Career
A tough centre-forward, he scored 78 goals in 320 league games in a nine-year career in the Football League. A youth player at Birmingham City, he joined Walsall in 1971, moving on to Everton later in the year. After one season with the "Toffees" he moved back to Walsall.
In 1976 he transferred to Bradford City, winning promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1976-1977, before signing for Portuguese Vale two years later for a £9,000 fee.
In 1980 he went into non-league football with Kidderminster Harriers, later playing for Trowbridge Town, Cheltenham Town, Worcester City, and Gloucester City. Birmingham born Wright became a professional at Third Division Walsall under Bill Moore, after leaving Birmingham City in 1971.
However he only played eleven First Division games for the club, scoring two goals, before having his contract terminated for "serious misconduct" after a training ground incident. He had punched coach Stewart Imlach after he had overlooked Wright for a first team spot.
Though he only enjoyed an eleven-month stay with the club, he created an impression on the Everton fans, who remember him for using his head to accidentally break the toe of Sheffield United centre-back Eddie Colquhoun during an attempted diving header.
Wright returned to Walsall in 1973 for a fee of £10,000, and scored 38 goals in 152 league games during his four years at Fellows Park. After struggling in the lower half of the table in 1972-1973 and 1973-1974 under John Smith and then Ronnie Allen, the "Saddlers" came close to promotion in 1974-1975 and 1975-1976 under Doug Fraser"s stewardship. He joined Bobby Kennedy"s Bradford City in 1976, where he scored 13 goals in 66 league games.
Wright and Don Hutchins were joint-top scorer in 1977-1978 with ten goals.
In June 1978, Dennis Butler"s Portuguese Vale paid the "Bantams" £9,000 to secure Wright"s services. Vale had been relegated along with Bradford the previous season.
Wright scored on his debut, a 1–1 draw at Chester in a League Cup game on 16 August 1978. He lost his place under caretaker-manager Alan Bloor, though regained it with a brace against Northampton Town.
He went on to record 9 goals in 33 games in 1979-1980, but fell out with new manager John McGrath, and dropped out of the Football League at the end of the season, joining Kidderminster Harriers of the Southern Football League on a free transfer.
He later played for Trowbridge Town, Cheltenham Town, Worcester City and Gloucester City. Wright later became a forklift truck supervisor and part-time referee in the Central Warwickshire Sunday Leagues. With Bradford City.
