Matt Ritchie
| File:Ritchie.JPG | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Ritchie | ||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dagenham & Redbridge | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
Matt Ritchie (born September 10th, 1989) is a English football player, who is currently on loan at Dagenham & Redbridge FC from Portsmouth. A rare youth academy graduate of the south-coast club, Ritchie is a left-sided winger who occasionally plays in a more central attacking midfield role.
Ritchie has been involved in Portsmouth's academy since he turned 13. Before-hand he was playing football locally in Gosport. After signing his first professional contract with the club and a positive 2008/2009 pre-season campaign, including a memorable hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over hometown club Gosport Borough[1], Ritchie was taken on trial alongside fellow academy graduate Joel Ward by AFC Bournemouth with a view to a loan move to help give the youngsters important first-team experience in league football. Ritchie was however kept at Portsmouth following a number of injuries to first-team midfielders. He was called upto Portsmouth's UEFA Cup squad as a home-grown talent and presented with the squad number 36. Ritchie played reserve and academy football at Pompey until late September and continued to impress until he was taken on a one-month loan deal by League Two club Dagenham & Redbridge.[2] He made his league football debut against Rotherham United on the 27 September 2008, coming on as a late substitute.[3] He scored upon his first competitive start for The Daggers in a 2-0 win over Rochdale[4] and again in his next match, a 2-0 win over Barnet.[5]
Daggers boss John Still has been hugely impressed with Ritchie's initial impact at the club. Speaking after the match against Barnet, Still had to say: "He's got a terrific leap. He showed that with his goal. He's come in and done very well. [He's] a smashing kid. [The] Nicest kid in the world. Come down from a Premier League club. No big time about him. Harry Redknapp and Paul Hart speak ever so well of him. It's a pleasure to have him. He's got a smile on his face in training and loves being here."
Statistics
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Cup | Apps | Goals | Continental | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 |  Portsmouth |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2008 | Dagenham & Redbridge (Loan) |
2 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 3 | 2 | Total | 0 | 0 | Total | 0 | 0 | ||
References
- ^ http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3967462,00.html
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dagenham_and_redbridge/7636244.stm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/7626803.stm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/7639346.stm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/7646415.stm
External links
- Statistics at Soccerbase.com