Tony Richards (footballer, born 1934)
| 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
Nuneaton Borough and Dudley Town
.
Career
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
Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic he scored a penalty and then saved a penalty after an injury to his goalkeeper.[4]
He joined
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
| 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 | ||
- ^ 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
Walsall
- Football League Fourth Division: 1959–60
- Football League Third Division second-place promotion: 1960–61
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.