the 1976/77 season and served the Northumbrian side until November 1977 when he signed for Northern League rivals side North Shields, a club he served for several seasons before spending two further years playing for Wearside League sides Seaham Colliery Welfare and Chester-le-Street. In December 1984 Ron was appointed manager and occasional player at Wearside League side Murton. He hung up his boots in the 1985 close season and led Murton for four years before resigning in February 1989.

After football Young lived in Hetton-le-Hole, the Sunderland coalfields town he had moved when he signed for Hartlepool United in 1968. He worked locally as a laboratory technician, played county league cricket for Murton and in 2014 was captain at Houghton-le-Spring Golf Club. In March 2026 he attended a Hull City legends event at the MKM Stadium prior to a Championshiop match against Sheffield Wednesday.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 31 August 1945, Dunston
Hull City First Game: 7 October 1964, Barnsley H (Division Three), 19 years, 37 days old
Hull City Final Game: 4 May 1968, Charlton Athletic A (Division Two), 22 years, 247 days old

Clubs

Hull City (1963-1968), Hartlepool United (1968-1973), South Shields (1973-1974), Bishop Auckland (1974-1976), Blyth Spartans (1976-1977), North Shields (1977-1982), Seaham Colliery Welfare (1982), Chester-le-Street (1982-1984), Murton (1984-1985)

Hull City Record

Career: 28 apps, 5 goals