Simon Andrew Richman (born 2 June 1990) is an English semi-professional

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 ...

who last played for club Bradford (Park Avenue) as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. A former

youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...

player with

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

, 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 Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane. Worcester City's ...

for a season. He signed with Altrincham in June 2011, and helped the club to win

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

out of the

Conference North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...

via the play-offs in 2014 and to win the

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...

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 Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston. Ormskirk is known for its gingerbread. Geography and administr ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, Richman attended Maricourt Catholic School. A former member of the

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

Academy, Richman worked his way up the ranks from the

to the Reserves and broke into the main team in the 2007–08 season, signing his first professional

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

in April 2008. 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 In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...

signings and Richman went out of favour. On 6 December 2008, he came on as a substitute against

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...

, scoring an 88th-minute winner. This gave

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Dean Glover Dean Victor Glover (born 29 December 1963) is an English former football player and manager. A cultured and stylish defender, he had the ball control skills of a midfielder. He played 457 league games in a seventeen-year career in the English ...

a selection headache as the youngster battled with more experienced players for a first team slot. Following that match he played another 21 games that season, his consistent performances earning him the club's Young Player of the Year Award. He picked up a

groin In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is ''inguinal'', as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This is also known as the medial comp ...

injury in pre-season which sidelined him for several months. He was later

transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies ...

listed in late September, despite being injured, along with the entire Port Vale squad, after manager

Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football manager. As a player, he was a Full-back (football), full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a ninete ...

saw his team slip to a third consecutive defeat. In January 2010 he received interest off League Two club

and

Scottish First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 to replace the old Scottish Football League Division Two, as t ...

side

Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...

. His

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

, former Vale legend

Phil Sproson Phillip Jess Sproson (born 13 October 1959) is an English former association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), central defender. He played in 500 matches (426 in the league) for Port Vale F.C., Port Vale and ...

, believed a loan move would be in the player's interests. On 20 February he made his first appearance in four months, replacing

Tommy Fraser Thomas Francis Peter Fraser (born 5 December 1987) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. Starting his career with hometown club Brighton & Hove Albion, Fraser was youth team captain and then a semi-regular in the first te ...

in a 2–0 defeat by

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

. In April 2010 he learned that he would not be offered a new contract by manager

Worcester City

In July 2010, Richman enjoyed a trial at

Conference National The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profes ...

club, and

title holders

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

. The next month he was on trial at

, where former teammate

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...

had found a home. He signed a contract with the club soon after. He enjoyed a solid start to his career, and claimed that the club helped him to rediscover his passion for the game. Throughout the season he earned praised for his energy levels and

work rate In association football, work rate refers to the extent to which a player contributes to running and chasing in a match while not in possession of the ball. Work rate is generally indicated by the distance covered by a player during a match. An ex ...

Altrincham

Offered a new contract by Worcester, Richman instead opted to sign with league rivals

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

. He took this decision as his new club was closer to his

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

home, and because he had played under new manager

Lee Sinnott Lee Sinnott (born 12 July 1965) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of Gainsborough Trinity. As a player, he was a defender for Walsall, Watford, Bradford City, Crystal Palace, Huddersfi ...

at Port Vale. Richman made his Altrincham debut as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against

Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207. Loca ...

. He scored his first Altrincham goal in his second appearance, again as a substitute, in 3–0 win over

Histon Histon is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is immediately north of Cambridge – and is separated from the city – by the A14 road (England), A14 road which r ...

. 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 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

. They were beaten 4–2 by

Brackley Town Brackley Town Football Club is a Association football, football club in Brackley, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at St. James Park. The club won the FA Trophy in 2018. History Established in 1890, the club sp ...

in the play-off semi-finals, despite Richman scoring in a 2–1 victory at

Moss Lane Moss Lane (currently known as the J. Davidson Stadium for sponsorship purposes) is a multi-purpose stadium in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It is currently used primarily for football matches and is the home ground of Altrincham. The ...

. The "Robins" again qualified for the play-offs in the 2013–14 campaign, and Richman played in the final as the club secured

with a 2–1

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...

victory over

Guiseley Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds. It sits in t ...

. 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 sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

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

Premier Division title at the end of the 2017–18 season, with Richman scoring four goals from 42 matches. On 26 December 2018, Richman made his 300th appearance for Altrincham in a 2–0 defeat at

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

. He ended the 2018–19 season with one goal in 40 appearances, helping Altrincham to the play-offs, where they were defeated by

Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth came pr ...

on penalties in the semi-finals. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to England with two cases among Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York on 31 January 2020. The two main public bodies responsible for health in England are NHS England and Public ...

, with Altrincham in the play-offs in fifth-place. The play-offs took place in the summer and Altrincham secured promotion with a 1–0 victory over

Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...

York Street York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a m ...

on 1 August. He played just 13 games in the

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

campaign 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 Mark James Bower (born 23 January 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back and is the current manager of Bradford Park Avenue. Born in Bradford, he played for more than a decade with his hometown club Bra ...

said he was a "massive signing" who would help with Park Avenue's injuries in the midfield department. He played 27 times in the 2021–22 campaign, scoring four goals. He played 40 of the club's 46 league games in the

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

campaign as Avenue were relegated in 23rd-place. 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".

Personal life

Richman has a degree in chemical engineering from the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

Career statistics

Honours

Altrincham *

play-offs: 2013–14 *

Premier Division: 2017–18 *

National League North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...

play-offs: 2019–20

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richman, Simon 1990 births Living people Footballers from Ormskirk English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Port Vale F.C. players Worcester City F.C. players Altrincham F.C. players Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Universiade silver medalists for Great Britain Universiade medalists in football Medalists at the 2013 Summer Universiade Alumni of the University of Manchester