FORWARD

89/90 LEAGUE APPEARANCES: 28

GOALS: SIX

Our final profile is a player who contrbuted as much as anyone in delivering a successful finish to the season, and bringing the Division Four title to St James Park. 

Beggining his career as an apprentice with Notts County. Richard signed a full contract for the Magpies in August 1986, and went on to feature in 35 league games, scoring five goals. 

After just one full senior season at Meadow Lane, Richard was signed by Southend United for a fee of £25,000, but a serious thigh muscle injury limited him to just five league starts and a further four outings a substitute. 

Despite these setbacks, Terry Cooper could see the potential in the big, bustling centre forward, and brought him to St James Park in March 1989, for a fee of £5,000.

Making his debut in a 3-0 home defeat against Cambridge United, Richard went on to play in 13 of the final 14 games of the season, contributing four goals to the cause as City finished 10^th in Division Four

At the beginning of the 1989/90 campaign, Richard found himself used mostly from the bench, but the loss of Darran Rowbotham to injury in March meant that the player who the fans nicknamed ‘Tyson’ would play a key role in the run-in.

Featuring in 14 of the final 15 games - and starting in 12 of those matches – the best spell of Richard’s career coincided with one of the Grecian’s finest periods, as he scored in five of the final six games of the season, as City cemented their place at the top of the table. .

Unfortunately the celebrations that Richard played an important role in securing would prove to be the highlight of his short career, and after losing his place in the City team, and being side-lined with a back injury, Young turned down a £30,000 move to Hereford United in December 1990.

Shortly after, he was involved in a car accident in the early hours in Wiltshire, and was ultimately released by the Grecians for a breach of contract in March 1991 having not reported to St James Park or contacted manager Terry Cooper for several weeks. 

To this day mystery still surrounds what happened to Richard following his time at St James Park, yet his powerful displays and contribution to our historic title win will always be remembered by those who where there to see us crowned as champions.