Richard Walker (footballer, born 1980)

For other people named Richard Walker, see Richard Walker (disambiguation).

Richard Stuart Walker (born 17 September 1980) is an English football coach and former player who is the lead professional development phase coach at Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Richard Walker

Personal information
Full name	Richard Stuart Walker^[1]
Date of birth	(1980-09-17) 17 September 1980 (age 43)
Place of birth	Stafford, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)^[2]
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
	Penkridge Juniors
000?–1999	Crewe Alexandra
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2006	Crewe Alexandra	101	(6)
1999–2000	→ Northwich Victoria (loan)	10	(0)
2001	→ Halesowen Town (loan)	5	(0)
2006–2008	Port Vale	17	(0)
2007	→ Wrexham (loan)	3	(0)
2008–2009	Macclesfield Town	25	(0)
2009–2010	Hednesford Town	10	(1)
Total		170	(7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

A defender with an eleven-year professional career, he played 185 competitive games, including 158 appearances in the English Football League. Walker spent most of his career with Crewe Alexandra, and played over 100 games for the club between 1999 and 2006. During this time he also played on loan for non-League clubs Northwich Victoria and Halesowen Town. He was promoted out of the Second Division with Crewe in 2002–03. He joined Port Vale in 2006, and was loaned out to Wrexham in 2007. In 2008, he signed with Macclesfield Town, before transferring to non-League Hednesford Town the following year. He retired in January 2010.

He coached in the youth academy at Stoke City from 2009 to 2023, after which he joined the academy at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Playing career

Crewe Alexandra

Born in Stafford, Staffordshire, Walker attended Wolgarston High School in Penkridge, playing for Penkridge Juniors until signing for Crewe Alexandra at age fourteen. After working his way through the ranks to the first-team, he made over 100 appearances for the "Railwaymen" in seven years, making his debut in November 2000 as a 20-year-old. Before making his professional bow, he had been sent out on loan to local non-League side Northwich Victoria to gain first-team experience, making ten appearances at the Drill Field during a six-month loan during the 1999–2000 season.

The following season, he made only a handful of appearances for Crewe, and was farmed out on loan to Southern League side Halesowen Town for a month in March 2001 for more first-team games.

The 2001–02 season saw Walker make only one substitute appearance for Crewe, though he was still offered a new two-year deal.^[3] The following season saw him become a virtual ever-present at Gresty Road as the club won promotion from the Second Division in 2002–03. He agreed a new three-year deal in June 2003, keeping him at Crewe until the summer of 2006.^[4] The next two years saw Walker continue to play regular football. He was not offered a new contract by Crewe at the end of the 2005–06 season,^[5] and instead joined near neighbours Port Vale on a free transfer in June 2006.^[6]

Port Vale

Despite a good start to his time at Vale Park, which included a goal in the League Cup against Championship side Queens Park Rangers,^[7] he faded from the first-team picture and was loaned to struggling League Two side Wrexham in March 2007.^[8][9] His form for the "Dragons" in just three appearances impressed to the extent that Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy added money to the pot collected to pay the defender whilst at the Racecourse Ground.^[10] He returned to Vale Park in the summer, but was a peripheral figure during the 2007–08 season, and was released in January 2008 after suffering problems with tendinitis in his knee.^[11]

Later career

After a short spell training with Shrewsbury Town and turning out for their reserves, he joined Macclesfield Town on a short-term deal in March 2008. His form in his ten games impressed manager Keith Alexander sufficiently to win Walker a twelve-month contract in June 2008.^[12] He turned out sixteen times for the "Silkmen" in 2008–09, playing against Premier League Everton in the FA Cup Third Round in January 2009. With his contract coming to an end at Moss Rose in May 2009,^[13] he made contact with Hednesford Town manager Dean Edwards, who was in the market for an experienced player to become part of the coaching staff at Keys Park after Matt Elliott's departure. Despite his relative young age and Football League background, he decided to take the step down to Southern League Premier Division and join the "Pitmen" as the club's new first-team coach. However, he left the club by mutual consent in January 2010.^[14]

Coaching career

In July 2009, he was appointed the under-11's coach at Stoke City on a part-time basis. He was made Stoke City U18s manager for the 2018–19 season.^[15] He helped the team to reach the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup in 2017 and the final of the Premier League Cup the following year.^[16] Walker left his role at Stoke's Academy in May 2023.^[17] He was then appointed as under-18s lead professional development phase coach at Wolverhampton Wanderers.^[18][19]

Career statistics

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Crewe Alexandra	1999–2000^[20]	First Division	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2000–01^[21]	First Division	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	2001–02^[22]	First Division	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2002–03^[23]	Second Division	36	2	2	0	2	0	4^[a]	0	44	2
	2003–04^[24]	First Division	20	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	21	1
	2004–05^[25]	League Two	23	2	1	0	2	0	0	0	26	2
	2005–06^[26]	League Two	18	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	20	2
	Total		101	6	4	0	6	1	4	0	115	7
Northwich Victoria (loan)	1999–2000^[20]	Conference National	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
Halesowen Town (loan)	2000–01	Southern League Premier Division	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Port Vale	2006–07^[27]	League One	16	0	1	0	4	1	1^[a]	0	22	1
	2007–08^[28]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		16	0	1	0	4	1	1	0	22	1
Wrexham (loan)	2006–07^[27]	League Two	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Macclesfield Town	2007–08^[28]	League Two	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
	2008–09^[29]	League Two	15	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	18	0
	Total		25	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	28	0
Hednesford Town	2009–10^[30]^[31]	Southern League Premier Division	10	1	0	0	0	0	2^[b]	0	12	1
Career total			170	7	6	0	12	2	7	0	195	9

1. Appearance/s in the EFL Trophy.
2. 1 appearance in the FA Trophy and 1 appearance in the Birmingham Senior Cup.

Honours

Crewe Alexandra

• Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 2002–03

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. p. 427. ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0.
2. "FootballSquads – Port Vale – 2007/08". footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
3. "Crewe release nine". BBC Sport. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
4. "Walker signs new deal". BBC Sport. 25 June 2003. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
5. "Striker Jones will leave Crewe". BBC Sport. 2 May 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
6. "Boss adds trio to Port Vale squad". BBC Sport. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
7. "Port Vale 3-2 QPR". BBC. 19 September 2006. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
8. "Vale allow duo to leave on loan". BBC Sport. 22 March 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
9. "Wrexham take Port Vale's Walker". BBC Sport. 22 March 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
10. "Bellamy donation boosts Wrexham". BBC Sport. 30 March 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
11. "Lawrie signs deal as Walker goes". BBC Sport. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
12. "Silkmen tie up Walker and Hessey". BBC Sport. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
13. "Macclesfield release 13 players". BBC Sport. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
14. "Richard Walker leaves the club". hednesfordfc.co.uk. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
15. "Academy coaching details confirmed". Stoke City. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
16. Smith, Peter (30 May 2023). "Wolves explain move for 'outstanding' Stoke City coach Walker". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
17. "Stoke City coach signs off with classy note as he ends 14-year stay". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
18. "Walker to lead Wolves under-18s | Academy | News". Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
19. "Walker to lead Wolves under-18s". Wolves Academy. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
20. "Games played by Richard Walker in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
21. "Games played by Richard Walker in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
22. "Games played by Richard Walker in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
23. "Games played by Richard Walker in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
24. "Games played by Richard Walker in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
25. "Games played by Richard Walker in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
26. "Games played by Richard Walker in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
27. "Games played by Richard Walker in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
28. "Games played by Richard Walker in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
29. "Games played by Richard Walker in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
30. "Player Stats 2009-2010". pitmenweb. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
31. . Hednesford Town. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2021.