 Ray went on to play 30 Second Division games for Manchester City in the 1896–97 season, and scored one goal in a 5–0 win at Walsall on 6 January.He made 22 appearances in the 1897–98 campaign, and scored a goal in a 1–1 draw with Manchester derby rivals Newton Heath at Bank Street on 16 October.He played 26 matches in the 1898–99 season, and scored one goal in a 5–0 victory over Loughborough at Hyde Road on 17 December, as City won promotion as champions of the Second Division.