Ritchie Humphreys

In 1995, after leaving Newfield Secondary School, 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.[4] 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.[4]

Humphreys played the first match and scored twice. He then played in the second match against FC Utrecht and scored again. Johan Cruyff was the guest of honour for that match and he praised Humphreys and said he was the next Marco van Basten, something Humphreys later played down. 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 appearances, 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 match against Grimsby Town in a 7–1 win).[4][6] 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 95.9 miles per hour (154.3 km/h), one of the hardest-hit goals in the history of football.[7] Humphreys also scored in the following match against Leeds United. Two matches later, Humphreys scored a much talked about goal when he went on a 50 yards (46 m) run and scored a spectacular chipped goal against Leicester City .[8][9] Humphreys was seen as the driving force behind Sheffield Wednesday's shock early lead at the top of The Premiership.[10]

His form linked him to a £4 million transfer to Leeds United.[8] However Humphreys remained at Sheffield Wednesday and played 34 matches 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.[11] 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 matches in those two seasons.[12][13][14] Humphreys was sent on loan to Scunthorpe United on 13 August 1999,[15] where he played six matches and again scored twice.[16] He was then sent on loan to Cardiff City where he played 11 matches, scoring twice.[8][17] After a brief return to the Wednesday team for the 2000–01 season, Humphreys decided to leave Wednesday to play more first team football was allowed to join Cambridge United on trial.[18] Humphreys impressed on trial, scoring 3 goals in 7 appearances, 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.[19] 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.[20]

Humphreys in 2008

Hartlepool United manager Chris Turner, a former Wednesday goalkeeper, 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".[21] Humphreys started the 2001–02 season partnering Kevin Henderson up front for the first 9 league matches. However, after a bad run Humphreys was dropped and replaced by new signing Gordon Watson. However, Humphreys would soon be back in the team and replace Henderson to partner Watson, these two players were already familiar with each other from their days at Sheffield Wednesday.[22] Despite not scoring many goals manager Turner was pleased with his performances.[23] 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.[24] 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 the Second Division. The penalty struck the woodwork twice and stayed out.[25] 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.[4] Humphreys also received many letters of support from the Hartlepool fans.[25]

When Humphreys returned to pre-season training for the following season, he was playfully teased over his penalty miss.[26] 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.[27] 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 the Second Division. His performances won him the Player of the Season award from the supporters.[28][29] 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.[30]

The following two seasons once again saw Humphreys as an ever-present in the Hartlepool team 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.[31] Due to the injuries of Michael Barron, Humphreys began regularly captaining the team.[32]

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 at the Millennium Stadium.[33] This helped to erase the memories of Cheltenham.[28] 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.[34] Before the end of the season Humphreys extended his contract by a further two years.[33]

The following season, 2005–06, saw Humphreys become the first player to make 200 consecutive league appearances for Hartlepool.[35] 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.[36]

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.[37] 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,[38] but Hartlepool refused and Humphreys returned. Humphreys later stated that he had no intentions of leaving Hartlepool.[39]

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.[40] 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.[41] 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.[42] Humphreys was also awarded the Monkey Business Achievement Award for this contribution to the season,[43] and later had a street in Hartlepool named after him.[44] 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.[45]

At the end of the 2007–08 season, Humphreys was voted Player of the Year,[46] 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 regular in the 2009–10 season, missing just nine matches as a central midfielder. On 26 February 2011, Humphreys replaced Joe Gamble after 82 minutes to make his 473rd appearance for Pools.[47] This broke the record previously held by Watty Moore for over half a century.[48] Over the course of the 2010–11 season he played 29 matches. On 2 August 2011, Humphreys was given a testimonial match against Premier League Sunderland to mark his ten years at Hartlepool United.[49] Sunderland won 3–1, though the 5,757 fans present at the Victoria Park were full of appreciation for Humphreys.[49] On 7 January 2012, Humphreys replaced Luke James 90 minutes into a 2–0 win over Rochdale to make his 500th appearance for Pools.[50] He signed a new contract in May 2012.[51] He made 33 appearances in the 2012–13 campaign, as Hartlepool were relegated into League Two. Humphreys was named on the League One team of the week after scoring in a shock 3–2 win at Sheffield United on 29 December.[52]

Hartlepool released Humphreys from the club in May 2013, after it was decided that the option in his contract to extend would not be taken up.[53]

Humphreys signed a one-year contract with League Two club Chesterfield on 15 July 2013.[54] He became a key player for Paul Cook's Spireites during the 2013–14 season, and on 30 March 2014 appeared at Wembley Stadium in Chesterfield's 3–1 defeat to Peterborough United in the final of the Football League Trophy, his first appearance at the national stadium.[55] In total he made 49 appearances throughout the 2013–14 campaign as Chesterfield won promotion as divisional champions.

He made 25 appearances in the 2014–15 campaign, helping the Spireites to the play-offs, where they were beaten by Preston North End at the semi-final stage.[56] He made only three appearances in the 2015–16 campaign, but in May 2016 signed a new contract to serve the club as a coach whilst also continuing his playing duties.[57] On 8 January 2017, he was named caretaker manager of the club following the sacking of Danny Wilson.[58] Gary Caldwell was appointed as manager nine days later.[59] Humphreys was not offered a new playing contract at the end of the season, but Caldwell offered him a position on his coaching staff.[60]

Humphreys rejected the opportunity to join the coaching staff at Chesterfield, and instead signed with Northern Premier League Division One South club Sheffield.[61] Humphreys retired from playing in December 2017, posting a thank you message on his Twitter account.