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'''Anthony Willis Richards''' (6 March 1934 – 4 March 2010) was an English [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Forward (association football)|forward]]. |
'''Anthony Willis Richards''' (6 March 1934 – 4 March 2010) was an English [[Association football|footballer]] who played as a [[Forward (association football)|forward]]. |
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Associated with [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] as a teenager, he joined [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]] in 1954. He became the [[List of Walsall F.C. seasons|club's top scorer]] for five successive seasons, firing the "Saddlers" to two successive |
Associated with [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] as a teenager, he joined [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]] in 1954. He became the [[List of Walsall F.C. seasons|club's top scorer]] for five successive seasons, firing the "Saddlers" to two successive [[Promotion and relegation|promotion]]s from the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]] into the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] in 1959–60 and 1960–61. After 185 goals in 334 league games for the club, he was sold on to [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] for £9,000 in March 1963. Twice becoming the [[List of Port Vale F.C. seasons|club's top scorer]], a series of injuries brought his career to a close, and he moved into [[Non-League football]] in May 1966 with [[Nuneaton Town F.C.|Nuneaton Borough]] and [[Dudley Town F.C.|Dudley Town]]. |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Richards was in the [[British Army|Army]] from 1952 to his demobbing in 1954, playing football (as captain) for the Battery and Regimental team whilst serving in [[Egypt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/nostalgia/Nostalgia-Letter-Outstanding-sportsman-ball/article-1532841-detail/article.html|title=Nostalgia Letter: Outstanding sportsman was always on the ball|date=21 November 2009|work=The Sentinel|access-date=6 December 2009}}</ref> |
Richards was in the [[British Army|Army]] from 1952 to his demobbing in 1954, playing football (as [[Captain (association football)|captain]]) for the Battery and Regimental team whilst serving in [[Egypt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/nostalgia/Nostalgia-Letter-Outstanding-sportsman-ball/article-1532841-detail/article.html|title=Nostalgia Letter: Outstanding sportsman was always on the ball|date=21 November 2009|work=The Sentinel|access-date=6 December 2009}}</ref> |
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Richards started his career with [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] |
Richards started his career with [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] but did not make a league appearance for the club before joining [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]] in 1954. Walsall finished 23rd in the 24 team [[Football League Third Division South|Third Division South]] in [[1954–55 Football League|1954–55]] under the stewardship of [[Frank Buckley (footballer)|Frank Buckley]], and were forced to apply for re-election. They rose to 20th in [[1955–56 Football League|1955–56]] under [[John Love (footballer)|John Love]], and then 15th in [[1956–57 Football League|1956–57]]. Richards came to prominence after [[Bill Moore (footballer born 1913)|Bill Moore]] was appointed [[Manager (association football)|manager]], and finished as the [[List of Walsall F.C. seasons|club's top scorer]] in [[1957–58 Football League|1957–58]] with 20 goals, as a 20th-place finish meant that Walsall became founder members of the [[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]]. He scored 28 goals in [[1958–59 Football League|1958–59]], as his team posted a sixth-place finish, two places and six points behind [[Promotion and relegation|promoted]] [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]]. His 26 goals in [[1959–60 Football League|1959–60]] helped to fire Walsall to the top of the table, a clear five points ahead of second place [[Notts County F.C.|Notts County]]. He was the highest goal scorer in the [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]] in [[1960–61 Football League|1960–61]] with 36 goals, as he fired the "Saddlers" to a second-successive promotion as runners-up, six points behind champions [[Bury F.C.|Bury]]. His 20 goals in [[1961–62 Football League|1961–62]] helped to secure the club's place in the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]. However, they were [[promotion and relegation|relegated]] in [[1962–63 Football League|1962–63]], as for the first time in six seasons, Richards was not the club's top goalscorer. In his nine years at [[Fellows Park]], Richards scored 185 goals in 334 league games and became the club's second-highest goal scorer.<ref name="rip">{{cite web |url=http://www.walsall.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=190809 |title=RIP Tony Richards |date=6 March 2010 |work=Vitalfootball |access-date=8 March 2010}}</ref> In one memorable game against [[A.F.C. Bournemouth|Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic]] he scored a [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalty]] and then saved a penalty after an injury to his goalkeeper.<ref>{{cite web |title=Emergency Measures {{!}} Outfield Players Who Went in Goal {{!}} Goalkeepers Are Different |url=http://www.goalkeepersaredifferent.com/keepers/outfield-players-in-goal.html |website=goalkeepersaredifferent.com |access-date=2 October 2019}}</ref> |
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He joined [[Freddie Steele (footballer)|Freddie Steele]]'s [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] for £9,000 in March 1963.<ref name="kent"/> Amazingly, with 13 goals in 14 games in the [[1962–63 Port Vale F.C. season|1962–63]] season he had become the [[List of Port Vale F.C. seasons|club's top scorer]] despite only playing for three months of the season.<ref name="kent"/> The [[1963–64 Port Vale F.C. season|following season]], with nine months to play in, a leg injury Richards suffered in September meant he was only able to re-create his previous season's record; scoring 13 goals in 34 games, once more becoming the club's top scorer.<ref name="kent"/> He hit a [[hat-trick]] against [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]] in a 4–1 win at [[Vale Park]] on 31 August 1963.<ref name="kent"/> However he began to be plagued by injuries at Vale, missing the start of the [[1964–65 Port Vale F.C. season|1964–65]] relegation season after suffering the effects of an insect bite.<ref name="kent"/> In September 1964 he sustained a [[cartilage]] injury that required surgery.<ref name="kent"/> He scored five goals in 20 appearances in [[1965–66 Port Vale F.C. season|1965–66]] |
He joined [[Freddie Steele (footballer)|Freddie Steele]]'s [[Port Vale F.C.|Port Vale]] for £9,000 in March 1963.<ref name="kent"/> Amazingly, with 13 goals in 14 games in the [[1962–63 Port Vale F.C. season|1962–63]] season, he had become the [[List of Port Vale F.C. seasons|club's top scorer]] despite only playing for three months of the season.<ref name="kent"/> The [[1963–64 Port Vale F.C. season|following season]], with nine months to play in, a leg injury Richards suffered in September meant he was only able to re-create his previous season's record; scoring 13 goals in 34 games, once more becoming the club's top scorer.<ref name="kent"/> He hit a [[hat-trick]] against [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]] in a 4–1 win at [[Vale Park]] on 31 August 1963.<ref name="kent"/> However, he began to be plagued by injuries at Vale, missing the start of the [[1964–65 Port Vale F.C. season|1964–65]] relegation season after suffering the effects of an insect bite.<ref name="kent"/> In September 1964 he sustained a [[cartilage]] injury that required surgery.<ref name="kent"/> He scored five goals in 20 appearances in [[1965–66 Port Vale F.C. season|1965–66]]. Still, he never really recovered after his operation and was given a [[Free transfer (association football)|free transfer]] by manager [[Jackie Mudie]] in May 1966.<ref name="kent"/> He finished his career with [[Non-League football|non-League]] clubs [[Nuneaton Town F.C.|Nuneaton Borough]] and [[Dudley Town F.C.|Dudley Town]].<ref name="kent">{{cite book |last=Kent |first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities |publisher=Witan Books |page=249 |year=1996 |isbn=0-9529152-0-0 }}</ref> |
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Before he died, Richards was appointed an Honorary Life President of Walsall |
Before he died, Richards was appointed an Honorary Life President of Walsall to mark his contribution to the club and his cult status amongst the club's fans.<ref name="rip"/> Richards died on 4 March 2010, two days before what would have been his 76th birthday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saddlers.co.uk/page/News/0,,10428~1985846,00.html|title=Club mourn Tony Richards|date=6 March 2010|work=Walsall FC official site|access-date=23 March 2010}}</ref> A minute's silence was held before Walsall's 2–2 draw with [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]] on 7 March as a tribute to Richards and [[Macclesfield Town F.C.|Macclesfield Town]] manager [[Keith Alexander (footballer)|Keith Alexander]], who had died on 3 March.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walsall.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=190856|title=Walsall 2-2 Millwall|date=7 March 2010|work=Vitalfootball|access-date=8 March 2010}}</ref> |
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==Career statistics== |
==Career statistics== |
Latest revision as of 22:49, 13 June 2024
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Anthony Willis Richards[1] | ||
Date of birth | 6 March 1934 | ||
Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
Date of death | 4 March 2010 | (aged 75)||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Youth career | |||
Birmingham City | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1951–1954 | Birmingham City | 0 | (0) |
1954–1963 | Walsall | 335 | (184) |
1963–1966 | Port Vale | 63 | (30) |
1966–1969 | Nuneaton Borough | 71 | (45) |
Dudley Town | |||
Total | 469+ | (259+) | |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Anthony Willis Richards (6 March 1934 – 4 March 2010) was an English footballer who played as a forward.
Associated with Birmingham City as a teenager, he joined Walsall in 1954. He became the club's top scorer for five successive seasons, firing the "Saddlers" to two successive promotions from the Fourth Division into the Second Division in 1959–60 and 1960–61. After 185 goals in 334 league games for the club, he was sold on to Port Vale for £9,000 in March 1963. Twice becoming the club's top scorer, a series of injuries brought his career to a close, and he moved into Non-League football in May 1966 with Nuneaton Borough and Dudley Town.
Career
[edit]Richards was in the Army from 1952 to his demobbing in 1954, playing football (as captain) for the Battery and Regimental team whilst serving in Egypt.[2]
Richards started his career with Birmingham City but did not make a league appearance for the club before joining Walsall in 1954. Walsall finished 23rd in the 24 team Third Division South in 1954–55 under the stewardship of Frank Buckley, and were forced to apply for re-election. They rose to 20th in 1955–56 under John Love, and then 15th in 1956–57. Richards came to prominence after Bill Moore was appointed manager, and finished as the club's top scorer in 1957–58 with 20 goals, as a 20th-place finish meant that Walsall became founder members of the Fourth Division. He scored 28 goals in 1958–59, as his team posted a sixth-place finish, two places and six points behind promoted Shrewsbury Town. His 26 goals in 1959–60 helped to fire Walsall to the top of the table, a clear five points ahead of second place Notts County. He was the highest goal scorer in the Third Division in 1960–61 with 36 goals, as he fired the "Saddlers" to a second-successive promotion as runners-up, six points behind champions Bury. His 20 goals in 1961–62 helped to secure the club's place in the Second Division. However, they were relegated in 1962–63, as for the first time in six seasons, Richards was not the club's top goalscorer. In his nine years at Fellows Park, Richards scored 185 goals in 334 league games and became the club's second-highest goal scorer.[3] In one memorable game against Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic he scored a penalty and then saved a penalty after an injury to his goalkeeper.[4]
He joined Freddie Steele's Port Vale for £9,000 in March 1963.[5] Amazingly, with 13 goals in 14 games in the 1962–63 season, he had become the club's top scorer despite only playing for three months of the season.[5] The following season, with nine months to play in, a leg injury Richards suffered in September meant he was only able to re-create his previous season's record; scoring 13 goals in 34 games, once more becoming the club's top scorer.[5] He hit a hat-trick against Bristol City in a 4–1 win at Vale Park on 31 August 1963.[5] However, he began to be plagued by injuries at Vale, missing the start of the 1964–65 relegation season after suffering the effects of an insect bite.[5] In September 1964 he sustained a cartilage injury that required surgery.[5] He scored five goals in 20 appearances in 1965–66. Still, he never really recovered after his operation and was given a free transfer by manager Jackie Mudie in May 1966.[5] He finished his career with non-League clubs Nuneaton Borough and Dudley Town.[5]
Before he died, Richards was appointed an Honorary Life President of Walsall to mark his contribution to the club and his cult status amongst the club's fans.[3] Richards died on 4 March 2010, two days before what would have been his 76th birthday.[6] A minute's silence was held before Walsall's 2–2 draw with Millwall on 7 March as a tribute to Richards and Macclesfield Town manager Keith Alexander, who had died on 3 March.[7]
Career statistics
[edit]Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Birmingham City | 1951–52 | Second Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Walsall | 1954–55 | Third Division South | 32 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 26 |
1955–56 | Third Division South | 35 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 17 | |
1956–57 | Third Division South | 36 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 17 | |
1957–58 | Third Division South | 41 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 20 | |
1958–59 | Fourth Division | 43 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 28 | |
1959–60 | Fourth Division | 46 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 26 | |
1960–61 | Third Division | 45 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 36 | |
1961–62 | Second Division | 36 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 2[a] | 1 | 42 | 20 | |
1962–63 | Second Division | 21 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 23 | 7 | |
Total | 335 | 184 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 355 | 197 | ||
Port Vale | 1962–63 | Third Division | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 13 |
1963–64 | Third Division | 30 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 13 | |
1964–65 | Third Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
1965–66 | Fourth Division | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 20 | 5 | |
Total | 63 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 69 | 31 | ||
Nuneaton Borough | 1966–67 | Southern League Premier Division | 35 | 29 | 9 | 7 | 19[b] | 18 | 63 | 54 |
1967–68 | Southern League Premier Division | 31 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 17[c] | 9 | 50 | 23 | |
1968–69 | Southern League Premier Division | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13[d] | 6 | 18 | 8 | |
Total | 71 | 45 | 11 | 7 | 49 | 33 | 131 | 85 | ||
Career total | 469 | 259 | 33 | 20 | 53 | 34 | 555 | 313 |
- ^ a b c Appearance(s) in Football League Cup
- ^ Five appearances and three goals in Southern League Cup, four appearances and four goals in Birmingham Senior Cup, ten appearances and eleven goals in Midland Floodlit Cup
- ^ Two appearances in Southern League Cup, twelve appearances and nine goals in Midland Floodlit Cup, two appearances in Camkin Cup
- ^ One appearance in Southern League Cup, two appearances and one goal in Birmingham Senior Cup, seven appearances and four goals in Midland Floodlit Cup, two appearances in East Anglian Cup, one appearance and one goal in Camkin Cup
Honours
[edit]Walsall
- Football League Fourth Division: 1959–60
- Football League Third Division second-place promotion: 1960–61
References
[edit]- ^ "Tony Richards". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Nostalgia Letter: Outstanding sportsman was always on the ball". The Sentinel. 21 November 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
- ^ a b "RIP Tony Richards". Vitalfootball. 6 March 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
- ^ "Emergency Measures | Outfield Players Who Went in Goal | Goalkeepers Are Different". goalkeepersaredifferent.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 249. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ "Club mourn Tony Richards". Walsall FC official site. 6 March 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ "Walsall 2-2 Millwall". Vitalfootball. 7 March 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
- ^ For Football League clubs: "Player search: Richards, AW (Tony)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
For Nuneaton Borough: Hobson, John, ed. (2020). "Statistics Log 1889–2020" (PDF). From Town To Town. Nuneaton Town Supporters Co-operative. pp. 142–150. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- 1934 births
- 2010 deaths
- Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands
- English men's footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- Birmingham City F.C. players
- Walsall F.C. players
- Port Vale F.C. players
- Nuneaton Borough F.C. players
- Dudley Town F.C. players
- English Football League players
- Southern Football League players
- Royal Artillery soldiers