 Ricketts playing forWolverhampton Wanderers in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samuel Derek Ricketts[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-10-11)11 October 1981 (age 43)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Aylesbury, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2000 | Oxford United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2003 | Oxford United | 45 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | →Nuneaton Borough (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | Telford United | 41 | (4) |
| 2004–2006 | Swansea City | 86 | (1) |
| 2006–2009 | Hull City | 113 | (1) |
| 2009–2013 | Bolton Wanderers | 96 | (1) |
| 2013–2015 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 48 | (2) |
| 2015 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Coventry City | 46 | (1) |
| Total | 495 | (12) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2004 | England C | 4 | (1) |
| 2005–2014 | Wales | 52 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018 | Wrexham | ||
| 2018–2020 | Shrewsbury Town | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Samuel Derek Ricketts (born 11 October 1981) is a professionalfootball coach and formerplayer.
As a player, his favoured position was atfull back, where he was able to play either side as well as being able to operate at the centre of defence. He played over 100 games forSwansea City before playingPremier League football for bothHull City andBolton Wanderers. He left Bolton in 2013 and captainedWolverhampton Wanderers to the League One title with a record points total. Furthermore, he representedWales at international level, making over 50 appearances for the national team.
Ricketts was born inAylesbury, Buckinghamshire.[3] His family is highly involved in equestrianism. His father is the 1978 worldshowjumping champion Derek Ricketts, later performance manager of the UK showjumping team from 2002 to 2010,[4] and his uncle is the formerNational Hunt champion jockeyJohn Francome. As a teenager, Ricketts himself was a keen rider until prioritising football.[5]
Ricketts began his career atOxford United, making his first team debut on 8 October 2000 in a 2–1Second Division defeat at rivalsSwindon Town.[6] He played 48 total games and scored once, in a 2–0 home win overSouthend United on 22 September 2001.[7]
In 2002 he was loaned toNuneaton Borough of theFootball Conference. On 26 December, he was sent off in the 25th minute of a 2–1 home loss toBurton Albion for a foul onJohn Burns.[8] In the last of his 11 games for Nuneaton, he scored the equaliser in a 1–1 home draw with leadersYeovil Town on 25 January 2003.[9]
He was released from his professional contract to sign for Conference sideTelford United in the summer of2003. His form for Telford led him to be selected for theEngland non-League XI that season. On 6 April 2004, he scored the only goal of a win againstShropshire rivalsShrewsbury Town at theNew Bucks Head.[10]
Telford United went out of business at the end of the2003–04 season, meaning Ricketts' contract was annulled. Swansea managerKenny Jackett offered him a return to league football though, and he joinedSwansea City on a two-year deal on 27 May 2004.[11]
He helped the team to promotion fromLeague Two in his first season, during which he was selected in the division'sPFA Team of the Year.[12] At the end of the campaign he was rewarded for his performances with a new improved contract.[13] His second season saw the team reach theLeague One Play-off Final, but Ricketts was part of the team that lost on penalties toBarnsley.[14]
After 103 appearances in total for Swansea, Ricketts moved toChampionship clubHull City on 14 July 2006 on a three-year contract. Hull triggered his release clause by paying £300,000.[15] He started every minute of Hull's first ten games but sustained a broken cheekbone in the tenth game – a win againstHartlepool United – that required an operation, thereby ruling him out for several weeks.[16] He made 45 appearances during the season, and scored his only goal for Hull on 31 March 2007, in a 4–0 home win overSouthend United.[17]
The defender was part of the Hull team that won promotion to thePremier League for the first time in the club's history at the end of the 2007–08 season; he played in theirChampionship play-off final victory overBristol City.[18] Hull managerPhil Brown had stated in advance of this that he wanted to extend Ricketts' contract due to his performances.[19]
Ricketts made 29 league appearances for the Tigers in their inaugural top-flight campaign, as they narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the season.[20] Following this, he entered into talks regarding a new deal with the club, but had been linked to other Premier League clubs.[21]
On 25 July 2009, fellow Premier League clubBolton Wanderers confirmed Ricketts had signed a three-year deal with them for an undisclosed fee.[22] He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat toSunderland on 15 August and went on to play in every defensive position for the club.
In February 2011 he suffered a snapped Achilles tendon during anFA Cup replay againstWigan Athletic, which put him out of first team contention until the end of the year.[23] He made his return on New Year's Eve 2011, where he also scored his first Bolton goal, in a 1–1 draw against his future clubWolverhampton Wanderers.[24] Ricketts' contract expired at the end of the 2011–12 season but, despite Bolton being relegated from the Premier League, he signed a new two-year deal with the club in the summer of 2012.[25] On 4 July 2013, after a season in which the team failed to make an instant return to the top flight, Bolton confirmed that his contract had been cancelled by mutual agreement.[26]
He later expressed his disappointment at leaving Bolton Wanderers.[27]
On the same day as his exit from Bolton, Ricketts joinedWolverhampton Wanderers ofLeague One as a free agent in a two-year deal, reuniting with his former Swansea managerKenny Jackett.[28] Having been appointed club captain, he made his debut on 3 August 2013 in a goalless draw atPreston North End.[29] Ricketts was a regular member of the Wolves team that won the League One title that season with a record 103 points.[30] He scored his first goal for the club in a 6–4 win againstRotherham United on 18 April 2014.[31]
Back in the Championship, Ricketts seldom featured for Wolves, despite remaining club captain, and in January 2015 was made available for loan.[32] Soon after he took on a coaching role at the club,[33] but on 21 March 2015, left to join League One promotion contendersSwindon Town on loan for the remainder of the season.[34] He helped the club to the play-off final, scoring an equaliser in the semi-final atSheffield United,[35] but the Robins lost the Wembley final 4–0 toPreston, in which Ricketts came on as an early substitute.[36]
On 17 June 2015 it was announced that his contract with Wolves will not be renewed.[37]
Ricketts signed forCoventry City on 6 July 2015 signing a one-year deal with the club.[38] In July 2016 his contract was extended until the end of the 2016–17 season.[39] On 16 November 2016, he was forced to retire from football because of a knee injury.[40]
Although born in England, Ricketts was eligible for theWales national football team due to a Welsh grandmother.[41] He made his international debut for Wales on 9 February 2005 in a friendly againstHungary that wasJohn Toshack's first game in charge after his return as manager.[42] On 6 September 2013, he reached the milestone of 50 caps in a 2–1 loss away toMacedonia in2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.[43]
After his retirement from playing, Ricketts integrated into coaching, inaugurally spending a week working alongsideBrendan Rodgers's backroom staff atScottish Premiership championsCeltic. Rodgers then advised Ricketts to begin coaching at academy level to gain experience, with the latter taking his advice and joined theacademy coaching set-up at his former sideWolverhampton Wanderers in 2017.[44]
A year into his role, Ricketts left to become the first team manager ofNational League clubWrexham, signing a three-year contract, beginning on 2 May 2018.[45] On his managerial debut, his team won 1–0 atDover Athletic.[46] During his brief spell in charge, Ricketts guided Wrexham to 13 victories out of a possible 23, with his side constantly being in the running to gain promotion to theFootball League throughout his tenure.[47]
On 1 December 2018, he was told by club officials to stay away from theirFA Cup second round match againstNewport County, amid speculation that he was poised to be appointed the new manager ofLeague One sideShrewsbury Town, a local rival.[48] With compensation agreed, he was subsequently appointed their manager days later; Wrexham were sat fourth in the table when he left.[47]
On 3 December 2018, Ricketts was appointed manager of Shrewsbury on a 21⁄2-year contract, leaving a Wrexham side fourth in the table.[47] Two days later in his first match, Shrewsbury won 2–1 againstWalsall to reach the third round of theEFL Trophy; he was the first manager to win on his Shrewsbury debut sinceGraham Turner in 2010.[49] He brought in eight players in the January 2019 transfer window includingTyrese Campbell,Ro-Shaun Williams andScott Golbourne.[50] In early 2019, Ricketts lead the club to the fourth round of theFA Cup. The club's cup run ended at the hands of rivals, and one of Ricketts' former clubs,Wolverhampton Wanderers. Town were 2–0 up in the original tie atNew Meadow with just under 20 minutes to play, but late goals fromRaúl Jiménez andMatt Doherty took the tie to a replay atMolineux.[51] Ricketts' Shrewsbury side went 2–1 up in the replay, only to eventually lose 3–2.[52] A 1–1 draw away atCoventry City on 28 April mathematically securedLeague One survival for Ricketts and the club.[53]
In the summer of 2019, Ricketts made more notable signings to strengthen the squad for the upcoming2019–20 season, bringing in players such asJason Cummings fromNottingham Forest,Sean Goss fromQueens Park Rangers,Donald Love fromSunderland,Ethan Ebanks-Landell fromWolves andAaron Pierre fromNorthampton Town. Ricketts started the season with a 1–0 win at home toPortsmouth on 4 August, with loaneeRyan Giles scoring the goal.[54] During the 2019–20 season, Ricketts lead the club to the fourth round of theFA Cup for the second time during his management spell, defeatingBradford City,Mansfield Town andBristol City along the way. The fourth round would see Ricketts and his Shrewsbury side hostPremier League leaders and European and World championsLiverpool, where Shrewsbury came from 0–2 down to draw 2–2 with 2 goals from substituteJason Cummings, forcing a replay atAnfield.[55] In the replay, Shrewsbury fell short after aShaun Whalley goal was disallowed byVAR for offside and anown goal fromRo-Shaun Williams saw the hosts win 1–0.[56] This cup run brought repercussions, however, as Ricketts and the club went 10 league games without a win between December 2019 and February 2020. A 2–0 home defeat toAccrington Stanley on 11 February 2020[57] followed by another 2–0 defeat away atPortsmouth on 15 February[58] put Ricketts' job under severe pressure. The winless run ended a week later on 22 February after a 1–0 win at home toDoncaster Rovers.[59] On 14 March 2020, Ricketts and his Shrewsbury side were scheduled to take on top-of-the-tableCoventry City atSt Andrew's, however the match was postponed due to theoutbreak of COVID-19.[60] Due to the pandemic, the2019–20 League One season was cut short and it was decided that final league positions would be based on a points-per-game basis. This saw the club finish 15th in the final table.
With first-team midfielderJosh Laurent leaving forChampionship clubReading,[61] Ricketts looked to strengthen his Shrewsbury squad again in the summer of 2020. The departure ofIrish goalkeeperJoe Murphy also meant Ricketts only had 1 senior goalkeeper. On 3 August, Ricketts managed to get 3 deals over the line, bringing in strikerRekeil Pyke fromHuddersfield Town and promisingNorthern Irish wingerJosh Daniels fromGlenavon, as well as the loan signing of young midfielderScott High, also fromHuddersfield Town.[62] The club played their first pre-season friendly of the season on 11 August, beatingCymru Premier sideBala Town 3–0 atTelford United'sNew Bucks Head. Two days later on 13 August, defenderOmar Beckles rejected a new contract and subsequently also left the club, leaving a gap in Ricketts' defence.[63] On 18 August, Ricketts won his second pre-season friendly of the season, defeatingNuneaton Borough 3–1 at home.[a][64] This was followed by a defeat 0–1 home defeat to rivalsWalsall on 21 August, a 5–1 defeat away atStoke City on 25 August and a 1–0 win overWolverhampton Wanderers U23, also on 25 August. On 28 August, Ricketts managed to strengthen his defence with the loan signing ofUnited States U20 internationalMarlon Fossey fromFulham.[65] The club's final pre-season friendly took place on 29 August, a 2–1 win away atPremier League clubBurnley. On 2 September, Ricketts managed to fill the goalkeeper void, bringing inMontenegro internationalMatija Sarkic on loan fromWolverhampton Wanderers.[66]
Ricketts and the team had a steady but rocky start to the2020–21 League One season, drawing 3 and losing 1 of their first 4 played games. Ricketts' first win of the season came on 17 October when a stoppage time winner from new signingLeon Clarke confirmed a 1–0 win atAFC Wimbledon.[67] Four consecutive defeats then followed, including a 5–1 defeat away atPeterborough United on 31 October.[68] Two more draws and another defeat later and the club found themselves in the relegation zone and only off the bottom of the table on goal difference. A 2–2 draw atMilton Keynes Dons, in which The Shrews led 2–0, on 24 November[69] turned out to be the last straw as Ricketts and assistant managerDean Whitehead were relieved of their duties a day later on 25 November. The club sat 23rd in League One after 13 league games, gaining only 9 points from a possible 39.[70]
After leavingShrewsbury Town in November 2020, Ricketts opened a builder's merchant.[71]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Oxford United | 2000–01[72] | Second Division | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 2001–02[73] | Third Division | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| 2002–03[74] | Third Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 1 | ||
| Nuneaton Borough (loan) | 2002–03[74] | Football Conference | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Telford United | 2003–04[75] | Football Conference | 41 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5[b][c] | 1 | 51 | 6 |
| Swansea City | 2004–05[76] | League Two | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 1 | 50 | 1 |
| 2005–06[77] | League One | 44 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9[b][d] | 1 | 55 | 2 | |
| Total | 86 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 105 | 3 | ||
| Hull City | 2006–07[78] | Championship | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 |
| 2007–08[79] | Championship | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| 2008–09[20] | Premier League | 29 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| Total | 113 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 129 | 1 | ||
| Bolton Wanderers | 2009–10[80] | Premier League | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| 2010–11[81] | Premier League | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 2011–12[82] | Premier League | 20 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | |
| 2012–13[83] | Championship | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| Total | 96 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 113 | 1 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2013–14[84] | League One | 44 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 2 |
| 2014–15[85] | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 48 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 2 | ||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2014–15[85] | League One | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[f] | 1 | 11 | 1 |
| Coventry City | 2015–16[86] | League One | 43 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 46 | 1 |
| 2016–17[87] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 46 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 495 | 12 | 34 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 24 | 4 | 569 | 18 | ||
| Wales[88] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2005 | 9 | 0 |
| 2006 | 5 | 0 |
| 2007 | 11 | 0 |
| 2008 | 7 | 0 |
| 2009 | 5 | 0 |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 52 | 0 |
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Wrexham[a] | 2 May 2018 | 3 December 2018 | 23 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 056.5 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 3 December 2018 | 25 November 2020 | 96 | 28 | 34 | 34 | 029.2 |
| Total | 119 | 41 | 41 | 37 | 034.5 | ||
Swansea City
Hull City
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Individual
Individual
