Ray Crawford signed for Colchester United from non-league Kettering Town in 1970 for £3,000 and in his only season scored 24 goals from 45 appearances. Most notably, he scored two goals for Colchester United in a giant-killing 3-2 victory against Leeds United in the fifth round of the F.A. Cup in 1971.
Ray Crawford scores in the giant-killing of Leeds 1971
His scoring rate was exceptional, scoring 289 career goals in 476 football league appearances, including:
Portsmouth (1954-1958) 19 appearances 9 goals
Ipswich Town (1958-1963) 197 appearances 143 goals
Wolverhampton Wanderers (1963-1965) 57 appearances 39 goals
West Bromwich Albion (1965-1966) 14 appearances 6 goals
Ipswich Town (1965-1969) 123 appearances 61 goals
Charlton Athletic (1969-1970) 21 appearances 7 goals
Colchester United (1970-1971) 45 appearances 24 goals
His international career was surprisingly brief - only two caps against Northern Ireland in 1961 and Austria in 1962, with his solitary international goal scored in the latter match. He also represented the Football League.