Ramsay joined Burslem Port Vale in April 1886 and played regular football until moving to Stoke in August 1888.
[3] He made his first-team debut on 8 September 1888, at wing-half for Stoke in a 2–0 defeat by West Bromwich Albion at the Victoria Ground.
[3] He scored a total of five goals in 26 appearances in 1889–90, having hit the net against Burnley and Old Westminsters.
[3] He then played for Newton Heath[1][4] and West Manchester, before joining Northwich Victoria in 1892.
He was a first-team player but was limited to 16 Second Division appearances in 1893–94 because his knee kept going out of joint, and he was released in May 1894.