Ritchie Humphreys
Encyclopedia
Richard John "Ritchie" Humphreys (born 30 November 1977) is an English footballer who plays for Hartlepool United
, where he is the club's record appearance holder.
Humphreys started his career with Sheffield Wednesday
in 1996. Whilst with the club, he was loaned out to Scunthorpe United
and Cardiff City
. He left the club in 2001 and joined Cambridge United
for a short period, after which he joined current club Hartlepool United. He joined Port Vale
on loan in 2006.
, Ernest Humphreys, played for Millwall
, Motherwell
and St. Mirren
. His dad, John Humphreys, also had trials with Sheffield United
.
Humphreys grew up as a Sheffield United fan and joined their academy, which he described as a "dream come true". However, they released him when we he was 13.
Humphreys then played for the Sheffield Boys and was one of their few players who did not play for a professional club. However, that soon changed when Humphreys was scouted by a Sheffield Wednesday
scout and he joined their centre of excellence.
, Humphreys became part of Sheffield Wednesday
’s youth squad
. For the youth squad Humphreys played as a left winger and was offered a professional contract. Due to the injuries of strikers David Hirst
and Mark Bright
, Wednesday manager David Pleat
gave Humphreys the opportunity to go on Wednesday’s pre-season tour of the Netherlands
.
Humphreys played the first game and scored twice. He then played in the second game against FC Utrecht and scored again. Johan Cruyff
was the guest of honour for that game and he praised Humphreys and said he was the next Marco van Basten. It was during this pre season tour that he was taken under the wing and guidance of Wednesday legend Chris Waddle. After scoring 4 goals in his first 5 premier league games lifting Wednesday to the top of the league, David Pleat decided to release his mentor Waddle. Humphreys did not score another league goal all season (only notching a hat-trick in a League Cup
game against Grimsby Town in a 7–1 win). Humphreys pre-season form earned him a full league debut in Wednesday’s opening match against Aston Villa
. In this match Humphreys scored a goal that was recorded at 95.9mph, one of the hardest-hit goals in the history of football. Humphreys also scored in the following match against Leeds United
. Two games later, Humphreys scored a much talked about goal when he went on a 50 yard run and scored a spectacular chipped goal against Leicester City
. Humphreys was seen as the driving force behind Sheffield Wednesday's shock early lead at the top of The Premiership.
His form linked him to a £4 million transfer to Leeds United. However Humphreys remained at Sheffield Wednesday and played 34 games for them in the 1996–97 season. His performances earned him a place in the England team for the 1997 FIFA U-20 World Cup
in Malaysia. Humphreys wore the much coveted number 9 shirt for that tournament.
For the next two seasons, after Sheffield Wednesday signed an influx of foreign players such as Paolo Di Canio
and Benito Carbone
, Humphreys failed to hold down a regular place and he only played a total of 31 games in those two seasons. Humphreys was then sent on loan to Cardiff
where he played 11 matches, scoring twice. He was then sent on loan to Scunthorpe United
in August 1999, where he played six matches and again scored twice. After a brief return to the Wednesday side for the 2000–01 season, Humphreys decided to leave Wednesday in order to play more first team football was allowed to join Cambridge United
on trial. Humphreys impressed on trial scoring 3 goals in 7 games and it looked likely that Cambridge manager Roy McFarland
was going to offer him a contract. However, Humphreys' trial was cut abruptly after he broke his foot. After the sacking of Roy McFarland, new Cambridge manager John Beck
was reluctant to offer Humphreys a new contract until he had seen him play.
manager Chris Turner then offered Humphreys the chance to train with the club. Shortly after Humphreys signed a new contract with the club, much to the dismay of Cambridge fans who wanted him to stay and described him as "a big loss". Humphreys started the 2001–02 season partnering Kevin Henderson up front for the first 9 league games. However after a bad run Humphreys was dropped and replaced by new signing Gordon Watson
. However, Humphreys would force his way back into the team and replace Henderson to partner Watson instead, these two players were already familiar with each other from their days at Sheffield Wednesday. Despite not scoring many goals Hartlepool manager Chris Turner was pleased with his performances. Humphreys was then moved into central midfield due to the injury of Tommy Widdrington
and after impressing played there for the remainder of the season. Humphreys' first season at the club would end in disappointment as he missed the decisive penalty
in the play-off semi final defeat to Cheltenham Town
, which cost Hartlepool a place in Division Two
. The penalty struck the woodwork twice and stayed out. Humphreys' miss would send him to tears and he was photographed by Frank Reid, a photograph that would prove to be one of the most memorable images of Reid and Humphreys' career. After his miss Humphreys was devastated but he was cheered up by Chris Turner and the players who rang him and told him to keep his head up. Humphreys also received lots of letters of support from the Hartlepool fans.
When Humphreys returned to pre-season training for the following season, he was playfully teased over his penalty miss. Humphreys took the motto "that anything that doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger" and was determined to come back stronger. Humphreys started the 2002–03 season with a goal against Carlisle
on the opening day of the season. Throughout the course of the season, Humphreys would be played prominently as a left winger. Humphreys finished the season as an ever present in the Hartlepool squad, adding 11 goals to his name in the process and helped Hartlepool gain promotion to Division 2. His performances won him the Player of the Season award from the supporters. During this season it was revealed that Humphreys had been writing a diary, which he published and named it "From Tears to Cheers", in reference to his tears at Cheltenham.
The following two seasons once again saw Humphreys as an ever-present in the Hartlepool side under new manager Neale Cooper. In the 2003–04 season, Hartlepool once again made the play-offs, only to go out after conceding two last minute goals to Bristol City
, a memory which Humphreys described as more painful than Cheltenham. Due to the injuries of Michael Barron
, Humphreys began regularly captaining the side.
In the 2004–05 season, Humphreys helped Hartlepool once again make the play-offs. During the play-off semi-final against Tranmere
, Humphreys had the task of taking a penalty for Hartlepool in sudden death. This was the first time Humphreys had taken a penalty since his crucial miss at Cheltenham. This time he scored and sent Hartlepool through to the play-off final against his old club Sheffield Wednesday. This helped to erase the memories of Cheltenham. However, Hartlepool lost the play-off final to Sheffield Wednesday. Humphreys believes that of all the play-off defeats he has suffered that the controversial loss to Wednesday was the hardest to take. Before the end of the season Humphreys extended his contract by a further two years.
The following season, 2005–06, saw Humphreys become the first player to make 200 consecutive league appearances for Hartlepool. For this season Humphreys' moved to left back
due to Hugh Robertson being injured. Unfortunately Hartlepool and Humphreys suffered relegation. Despite this Humphreys was named the Supporters and Players' Player of the Season as well as the North East Football Awards Football League Player of the Season.
For the 2006–07 season, Danny Wilson was appointed the new manager, Wilson had previously managed Humphreys at Sheffield Wednesday. On 22 August 2006, Humphreys was dropped for Hartlepool’s match against Hereford United
. After making 230 consecutive appearances, this was the first time Humphreys had not played since October 2001. Shortly after that match, Humphreys joined Port Vale
on a month's loan. This was the third time that Danny Wilson had loaned Humphreys out during his career, the only times Humphreys had ever been loaned out. Port Vale tried to extend Humphreys' loan deal by at least another month, but Hartlepool refused and Humphreys returned. Humphreys later stated that he had no intentions of leaving Hartlepool.
After a bad start to the season, Hartlepool were struggling near the lower reaches of the table. However, this changed against Accrington Stanley
when Humphreys scored a spectacular last minute winner. This sent Hartlepool on 23 match unbeaten streak. During that streak, Humphreys scored another spectacular goal against Walsall
to give Hartlepool the lead in a victory that sent them into second place. Hartlepool would remain in the top two for the remainder of the season and secured promotion, narrowly missing out on the title. Humphreys performances earned him a place in the League Two PFA Team of the Year. Humphreys was also awarded the Monkey Business Achievement Award for this contribution to the season. However these awards proved small in comparison to when Humphreys was honoured by the Queen for making a "significant contribution to local and national life" earlier on in the season.
At the end of the 2007–08 season, Humphreys was voted Player of the Year, Player of the 2000s and Hartlepool United's Player of the Century.
He continued to be a key player in 2008–09
, making a total of 54 appearances.
He was a key figure once again in the 2009–10
season, missing just nine games as a centre midfielder.
On 26 February 2011, Humphreys replaced Joe Gamble
after 82 minutes to play his 473rd game for Pools. This broke the record previously held by Watty Moore
for over half a century. Over the course of the 2010–11
season he played 29 games.
On 2 August 2011, Humphreys was given a testimonial game against Premier League Sunderland
to mark his ten years at Hartlepool United. Sunderland won 3–1, though the 5,757 fans present at the Victoria Park were reported to be very vocal in their appreciation of the veteran player.
With Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
, where he is the club's record appearance holder.
Humphreys started his career with Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in 1996. Whilst with the club, he was loaned out to Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
and Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
. He left the club in 2001 and joined Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
for a short period, after which he joined current club Hartlepool United. He joined Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
on loan in 2006.
Childhood and early career
Humphreys was introduced to football from an early age, his grandfatherGrandparent
Grandparents are the parents of a person's own parent, whether that be a father or a mother. Every sexually-reproducing creature who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic grandparents, eight genetic great-grandparents, sixteen genetic great-great-grandparents, etc...
, Ernest Humphreys, played for Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
and St. Mirren
St. Mirren F.C.
St Mirren Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire who play in the Scottish Premier League, having been promoted from the First Division in 2005–06.St...
. His dad, John Humphreys, also had trials with Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
.
Humphreys grew up as a Sheffield United fan and joined their academy, which he described as a "dream come true". However, they released him when we he was 13.
Humphreys then played for the Sheffield Boys and was one of their few players who did not play for a professional club. However, that soon changed when Humphreys was scouted by a Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
scout and he joined their centre of excellence.
Sheffield Wednesday
In 1995, after leaving Newfield Secondary SchoolNewfield Secondary School
Newfield Secondary School is a comprehensive school for 11–16 year olds. It is situated in the south of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, in the area of Norton Lees. There are around 900 students at the school.- Physical aspects of the school :...
, Humphreys became part of Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
’s youth squad
Youth system
Youth system is a sporting terminology used to refer to 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 if they show enough promise, and to fill up squads numbers in some teams...
. For the youth squad Humphreys played as a left winger and was offered a professional contract. Due to the injuries of strikers David Hirst
David Hirst (footballer)
David Eric Hirst is an English former professional footballer, an exciting but injury prone striker who played for Sheffield Wednesday for much of his career.-Playing career:...
and Mark Bright
Mark Bright
Mark Abraham Bright is a former English footballer who is now a sports pundit and BBC London's sport presenter, as well as a coach at Crystal Palace....
, Wednesday manager David Pleat
David Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
gave Humphreys the opportunity to go on Wednesday’s pre-season tour of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Humphreys played the first game and scored twice. He then played in the second game against FC Utrecht and scored again. Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
was the guest of honour for that game and he praised Humphreys and said he was the next Marco van Basten. It was during this pre season tour that he was taken under the wing and guidance of Wednesday legend Chris Waddle. After scoring 4 goals in his first 5 premier league games lifting Wednesday to the top of the league, David Pleat decided to release his mentor Waddle. Humphreys did not score another league goal all season (only notching a hat-trick in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
game against Grimsby Town in a 7–1 win). Humphreys pre-season form earned him a full league debut in Wednesday’s opening match against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. In this match Humphreys scored a goal that was recorded at 95.9mph, one of the hardest-hit goals in the history of football. Humphreys also scored in the following match against Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. Two games later, Humphreys scored a much talked about goal when he went on a 50 yard run and scored a spectacular chipped goal against Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
. Humphreys was seen as the driving force behind Sheffield Wednesday's shock early lead at the top of The Premiership.
His form linked him to a £4 million transfer to Leeds United. However Humphreys remained at Sheffield Wednesday and played 34 games for them in the 1996–97 season. His performances earned him a place in the England team for the 1997 FIFA U-20 World Cup
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 11th staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from June 16 to July 5, 1997 in Malaysia.-Venues:-Qualification:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship...
in Malaysia. Humphreys wore the much coveted number 9 shirt for that tournament.
For the next two seasons, after Sheffield Wednesday signed an influx of foreign players such as Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio is a Italian former professional footballer and current manager of League Two side Swindon Town. Di Canio made over 500 league appearances and scored over 100 league goals as a player....
and Benito Carbone
Benito Carbone
Benito known as Benny Carbone is a retired Italian professional footballer and former manager of Serie B club Varese. He played as a forward, winger or midfielder...
, Humphreys failed to hold down a regular place and he only played a total of 31 games in those two seasons. Humphreys was then sent on loan to Cardiff
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
where he played 11 matches, scoring twice. He was then sent on loan to Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
in August 1999, where he played six matches and again scored twice. After a brief return to the Wednesday side for the 2000–01 season, Humphreys decided to leave Wednesday in order to play more first team football was allowed to join Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
on trial. Humphreys impressed on trial scoring 3 goals in 7 games and it looked likely that Cambridge manager Roy McFarland
Roy McFarland
Roy Leslie McFarland is an English football manager who was also a player, notably at Derby County where he played 434 league games helping him to earn 28 caps for England.-Playing career:...
was going to offer him a contract. However, Humphreys' trial was cut abruptly after he broke his foot. After the sacking of Roy McFarland, new Cambridge manager John Beck
John Beck (footballer)
John Alexander Beck is an English former footballer and manager. As a player he made nearly 500 league appearances between 1972 and 1988....
was reluctant to offer Humphreys a new contract until he had seen him play.
Hartlepool United
Hartlepool UnitedHartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
manager Chris Turner then offered Humphreys the chance to train with the club. Shortly after Humphreys signed a new contract with the club, much to the dismay of Cambridge fans who wanted him to stay and described him as "a big loss". Humphreys started the 2001–02 season partnering Kevin Henderson up front for the first 9 league games. However after a bad run Humphreys was dropped and replaced by new signing Gordon Watson
Gordon Watson
Gordon William George Watson is a retired English football player whose career was almost ended when he suffered a double fracture in the right leg in a tackle with Huddersfield Town defender Kevin Gray on 1 February 1997....
. However, Humphreys would force his way back into the team and replace Henderson to partner Watson instead, these two players were already familiar with each other from their days at Sheffield Wednesday. Despite not scoring many goals Hartlepool manager Chris Turner was pleased with his performances. Humphreys was then moved into central midfield due to the injury of Tommy Widdrington
Tommy Widdrington
Thomas "Tommy" Widdrington is an English former footballer, turned football manager, who is the manager of Southern Football League side Hemel Hempstead Town...
and after impressing played there for the remainder of the season. Humphreys' first season at the club would end in disappointment as he missed the decisive penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in the play-off semi final defeat to Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
, which cost Hartlepool a place in Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
. The penalty struck the woodwork twice and stayed out. Humphreys' miss would send him to tears and he was photographed by Frank Reid, a photograph that would prove to be one of the most memorable images of Reid and Humphreys' career. After his miss Humphreys was devastated but he was cheered up by Chris Turner and the players who rang him and told him to keep his head up. Humphreys also received lots of letters of support from the Hartlepool fans.
When Humphreys returned to pre-season training for the following season, he was playfully teased over his penalty miss. Humphreys took the motto "that anything that doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger" and was determined to come back stronger. Humphreys started the 2002–03 season with a goal against Carlisle
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
on the opening day of the season. Throughout the course of the season, Humphreys would be played prominently as a left winger. Humphreys finished the season as an ever present in the Hartlepool squad, adding 11 goals to his name in the process and helped Hartlepool gain promotion to Division 2. His performances won him the Player of the Season award from the supporters. During this season it was revealed that Humphreys had been writing a diary, which he published and named it "From Tears to Cheers", in reference to his tears at Cheltenham.
The following two seasons once again saw Humphreys as an ever-present in the Hartlepool side under new manager Neale Cooper. In the 2003–04 season, Hartlepool once again made the play-offs, only to go out after conceding two last minute goals to Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, a memory which Humphreys described as more painful than Cheltenham. Due to the injuries of Michael Barron
Michael Barron
Michael “Mickey” Barron was a professional footballer after his retirement in 2008.Micky Barron started his career at Middlesbrough. Despite spending 4 years at the club, Barron only made 3 appearances and found his chances of breaking into the first team limited...
, Humphreys began regularly captaining the side.
In the 2004–05 season, Humphreys helped Hartlepool once again make the play-offs. During the play-off semi-final against Tranmere
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, Humphreys had the task of taking a penalty for Hartlepool in sudden death. This was the first time Humphreys had taken a penalty since his crucial miss at Cheltenham. This time he scored and sent Hartlepool through to the play-off final against his old club Sheffield Wednesday. This helped to erase the memories of Cheltenham. However, Hartlepool lost the play-off final to Sheffield Wednesday. Humphreys believes that of all the play-off defeats he has suffered that the controversial loss to Wednesday was the hardest to take. Before the end of the season Humphreys extended his contract by a further two years.
The following season, 2005–06, saw Humphreys become the first player to make 200 consecutive league appearances for Hartlepool. For this season Humphreys' moved to left back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
due to Hugh Robertson being injured. Unfortunately Hartlepool and Humphreys suffered relegation. Despite this Humphreys was named the Supporters and Players' Player of the Season as well as the North East Football Awards Football League Player of the Season.
For the 2006–07 season, Danny Wilson was appointed the new manager, Wilson had previously managed Humphreys at Sheffield Wednesday. On 22 August 2006, Humphreys was dropped for Hartlepool’s match against Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
. After making 230 consecutive appearances, this was the first time Humphreys had not played since October 2001. Shortly after that match, Humphreys joined Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
on a month's loan. This was the third time that Danny Wilson had loaned Humphreys out during his career, the only times Humphreys had ever been loaned out. Port Vale tried to extend Humphreys' loan deal by at least another month, but Hartlepool refused and Humphreys returned. Humphreys later stated that he had no intentions of leaving Hartlepool.
After a bad start to the season, Hartlepool were struggling near the lower reaches of the table. However, this changed against Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
when Humphreys scored a spectacular last minute winner. This sent Hartlepool on 23 match unbeaten streak. During that streak, Humphreys scored another spectacular goal against Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
to give Hartlepool the lead in a victory that sent them into second place. Hartlepool would remain in the top two for the remainder of the season and secured promotion, narrowly missing out on the title. Humphreys performances earned him a place in the League Two PFA Team of the Year. Humphreys was also awarded the Monkey Business Achievement Award for this contribution to the season. However these awards proved small in comparison to when Humphreys was honoured by the Queen for making a "significant contribution to local and national life" earlier on in the season.
At the end of the 2007–08 season, Humphreys was voted Player of the Year, Player of the 2000s and Hartlepool United's Player of the Century.
He continued to be a key player in 2008–09
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
, making a total of 54 appearances.
He was a key figure once again in the 2009–10
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
season, missing just nine games as a centre midfielder.
On 26 February 2011, Humphreys replaced Joe Gamble
Joe Gamble
Joe Gamble is an Irish professional footballer currently playing for Limerick.-Cork City:Gamble made his debut for Cork in the Super Cup against Bohemians in July 2000. Soon after he signed for Reading before he returned to Cork City in 2004...
after 82 minutes to play his 473rd game for Pools. This broke the record previously held by Watty Moore
Watty Moore
Watson Evans "Watty" Moore was an English footballer for Hartlepool United. A one-club man, the centre-half held the all-time appearance record for Hartlepool for more than fifty years, making 472 starts for the club between 1948 and 1960...
for over half a century. Over the course of the 2010–11
2010–11 in English football
The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May...
season he played 29 games.
On 2 August 2011, Humphreys was given a testimonial game against Premier League Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
to mark his ten years at Hartlepool United. Sunderland won 3–1, though the 5,757 fans present at the Victoria Park were reported to be very vocal in their appreciation of the veteran player.
Statistics
| Club | Season | League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... |
FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... |
Europe | Others | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Hartlepool United Hartlepool United F.C. Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season... |
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| 2011–12 2011–12 in English football The 2011–12 season is the 132nd season of competitive football in England.The season began on 5 August 2011 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier starting eight days later, League Football Conference Starting one day before Premier League starts.The Championship, League One, and League Two... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 in English football The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May... |
25 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 3 | |
| 2009–10 2009–10 in English football The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League... |
36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 2008–09 in English football The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while... |
45 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 0 | |
| 2007–08 | 45 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 3 | |
| Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as... |
2006–07 2006–07 Port Vale F.C. season The 2006–07 season was Port Vale's ninety-fifth season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in League One. Martin Foyle's side again finished in mid-table, whilst exiting the FA Cup and the League Trophy at the Second Round... |
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Hartlepool United Hartlepool United F.C. Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season... |
2006–07 | 38 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 3 |
| 2005–06 | 46 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 2 | |
| 2004–05 | 46 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 60 | 3 | |
| 2003–04 | 46 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 54 | 4 | |
| 2002–03 | 46 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 11 | |
| 2001–02 | 46 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 5 | |
| Cambridge United Cambridge United F.C. Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League... |
2000–01 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
2000–01 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United F.C. Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One.... |
1999–2000 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
1999–2000 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the... |
1998–99 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 |
| 1997–98 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1996–97 | 29 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 5 | |
| 1995–96 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 515 | 43 | 41 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 588 | 49 | |
Honours
- Hartlepool United Fans' Player of the Year: 2003, 2006
- Hartlepool United Players' Player of the Year: 2006
- Hartlepool United Player of the Decade (for the 2000s)
- North East Coca-Cola League Player of the Year: 2006
- (Member of) PFA Team of the Season: 2003, 2007
With Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
- Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
runners up: 2002/2003 - North East Team of the Year: 2002/2003.
- League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
(Formerly Division Three) Play-Off Semi Finalists: 1999/2000, 2000/2001, 2001/2002 - League OneFootball League OneFootball League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play-off Semi Finalists: 2003/2004 - League One Play-Off Finalists: 2004/2005
- League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
Runners Up: 2006/2007
External links
- Ritchie Humphreys profile at the Hartlepool United website
- Ritchie Humphreys profile at In The Mad Crowd