| Richard Walker | |
| Fullname: | Richard Martin Walker |
| Birth Date: | 8 November 1977 |
| Birth Place: | Birmingham, England |
| Position: | Forward |
| Years1: | 1997–2001 |
| Clubs1: | Aston Villa |
| Caps1: | 6 |
| Goals1: | 2 |
| Years2: | 1998–1999 |
| Clubs2: | → Cambridge United (loan) |
| Caps2: | 21 |
| Goals2: | 3 |
| Years3: | 2001 |
| Clubs3: | → Blackpool (loan) |
| Caps3: | 18 |
| Goals3: | 3 |
| Years4: | 2001 |
| Clubs4: | → Wycombe Wanderers (loan) |
| Caps4: | 12 |
| Goals4: | 3 |
| Years5: | 2001–2004 |
| Clubs5: | Blackpool |
| Caps5: | 62 |
| Goals5: | 12 |
| Years6: | 2003–2004 |
| Clubs6: | → Northampton Town |
| Caps6: | 12 |
| Goals6: | 4 |
| Years7: | 2004 |
| Clubs7: | → Oxford United (loan) |
| Caps7: | 4 |
| Goals7: | 0 |
| Years8: | 2004–2009 |
| Clubs8: | Bristol Rovers |
| Caps8: | 143 |
| Goals8: | 46 |
| Years9: | 2008–2009 |
| Clubs9: | → Shrewsbury Town (loan) |
| Caps9: | 27 |
| Goals9: | 5 |
| Years10: | 2009–2011 |
| Clubs10: | Burton Albion |
| Caps10: | 35 |
| Goals10: | 4 |
| Years11: | 2011–2012 |
| Clubs11: | Solihull Moors |
| Caps11: | 5 |
| Goals11: | 1 |
| Years12: | 2012– |
| Clubs12: | Beer Albion |
| Manageryears1: | 2012–2019 |
| Managerclubs1: | Beer Albion |
| Club-Update: | 00:00, 10 October 2018 (UTC) |
Richard Martin Walker (born 8 November 1977) is an English former footballer who played as a forward for Devon and Exeter League club Beer Albion.
Walker started his career at Aston Villa in 1997. Here, he scored a goal against Arsenal, one of the highest points of his Villa career. After loan spells with Cambridge United, Blackpool[1] and Wycombe Wanderers, he signed for the Seasiders in 2001. He helped Blackpool win the 2001–02 Football League Trophy, playing as a substitute in the final.[2] Walker was loaned out to Northampton Town and Oxford United in the 2003–04 season, before joining Bristol Rovers in the summer of 2004.
A natural goalscorer, he formed a formidable partnership with Junior Agogo before the Ghanaian was sold to Nottingham Forest. Walker scored two goals in the 2007 League Two Play-off Final against Shrewsbury at Wembley, as the Gasheads secured a 3–1 victory to send them up to League One.[3]
Walker was placed on the transfer list at the end of the 2007–08 season,[4] having scored only four goals in that season, all from the penalty spot. He joined Shrewsbury on a full-season loan in the summer of 2008, taking him up to the expiry of his contract with Bristol Rovers.[5]
Following the expiry of his Bristol Rovers contract, he joined newly promoted Burton Albion in July 2009 on a two-year contract, he scored 4 goals in 35 games for the club before his release in May 2011.[6]
On 9 September 2011, Solihull Moors announced the signing of Richard Walker.[7] He made his debut the following day in a 1–0 away win at Boston United.[8] He scored his first goal for the club on 17 September 2011, opening the scoring as Solihull overcame Altrincham 2–0 at Damson Park.[9]
After having played less than a season of Conference North football, he opted to move with his family to Devon in April 2012. Following his retirement, Walker has worked in a large warehouse for Axminster Tools.[10]
He ended the season playing for Beer Albion in the Premier Division of the Devon & Exeter Football League, at level 12 of the league system, some six levels below the team where he had begun the year. He was recruited for Beer by a colleague who played for the team, and who convinced Richard to play alongside him.[11] [12] [13] In August 2019, Walker was announced to have stepped away from the role of player-manager, staying on at the club as a player alongside his sons Sammie and Jamie.[14]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | League Trophy | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Aston Villa | 1997–98 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Cambridge United (loan) | 1998–99 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | ||
| Aston Villa | 1999–2000 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| Aston Villa | 2000–01 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Blackpool (loan) | 2000–01 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | ||
| Wycombe (loan) | 2001–02 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | ||
| Blackpool | 2001–02 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 11 | ||
| 2002–03 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 4 | |||
| 2003–04 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||
| Northampton (loan) | 2003–04 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 8 | ||
| Oxford Utd (loan) | 2003–04 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Oxford Utd | 2003–04 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Bristol Rovers | 2004–05 | 27 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 14 | ||
| 2005–06 | 46 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 21 | |||
| 2006–07 | 49 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 22 | |||
| 2007–08 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 4 | |||
| Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 2008–09 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 6 | ||
| Burton Albion | 2009–10 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | |||
| Solihull Moors | 2011–12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | ||
| - | Career total | 347 | 87 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 408 | 109 | ||
Blackpool