Ricky Junior Otto (born 9 November 1967) is an English former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

. Born in the

London Borough of Hackney London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, he began his career with amateur side Haringey Borough, where his performances in

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

caught the eye of

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...

. They signed him in 1990. His subsequent performances there alerted

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

manager

Barry Fry Barry Francis Fry (born 7 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager. A winger, Fry was an apprentice at Manchester United in his youth, and had brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he reti ...

, who paid £100,000 to bring him to

Roots Hall A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

in 1993. Otto followed Fry to

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...

for £800,000 in 1994 but never really settled at the club, having spells on loan at

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

and

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...

. He was however part of the side that won the

1995 Football League Trophy Final The 1995 Football League Trophy Final (known as the Auto Windscreens Shields Trophy for sponsorship reasons) was the 12th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from the Second and Third Division of the Football League. The ma ...

and set up the winning goal for Paul Tait. He has the conspicuous record of having scored both goals in a 1–1 draw on his debut against

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...

. Released in 1998, he had a spell in

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

before signing for

Rhyl Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Flintshire (historic), Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at ...

in 2002. After retiring from football, Otto trained and worked as a

probation officer A probation and parole officer is an official appointed or sworn to investigate, report on, and supervise the conduct of convicted offenders on probation or those released from incarceration to community supervision such as parole. Most probati ...

, and went on to found a consultancy working with offenders and those at risk of offending. He became a Christian, and took a degree in theology. and

References

External links

*
Profile on Sporting Heroes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otto, Ricky Living people 1967 births English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Haringey Borough F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players Southend United F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Halesowen Town F.C. players Rhyl F.C. players Romulus F.C. players English Football League players Cymru Premier players Footballers from the London Borough of Hackney