Simon Richman

Simon Richman

Personal information
Full name	Simon Andrew Richman [1]
Date of birth	(1990-06-02) 2 June 1990 (age 33)
Place of birth	Ormskirk, England
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) [2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
2000–2006	Bolton Wanderers
2006–2008	Port Vale
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2010	Port Vale	48	(5)
2010–2011	Worcester City	37	(4)
2011–2021	Altrincham	314	(21)
2021–2023	Bradford (Park Avenue)	70	(7)
Medal record Representing   Great Britain Football Universiade 2013 Kazan Football
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:42, 23 November 2023 (UTC)

Simon Andrew Richman (born 2 June 1990) is an English semi-professional footballer who last played for Northern Premier League Premier Division club Bradford (Park Avenue) as a midfielder.

A former youth team player with Port Vale, he was a regular in the first-team throughout the 2008–09 season, picking up the club's young Player of the Year award. He was released in the summer of 2010, at which point he joined Worcester City for a season. He signed with Altrincham in June 2011, and helped the club to win promotion out of the Conference North via the play-offs in 2014 and to win the Northern Premier League Premier Division title in 2017–18 and the National League North play-offs again in 2020. After ten years with Altrincham, he joined Bradford (Park Avenue) in October 2021.

Career

Port Vale

Born in Ormskirk, Lancashire, Richman attended Maricourt Catholic School. ^[3] A former member of the Bolton Wanderers Academy, Richman worked his way up the ranks from the Port Vale youth team to the Reserves and broke into the main team in the 2007–08 season, signing his first professional contract in April 2008. ^[4]

At the beginning of the 2008–09 season he established himself as a first-team regular, earning eight consecutive starts and also got his first league goal. However, as the season went on the Valiants made numerous loan signings and Richman went out of favour. On 6 December 2008, he came on as a substitute against Grimsby Town, scoring an 88th-minute winner. ^[5] This gave manager Dean Glover a selection headache as the youngster battled with more experienced players for a first-team slot. ^[6] Following that match he played another 21 games that season, his consistent performances earning him the club's Young Player of the Year Award. ^[7]

He picked up a groin injury in pre-season which sidelined him for several months. He was later transfer listed in late September, despite being injured, along with the entire Port Vale squad, after manager Micky Adams saw his team slip to a third consecutive defeat. ^[8] In January 2010 he received interest off League Two club Grimsby Town and Scottish First Division side Ayr United. ^[9] His agent, former Vale legend Phil Sproson, believed a loan move would be in the player's interests. ^[10] On 20 February he made his first appearance in four months, replacing Tommy Fraser in a 2–0 defeat by Barnet. ^[11] In April 2010 he learned that he would not be offered a new contract by manager Micky Adams. ^[12]

Worcester City

In July 2010, Richman enjoyed a trial at Conference National club, and Conference North title holders Southport. ^[13] The next month he was on trial at Worcester City, where former teammate Danny Glover had found a home. ^[14] He signed a contract with the club soon after. ^[15] He enjoyed a solid start to his career, and claimed that the club helped him to rediscover his passion for the game. ^[16] Throughout the season he earned praised for his energy levels and work rate. ^[17]

Altrincham

Offered a new contract by Worcester, Richman instead opted to sign with league rivals Altrincham. ^[18] He took this decision as his new club was closer to his Liverpool home, and because he had played under new manager Lee Sinnott at Port Vale. ^[19] Richman made his Altrincham debut as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Workington. He scored his first Altrincham goal in his second appearance, again as a substitute, in 3–0 win over Histon. ^[20] The club missed out on the play-offs by 11 points in 2011–12, before securing a play-off spot by an 11-point margin in 2012–13. They were beaten 4–2 by Brackley Town in the play-off semi-finals, despite Richman scoring in a 2–1 victory at Moss Lane. The "Robins" again qualified for the play-offs in the 2013–14 campaign, and Richman played in the final as the club secured promotion with a 2–1 extra time victory over Guiseley. ^[21]

He played 43 games in the 2014–15 season to help Altrincham post a 17th-place finish. He made 42 appearances across the 2015–16 campaign as they were relegated in 22nd-position. He played 33 games in the 2016–17 season as Altrincham were relegated out of the National League North in last place. They made an immediate return however, winning the Northern Premier League Premier Division title at the end of the 2017–18 season, with Richman scoring four goals from 42 matches. ^[22] On 26 December 2018, Richman made his 300th appearance for Altrincham in a 2–0 defeat at Stockport County. ^[23] He ended the 2018–19 season with one goal in 40 appearances, helping Altrincham to the play-offs, where they were defeated by Chorley on penalties in the semi-finals. ^[24] He scored one goal in 31 appearances in the 2019–20 season, which was permanently suspended on 26 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, with Altrincham in the play-offs in fifth-place. ^[25] The play-offs took place in the summer and Altrincham secured promotion with a 1–0 victory over Boston United at York Street on 1 August. ^[26] He played just 13 games in the 2020–21 campaign ^[27] and left the club at the end of the season.

Bradford (Park Avenue)

On 12 October 2021, Richman signed with Bradford (Park Avenue); manager Mark Bower said he was a "massive signing" who would help with Park Avenue's injuries in the midfield department. ^{[28] [29]} He played 27 times in the 2021–22 campaign, scoring four goals. ^[27] He played 40 of the club's 46 league games in the 2022–23 campaign as Avenue were relegated in 23rd-place. ^{[27] [30]} He had his contract terminated by mutual consent on 22 November 2023 after telling the club that "due to personal reasons, playing football was not a priority for him". ^[31]

Personal life

Richman has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Manchester. ^[32]

Career statistics

As of match played 29 April 2023

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Port Vale	2007–08 [33]	League One	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	2008–09 [34]	League Two	37	5	2	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	41	5
	2009–10 [35]	League Two	5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
	Total		48	5	2	0	2	0	1	0	53	5
Worcester City	2010–11 [27]	Conference North	37	4	0	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 2]	1	40	5
Altrincham	2011–12 [36]	Conference North	30	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	32	2
	2012–13 [37]	Conference North	35	8	3	0	0	0	4	1	42	9
	2013–14 [38]	Conference North	36	3	0	0	0	0	4	0	40	3
	2014–15 [39]	Conference Premier	38	1	2	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 2]	0	43	1
	2015–16 [40]	National League	36	0	3	0	0	0	2	0	41	0
	2016–17 [41]	National League North	33	2	2	0	0	0	5	1	40	3
	2017–18	Northern Premier League Premier Division	37	3	0	0	0	0	5	1	42	4
	2018–19 [42]	National League North	36	1	0	0	0	0	4	0	40	1
	2019–20 [42]	National League North	21	1	3	0	0	0	10	0	34	1
	2020–21 [27]	National League	11	0	1	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	13	0
	Total		314	21	14	0	0	0	40	3	367	24
Bradford (Park Avenue)	2021–22 [27]	National League North	25	4	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	27	4
	2022–23 [27]	National League North	40	3	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	41	3
	2023–24 [43]	Northern Premier League Premier Division	5	0	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	6	0
	Total		70	7	0	0	0	0	4	0	74	7
Career total			468	37	16	0	2	0	48	4	534	41

1. Appearance/s in the EFL Trophy.
2. Appearance/s in the FA Trophy.

Honours

Altrincham

• Conference North play-offs: 2013–14
• Northern Premier League Premier Division: 2017–18 ^[22]
• National League North play-offs: 2019–20 ^[26]

References

1. "Simon Richman". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
2. "FootballSquads – Port Vale – 2009/10". footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
3. "4 – Simon Richman". port-vale.co.uk. 11 July 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
4. "Richman agrees new deal with Vale". BBC Sport. 18 April 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
5. "Port Vale 2–1 Grimsby". BBC Sport. 6 December 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
6. "Richman ready for midfield battle". BBC Sport. 7 December 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
7. "Player of the Year Winners". Official Port Vale website. 27 April 2009. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
8. "Adams puts Vale squad up for sale". BBC Sport. 27 September 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
9. Shaw, Steve (20 January 2010). "Port Vale: Vale eye home improvements". The Sentinel. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
10. "Port Vale: Richman may have to ship out to step up". The Sentinel. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
11. "Port Vale 0 – 2 Barnet". BBC Sport. 20 February 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
12. "Port Vale release Lawrie, Howland, Richman & Edwards". BBC Sport. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
13. Kirkbride, Phil (10 July 2010). "Southport 0–1 Eastwood Town – Pre-season friendly". Southport Visiter . Retrieved 12 July 2010.
14. Carley, Steve (1 August 2010). "Worcester City 4 AFC Liverpool 1". Worcester News. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
15. Carley, Steve (6 August 2010). "Three new signings complete City squad". Worcester News. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
16. Carley, Steve (9 October 2010). "Richman rediscovers his passion for the game". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
17. Heeley, Carl (5 May 2011). "It was a campaign of mixed emotions". Worcester News. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
18. "Altrincham sign Simon Richman and Chris Lynch". BBC Sport. 3 June 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
19. Reeves, Michael (27 May 2011). "Ex-Reds boss is handed City role". Worcester News. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
20. "Altrincham FC Match Reports". altrinchamfc.co.uk. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
21. "Altrincham strike late in extra time to beat Guiseley in play-off final". BBC Sport. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
22. Devine, Peter (25 April 2018). "Promotion could spark turnaround, says Alty boss". Messenger Newspapers. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
23. "Richman hits 300 appearances in red and white | Altrincham Football Club". altrinchamfc.com. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
24. Swarbrick, Rosie (5 May 2019). "Match report: Chorley 1 Altrincham 1 (Chorley win 3-1 on penalties)". lep.co.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
25. "National League clubs vote to end regular season immediately". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
26. Hewitt, Matty (1 August 2020). "Play-off heartbreak in final game at York Street – Boston 0 – 1 Altrincham". lincolnshirelive. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
27. Simon Richman at Soccerway
28. Atkinson, Nathan (12 October 2021). "Avenue strike gold with signing of experienced Richman". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
29. ""Thrilled" Bower scores Simon Richman as midfielder". Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
30. Williams, Harry (29 April 2023). "REPORT: Avenue's National League North relegation confirmed as Fylde earn promotion". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
31. "1 IN AND 1 OUT AT AVENUE". bpafc.com. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
32. "Alty Files". altrinchamfc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
33. "Games played by Simon Richman in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
34. "Games played by Simon Richman in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
35. "Games played by Simon Richman in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
36. "Altrincham FC First Team Statistics Page". altrinchamfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
37. "Altrincham FC First Team Statistics Page". altrinchamfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
38. "Altrincham FC First Team Statistics Page". altrinchamfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
39. "Altrincham FC First Team Statistics Page". altrinchamfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
40. "Altrincham FC First Team Statistics Page". altrinchamfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
41. "Altrincham FC First Team Statistics Page". altrinchamfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
42. "Player Statistics". altrinchamfc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
43. "Bradford (Park Avenue) | Appearances | Simon Richman | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2023.