Ernie Moss

Ernest Moss (19 October 1949 – 11 July 2021) was an English footballer, most associated with his home town club, Chesterfield, where in three separate spells he made 539 appearances, scoring a club record 192 goals. He was later voted PFA Fans' Favourites and cult hero number one by the club's supporters. His total of 749 league appearances puts him in the top 25 all-time list for Football League appearances.

With Chesterfield he won the Fourth Division title in 1969–70 and 1984–85. He was also promoted out of the fourth tier with Port Vale in 1982–83 and with Doncaster Rovers in 1983–84. He also won the Third Division title with Mansfield Town in 1976–77 and finished second in the Conference with Kettering Town in 1988–89. In addition to these achievements, he was also voted Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year in 1982. Other Football League clubs he played for include Peterborough United, Lincoln City, Stockport County, Scarborough, and Rochdale. He also turned out for non-League sides Matlock Town and Shepshed Charterhouse.

He later embarked on a 15-year career as a manager at the non-League level of the English football pyramid, taking charge at Gainsborough Trinity, Leek Town, Matlock Town, Hucknall Town, and Belper Town. He led Gainsborough to a Northern Premier League Challenge Cup and Peter Swales Shield double in 1997, as well as a further Challenge Cup final appearance in 1998. He also won promotion out of the Northern Premier League First Division with Matlock Town in 2003–04. He also worked as Peter Morris's assistant at Boston United and Kettering Town.

Playing career Chesterfield Moss worked as a clerk in the Derbyshire County Council education offices in Matlock at the time of his joining his hometown club Chesterfield, in April 1967, from the local Tube Works side. McGrath had already signed his replacement in Jim Steel and was keen to offload Moss.

Later career His time at Sincil Bank was brief, and he finished the 1983–84 season with Doncaster Rovers, as Rovers were promoted from the Fourth Division as runners-up under the management of Billy Bremner. In 1984, Moss signed with Chesterfield for a third time, now under the leadership of John Duncan. He won promotion from the fourth tier for the fourth time, and Chesterfield came up as champions in his first season back at Saltergate. The 1985–86 season was one of consolidation for Chesterfield, and his goals helped greatly. The Saltergate faithful were therefore taken by surprise when he was sold to Fourth Division Stockport County in December 1986, along with Phil Brown, for a combined fee of £10,000.

McGuigan worked hard to rectify this aspect of Moss' game, and his hard work paid off; the youngster soon formed a deadly partnership with Kevin Randall.

Moss claimed that "For me competing was all about the pride and dignity of honest endeavour, and winning wasn't all about riches and rewards, it was about preserving one's sporting integrity, it was about honour."

None of his goals came from penalty kicks.

He took the reins at Northern Premier League First Division club Matlock Town in 2001 and took the club to a 14th-place finish in 2001–02. He took the "Gladiators" to eighth place in 2002–03, finishing three points off the play-offs. Promotion was achieved in 2003–04, as a second-place finish was enough to take the club in the Premier Division. He was appointed manager at Conference North club Hucknall Town in 2004 but lost his job after just three months.

Personal life He married his wife Jenny, a nurse, in 1971. On 11 January 2015, Chesterfield declared their home match with Port Vale as "Ernie Moss Day", where money was raised for dementia charities. On 25 April 2017, a road adjacent to the Proact Stadium was named Ernie Moss Way in his honour. A second "Ernie Moss Day" was celebrated when Port Vale played at Chesterfield on 19 August 2017. At this match, a mosaic portrait of Moss by artist Rob Lally was unveiled in the Proact Stadium foyer. He contracted Coronavirus disease 2019 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and had beaten the disease by the end of May 2020. Moss died on 11 July 2021, aged 71.

Career statistics

Honours As a player Individual Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year: 1982 PFA Fans' Favourites player (Chesterfield): 2007

Chesterfield Football League Fourth Division: 1969–70 & 1984–85 Anglo-Scottish Cup: 1980–81

Mansfield Town Football League Third Division : 1976–77

Port Vale Football League Fourth Division third-place promotion: 1982–83

Doncaster Rovers Football League Fourth Division second-place promotion: 1983–84 As a manager Gainsborough Trinity Northern Premier League Challenge Cup: 1997 Peter Swales Shield: 1997 Northern Premier League Challenge Cup runner-up: 1998

Matlock Town Northern Premier League First Division second-place promotion: 2003–04