Profile

A solid left-half, Saunders struggled to secure a regular starting place for the Reds because of the form of wing-halves Phil Taylor and Bob Paisley.

An amateur with Hull City, Saunders signed professional forms for Liverpool in May 1948 as a 17 year-old.

However, it was another five years before he got his chance in the first-team, for the trip to Middlesbrough on February 7, 1953. After a dreadful run of eight defeats and three draws from the previous 11 league games, Liverpool won 3-2 at Ayresome Park and Roy played in 13 of the last 16 league fixtures as the club narrowly avoided relegation.

A year lster, the club finally did suffer the drop into Division Two, which coincided with the retirement of both Paisley and Taylor (whose combined total of half-back appearances for the club reached over 600),

As a result, Saunders became more of a regular in the side and was picked for the majority of league and cup matches for the next three seasons. But after making only five first-team appearances in 1957-58  - and one fewer the next season - he decided to move on to Swansea in March 1959.

Other clubs:
Hull City (amateur player), Swansea, Ammanford Town (amateur)