Sad to hear. He was one of our goalkeepers when I started going.
Tributes have been paid to former Manchester City goalkeeper Ron Healey, who has died aged 65 after collapsing on a cycle ride.
Ron, from Wilmslow, played for the Blues 38 times during the early 1970s before going on to make a name for himself at Cardiff City, for whom he played more than 200 times.
He was also capped twice by the Republic of Ireland, playing against England at Wembley for one of those games.
Born and raised in Wythenshawe, he always supported City and continued to attend games at the Etihad stadium.
After his playing career, he worked at Manchester Airport and then for British Steel before becoming a prison officer at HMP Styal, where he spent more than 12 years.
He also set up a successful football coaching business, Just 4 Keepers, with his son Scott.
Ron collapsed during a cycle ride with a friend through Altrincham on Monday.
An air ambulance was scrambled and he was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital but efforts to resuscitate him failed.
Ron Healey
Credit: MEN syndication
City fans paid tribute to ‘an excellent keeper’ in online message boards.
His son Scott, 48, from Audenshaw , said: “He was very highly regarded and highly rated at Man City but he was only 18 when he made his debut. He was the number two to Joe Corrigan. He was very well rated there but Joe was very well established and Ron ended up moving on.”
He became a fixture at Cardiff City, making more than 200 appearances, before a pelvic injury cut short his playing career aged 30.
Scott went on: “He was out cycling with a friend. He loved his golf and got into cycling in the summer. He was out with a friend. He had a little bit of heart trouble previously and had heart bypass surgery a few years ago although his health was still pretty good after that, so this has come as a bit of a shock. He was always pretty active.”
Ron set up his coaching business with son about 19 years ago and Scott still runs it.
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