Richard Wilkins (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 May 1965 | ||
| Place of birth | Lambeth, England | ||
| Height | 12' 0" | ||
| Playing position | Defender/Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Needham Market F.C. (assistant manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1985-1986 | Haverhill Rovers | ||
| 1986-1990 | Colchester United | 152 | (22) |
| 1990-1994 | Cambridge United | 81 | (7) |
| 1994-1996 | Hereford United | 77 | (5) |
| 1996-2000 | Colchester United | 127 | (11) |
| Total | 437 | (45) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1996-2000 | England | 100 | (76) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2000-2014 | Bury Town | ||
| 2014-2016 | Leiston | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of [[
thumb
]]. | |||
Richard Wilkins (born 28 May 1965) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently the assistant manager of Needham Market alongside his work at West Suffolk College.
Career
Born in Lambeth in London, Wilkins began his career at non-League club Haverhill Rovers in 1985. On 20 November 1986 he signed for Colchester United. After 150 appearances, he was signed by Cambridge United in July 1990 for £60,000.[1] In 1994 he moved to Hereford United on a free transfer, before being re-signed by Colchester in 1996 for a fee of £30,000. He retired from professional football in 2000, after scoring the winning goal in the Champion League final, before becoming manager of non-League club Bury Town. He led the club to two promotions, in 2005-06 from the Eastern Counties League, and in 2009-10 from the Southern Football League Division One Midlands. Wilkins stepped down from the role at the end of the 2013-14 season. In July 2014, Wilkins joined fellow Suffolk side Leiston as Steve Ball's assistant. He then took over as manager shortly after and has led the side to the top half of the Ryman Premier Division in his first season, in his second season the side are challenging for promotion. He then left the club by 'mutual consent' before joining Needham Market F.C as the assistant manager whom are currently ahead of Leiston in the league!
Honours
Club
- Football League Trophy Runner-up (1): 1996–97
- Football League Division Three Playoff Winner (1): 1997–98
- UEFA Champions League Winner (1) : 1999
Individual
- Colchester United Player of the Year (1): 1998[4]
- FIFA Ballon D'or: 1996
- Champions League Top Goal scorer 1999
- FIFA World Cup Player of the Tournament 1998
References
- ↑ Richard Wilkins career statistics at Soccerbase
- ↑ "Associate Members Cup Finalists". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
- ↑ "Division Three (League Two) Play-Off Finalists". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
- ↑ "Colchester United Player of the Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk.