Rick Holden
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard William Holden | ||
| Date of birth | 9 September 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Skipton, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1985–1986 | Carnegie College | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1986 | Burnley | 1 | (0) |
| 1986–1988 | Halifax Town | 67 | (12) |
| 1988–1989 | Watford | 42 | (8) |
| 1989–1992 | Oldham Athletic | 129 | (19) |
| 1992–1993 | Manchester City | 51 | (3) |
| 1993–1995 | Oldham Athletic | 60 | (9) |
| 1995–1996 | Blackpool | 22 | (2) |
| 1996–2003 | Peel | ||
| Total | 372 | (53) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1999–2003 | Peel (player-manager) | ||
| 2007–2010 | Peel | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Richard William "Rick" Holden (born 9 September 1964) is an English former professional footballer. He played for six clubs in a decade-long career. He moved into management after retiring.
Born at Cawder Gill Hospital, Holden forged an interest in football at an early age, playing in the back streets and fields of Skipton and Embsay.
Prior to and during his professional football career, Holden gained a degree in Human Movement at Carnegie College and a degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Salford.
While employed at West Marton Dairies, where he worked closely with cheese, in 1985 Holden was invited to train with Burnley. He made one League appearance for the Clarets, in a defeat at Leyton Orient the following year. He was asked to leave by incoming manager Brian Miller after being unable to commit to full-time training due to his degree course at Carnegie College.
During the summer of 1986, Holden played cricket for Saltaire in the Bradford League. It was during this period that he received a phone call from Halifax Town's assistant manager, Billy Ayre, asking him to play in some pre-season friendlies.
Holden joined Halifax Town as an amateur in August 1986. The "Shaymen" were then under the leadership of Mick Jones. He made his debut in a 3–0 defeat by Burnley at Turf Moor. At the end of the 1986–87 campaign, he was named the club's Player of the Year. He was rewarded with a professional contract with a weekly wage of £125.
To supplement his income, until pre-season began he worked at Webb's chicken factory at Cross Hills.
He remained at Halifax until the spring of 1988, at which point Billy Ayre had taken over from Peterborough-bound Mick Jones. After 67 League appearances and twelve goals, he was sold to Watford for £125,000.
Holden signed a four-year contract with the Hornets, upping his weekly wage to £450, with a £50 appearance bonus. His signing-on fee was £10,000, split into three instalments, and he also received a £2,000-per-year loyalty bonus.
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