John Richards (footballer)

Football player infobox2
playername= John Richards


fullname = John Peter Richards
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1950|11|9
cityofbirth = Warrington
countryofbirth = England
height =
position = Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1969–1983
1982–1983
1983–1985
clubs = Wolverhampton Wanderers
→ Derby County (loan)
Marítimo
caps(goals) = 385 (144)
010 00(2)
00- 000(-)
nationalyears = 1972–1974
1973
1977
1978
nationalteam = England Under 23
England
England Under 21
England B
nationalcaps(goals) = 006 00(1)
001 00(0)
002 00(0)
003 00(0)

John Peter Richards (born November 9, 1950 in Warrington) is a former English international footballer, most associated with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Career

Richards signed for the Molineux club as a trainee in July 1967 and made his debut on February 28, 1970 in a 3-3 draw at West Bromwich Albion. He scored his first league goal for Wolves the following season against Huddersfield Town on September 19, 1970.

In 1971-72, "King John" came of age, scoring 13 league goals and helping Wolves become runners-up in the UEFA Cup. The following season he was even stronger, scoring 36 goals in total (his highest seasonal tally) and, in 1974, he scored the winning goal as the team beat Manchester City to win the League Cup. Richards was leading scorer for Wolves in six of the next seven seasons, culminating in winning a second League Cup medal in 1980 against Nottingham Forest.

During his time with the club, Richards became Wolves’ all-time leading scorer with 194 goals in total, a record that was subsequently bettered by Steve Bull in 1992. However, he still holds the club record for the most FA Cup goals, with 24.

Richards eventually left the club and moved to Portugal in 1983, following a loan spell with Derby County. He played two seasons for C.S. Marítimo, helping the side to promotion.

Richards' goal-scoring prowess was rewarded with a single England cap, against Northern Ireland on May 12 1973 at Goodison Park. The competition for international places was fierce, though, and the acknowledged talent England possessed in the form of Kevin Keegan, Martin Chivers and Allan Clarke ensured Richards became a "one cap wonder".

After retiring as a player, Richards went into local government. However he later returned to Wolves as managing director in 1994, a post he held until 2000. He currently works as company director of Pitchcare, a Wolverhampton-based online service for groundsmen.

References

cite book | last = Lloyd| first = Grahame| title = One Cap Wonders: The Ultimate Claim to Football Fame| format = Hardback| year = 2001 | publisher = Robson Books| id = ISBN 1-86105-415-7