Ron Springett is a former football goalkeeper and a member of the victorious 22-man England World Cup 1966 squad. Springett, born 22nd July 1935, played domestic football for Sheffield Wednesday and QPR and held the record as Sheffield Wednesday's most capped England international for some 26 years. Springett began his career at Third Division South team QPR before Wednesday had an offer of £10,000 accepted for his services. Springett played 384 times for Sheffield Wednesday before heading back to QPR aged 32 in 1967 in a deal which saw his brother Peter, also a goalkeeper, move in the other direction. A 'swap' deal. although regular in football today, was completely unheard of at the time. Springett was recently named as Sheffield Wednesday's greatest ever accolade, some accolade considering the quality of some of their subsequent goalkeepers including regular England International Chris Woods.

Ron Springett - England

Springett made his England debut against Northern Ireland in 1959 and was the first choice England keeper for the 1962 World Cup in Chile where England reached the quarter finals. Springett, like another senior player Ron Flowers, made his final England appearance in a friendly against Norway just before the 1966 World Cup. Springett was named in Alf Ramsey's final 22-man squad for the victorious 1966 World Cup, but found himself as a back up to Gordon Banks and was unused throughout the tournament. Springett was 31 at the time of the World Cup, and his move to QPR in 1967 signalled the end of his top flight career; and indeed his international prospects; it should be noted that Springett had fallen below Gordon Banks and Peter Bonetti in the pecking order, a situation which would only worsen with the the development of an emerging Peter Shilton. Springett was one of the 11 players to be awarded a World Cup winners medal at Downing Street on 10th June 2009 following a long running campaign led by the Football Association.