Background
He was born in Castle Donington, Leicestershire and played for local teams before signing for First Division side Derby County in the 1901-1902 season.
He was born in Castle Donington, Leicestershire and played for local teams before signing for First Division side Derby County in the 1901-1902 season.
His final game for Derby came on 7 February 1914. He went on to make 284 Football League appearances for Derby, scoring 33 times. On 1 June 1909, Richards made his only appearance for England against Austria, having been a reserve for the match against Scotland earlier that year.
He also toured with the FA party in South Africa in 1910.
He is not the same player as the Bristol Rovers football player of the same era, who played for Rovers between 1911 and 1913.
He was a member of the Derby team that were runners-up in the 1903 FA Cup Final.