A hard-tackling defender who had earlier been with Wolves and Chelsea, Ray Goddard played for Exeter City between 1949 and 1954 having joined the club from Plymouth Argyle for a £6,000 club record fee. He later managed Bideford before becoming a publican in Wolverhampton.

He signed professional forms when aged seventeen for Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 1938 but was to feature in only four league games before the outbreak of the Second World War. He joined the Royal Air Force and played for the Services representative team in India, as well as the R.A.F. Transport Command team. He moved to Chelsea in September 1946 where he scored once in 14 league games. In July 1948, Goddard signed for Plymouth Argyle and quickly established himself as a regular in the first team.

In December 1949, after he had appeared in 43 league games for Argyle and with Jack 'Jumbo Chisholm arriving at Home Park, he moved to St James' Park when Exeter City paid what was then a club record transfer fee of £6,000 to obtain his services. It was reported that he signed as City were also able to offer him and his wife a flat in Exeter in which to live. 

Making his Grecians debut, and immediately assuming the captaincy, against Watford at St James’ Park on Christmas Eve he played in every game thereafter apart from the last oHe  the season. Season 1952/53 proved to be his most productive in City's  colours as he played in 37 Third Division South matches.

Then, after being placed on the transfer list at his own request in December 1953, he was released in April 1954 to take over as player-manager of Bideford. He left Bideford in December 1954 to take a job with a transport company ahead of becoming a pub landlord in Wolverhampton from 1956 onwards.

Ray Goddard died in 1974.