Biography

Left sided defnder and midfielder Ray Daniel joined the Tigers in June 1986 as manager Brian Horton rebuilt his squad to equip it for the rigours of life in the Second Division – Horton leaned heavily on his ties with Luton Town and Watford, Ray was signed from the former. He started the first two league games of the 1986/87 season after impressing and scoring goals during pre-season warm-up games, but injury in late August meant that he missed much of the first season – Ray returned for two games just after Christmas then was absent again until the closing weeks of the season. Restored to fitness at the start of the 1987/88 season, Daniel was used on the left wing by Horton and he had his first proper run of first team games. After missing October and the first half of November through injury, Daniel returned to the first eleven in the left back role, deputising for the injured Pat Heard. He was used sparingly in the first three months of 1988 but was restored to City’s midfield when Horton was sacked in April 1988 and Tom Wilson took over as caretaker alongside Dennis Booth. Ray responded positively with goals in consecutive games against Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion.
The managerial reins were passed to Eddie Gray for the 1988/89 season and Ray was used as a utility player for the first four months of the season, filling in in a variety of positions. He scored his third and final goal for the Tigers in a December 1988 5-2 win over Brighton that was best known for Andy Payton’s golascoring exploits, but in the second half of the season he made only six starts and was released in the 1989 close season.
Raymond Christopher Daniel was born in Luton to parents that both hailed from the Caribbean island of St Lucia. He joined Luton Town’s youth team system as a teenager and signed his first professional contract in September 1982. He made his hatters’ debut in March 1983 in a First Division game aginst Sunderland, and over the next three seasons he made occasional appearances for David Pleat’s side. In September 1983 Ray joined Gillingham on a one month loan and made his Gills debut against Hull City, when he returned to Kenilworth Road he scored two First Division goals in a fortnight against Stoke City and Notts County. By the 1986 close season Daniel had made 32 first team appearances for Luton and scord four goals, plus five further appearances for Gillingham.
Ray signed for Cardiff City in August 1989, dropping down to the Third Division. In his first season at Ninian Park he played regularly at left back but suffered relegation to the Fourth Division. After starting the 1989/90 season at Cardiff Ray moved to Second Division side Portsmouth in November 1989 though it wasn’t until March 1990 that he was handed a regular first team start by manager Frank Burrows, who had just replaced the departed John Gregory. Danile missed much of the 1991/92 season but returned for the last two months of the season and was handed a midfield berth for the FA Cup Semi-Final against Liverpool at Villa Park in April 1991, which Pompey lost on penalties. Ray stayed with Portsmouth for another three years and was a first team regular throughout the 1992/93 season as the club reached the play-off semi-finals, only to lose to Leicester City. For the next two seasons he played more of a supporting role to the first team and by the time he left in the summer of 1995 he had made 122 senior appearances for Portsmouth and scored five goals.
Daniel joined League Division 2 side Walsall in August 1995 and played regularly in his first season but struggled in his second season. He left the Saddlers in 1987 having made 43 appearances, taking his career tally to 334 senior appearances and 13 goals across a 14 year career. He returned to live in the Humber area and played in the local non-league scene for several years, then after giving up playing he was appointed first team manager at Hall Road Rangers for the 2004/05 season.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 10 December 1964, Luton
Hull City First Game: 23 August 1986, West Bromwich Albion H (Division Two), 21 years, 256 days old
Hull City Final Game: 13 May 1989, West Bromwich Albion H (Division Two), 24 years, 154 days old
Clubs
Luton Town (1982-1986), Gillingham (1983, loan), Hull City (1986-1989), Cardiff City (1989-1990), Portsmouth (1990-1995), Notts County (1994, loan), Walsall (1995-1997), Brigg Town (1997-1999), North Ferriby United, Hall Road Rangers
Hull City Record
Career: 61 apps, 3 goals
Ray DanielSeason | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986/87 | 9 (0) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1987/88 | 23 (3) | 2 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | - | - | 0 (1) | 0 |
1988/89 | 23 (0) | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |