Lewis Richards (footballer, born 2001)

Lewis Richards

Personal information
Full name	Lewis Paul Jimmy Richards [1]
Date of birth	(2001-10-15) 15 October 2001 (age 23)
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) [2]
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Bradford City
Number	3
Youth career
0000–2016	Brentford
2016–2021	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2021–2023	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	(0)
2022	→ Harrogate Town (loan)	8	(0)
2022–2023	→ Harrogate Town (loan)	9	(0)
2023–	Bradford City	45	(2)
International career
2019	Republic of Ireland U19	3	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:52, 25 January 2025 (UTC)

Lewis Paul Jimmy Richards (born 15 October 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League Two club Bradford City. Born in England, he represents Ireland at youth level.

Career

Richards began his career in the Brentford Academy, before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers after the closure of the academy in 2016. ^[3]

On 13 January 2022, Richards joined League Two club Harrogate Town on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season, ^{[4] [5]} playing his first game for the club on 22 January in a 3–0 home win against Oldham Athletic, where he was substituted in the 82nd minute for Nathan Sheron. ^[6]

He returned to Harrogate in July 2022 for a second loan spell. ^{[7] [8]} This was cut short in January 2023 when Richards sustained an ankle injury which ruled him out for four months and he returned to his parent club. ^[9]

On 18 August 2023, Richards signed for Bradford City, joining on an initial two-year contract. ^{[10] [11]} His debut came on 19 August 2023 in a 3–0 away defeat at Morecambe; after the match, he said the players had let the fans down. ^[12] Richards suffered an injury during a match on 26 December 2023, and was ruled out for a few weeks. ^[13] After returning to first-team action, he was injured again in February 2024. ^[14]

In September 2024, in his first league start of the 2024–25 season, Richards suffered an injury. ^[15] He suffered a further injury in November 2024. ^{[16] [17]}

Style of play

As of November 2024, Richards was primarily playing for Bradford City as a left wing back, ^[18] having also played in the centre of defence. ^[19] Bradford City manager Graham Alexander said Richards needed confidence in his new role as a wing back. ^[20]

Career statistics

As of match played on 25 January 2025 ^[1]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Wolverhampton Wanderers	2019–20	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	4 [a]	0	4	0
	2020–21	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	3 [a]	0	3	0
	2021–22	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	2 [a]	0	2	0
	2022–23	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	9	0	9	0
Harrogate Town (loan)	2021–22	League Two	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
Harrogate Town (loan)	2022–23	League Two	9	0	0	0	1	0	3 [a]	0	13	0
Bradford City	2023–24 [21]	League Two	26	0	0	0	0	0	4 [a]	1	30	1
	2024–25 [22]	League Two	19	2	1	0	1	0	4 [a]	0	25	2
	Total		45	2	1	0	1	0	8	1	55	3
Career total			62	2	1	0	2	0	20	1	85	3

1. Appearances in EFL Trophy

References

1. Lewis Richards at Soccerway. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
2. Lewis Richards at WorldFootball.net
3. "Richards has a bright future – Sellars". ClubCall.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
4. "Wolves youngster Lewis Richards joins on loan". 13 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022– via www.harrowgatetownafc.com.
5. "Lewis Richards: HarrogateTown sign Wolves defender on loan". 14 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022– via www.bbc.co.uk.
6. "HarrogateTown 3-0 Oldham Athletic". 22 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022– via www.bbc.co.uk.
7. "Harrogate sign defender Richards on season loan" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
8. Rayner, Stuart (8 July 2022). "Harrogate Town hoping to give Lewis Richards the full season he needs as Wolves youngster returns for another loan". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
9. "Lewis Richards returns to Wolverhampton Wanderers from Harrogate Town following ankle injury". Harrogate Advertiser. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
10. "Bantams bring in Wolves defender Richards". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
11. "Bantams snap up Wolves defender Richards - and he can play tomorrow". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 18 August 2023.
12. "Lewis Richards interview: 'You feel like you've let the fans down'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 22 August 2023.
13. "Bantams boss gives update on Lewis Richards and praises replacement". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 5 January 2024.
14. "Bantams boss gives update on Wright, Walker and Richards". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 15 February 2024.
15. "Bradford City injury update on Jamie Walker, Lewis Richards and Joe Adams". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 23 September 2024.
16. "'Bang, bang, bang': Richards adds to Bradford City casualty list". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 18 November 2024.
17. "City defender "determined to be back involved" for Saturday". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 27 November 2024.
18. "Richards set for City run as waving goodbye to Wolves looks increasingly smart". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 8 November 2024.
19. "Graham Alexander praises Bradford City professionalism as reshuffled defence does its job and Andy Cook does the rest". Yorkshire Post. 12 October 2024.
20. "'Believe in yourself': Richards backed to impress as City wing-back". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 17 December 2024.
21. "Games played by Lewis Richards in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
22. "Games played by Lewis Richards in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2024.