Sam Ricketts

Football player infobox
playername= Sam Ricketts


fullname = Samuel Ricketts
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1981|10|11|df=y
cityofbirth = Aylesbury
countryofbirth = England
height = 6'1" (185 cm)
currentclub = Hull City
position = Defender
clubnumber = 21
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1999–2003
2002–2003
2003–2004
2004–2006
2006–
clubs = Oxford United
→ Nuneaton Borough (loan)
Telford United
Swansea City
Hull City
caps(goals) = 45 (1)
11 (1)
41 (4)
86 (1)
87 (1)
nationalyears = 2005–
nationalteam = Wales
nationalcaps(goals) = 30 (0)
pcupdate = 11:49, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = September 10 2008

Samuel "Sam" Ricketts (born October 11, 1981 in Aylesbury, England) is a Welsh football player, currently playing for Hull City. His favoured position is full-back; he usually plays on the right for Hull, but is equally comfortable on the left.

Ricketts began his career at Oxford United, making 35 first-team appearances (with a further 13 as substitute) in all competitions and scoring one goal. During his time at Oxford City he had a brief spell on loan at Nuneaton Borough before being released from his professional contract to sign for Conference side Telford United in the summer of 2003. His form for Telford led him to be selected for the England non-league XI that season.

Telford went out of business at the end of the 2003-04 season, and Swansea manager Kenny Jackett swooped for Ricketts, offering him a return to the Football League. Ricketts joined Swansea City on 27 May 2004.

Ricketts made such an impact in his first season with Swansea that John Toshack handed him his first Welsh cap on 9 February 2005 in a match against Hungary. Although born in England, Ricketts is qualified to play for Wales through his Welsh grandfather.

Hull City manager Phil Parkinson signed Ricketts from Swansea City on 14 July, 2006 for a fee of £300,000 (triggering a minimum fee release clause in his contract with the Swans). In all competitions, to the end of the 2005-06 season, Ricketts had made 103 appearances for Swansea (with one further substitute appearance) and had scored three goals.

Ricketts made a good start to his Hull career, playing every minute of Hull's first ten games. However, he broke his cheekbone in the tenth game - a win against Hartlepool. The injury required an operation, and Ricketts was ruled out for several weeks. He made a full appearance in the Championship play-off final victory over Bristol City, taking Hull City to the Premier League for the first-time in the club's 104 year existence. [cite news
first = Phil
last = McNulty
title = Bristol City 0-1 Hull
url = http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/7416502.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-05-24
accessdate = 2008-05-24]

As a teenager, Ricketts was a keen horseman who chose football over equestrianism. His father is the 1978 world showjumping champion Derek Ricketts, now performance manager of the UK eventing team, and his uncle is the former National Hunt champion jockey John Francome. [cite web
title='If Millwall don't fancy it, then we've got a chance' says Telford's Ricketts - and he's not horsing around!
work=GiveMeFootball.com
url=http://www.givemefootball.com/display.cfm?article=3811&type=1&month=2&year=2005
accessdaymonth=1 July
accessyear=2006 ]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.hullcityafc.net/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10338~9235,00.html Sam Ricketts player profile] at hullcityafc.net
* [http://www.oufc.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10342~9235,00.html Sam Ricketts player profile] at oufc.co.uk
* [http://www.swanseacity.net/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10354~9235,00.html Sam Ricketts player profile] at swanseacityfc.net
*soccerbase|id=18968|name=Sam Ricketts