Released by Sheffield Wednesday in the summer of 2006, Richard has been able to use the bank of qualifications he gained as an apprentice to secure a place at Durham University.
While at Wednesday he passed each element of his framework and impressively attained straight A grades in A-level Chemistry, Maths and Physics while juggling his studies with full time training and playing in the Owls reserve team.
“Combining football with education was fairly intense at times especially when I was involved with the reserves but it was definitely worthwhile. I got a balanced programme of football and education that has allowed me to keep my options open and has benefited me in the long term.”
