Goalkeeper Richard Wright had made his League debut, for his home-town Ipswich, at the fag-end of their 1994-95 Premiership season that culminated in their relegation. He became the regular ’keeper for the four seasons beginning in 1996-97, in the last three of which he was ever-present. In all four of those seasons, Ipswich reached the play-offs. After three failures, they beat Barnsley in the 2000 play-off Final, in which Richard saved a penalty.

He hardly missed a game in 2000-01, as Ipswich finished only four Premiership points behind second-placed Arsenal and he won the first of his two England caps. At which point, Arsenal signed him on a five-year contract, effectively a declaration of intent that, in the long term, he would succeed David Seaman, 14 years his senior. It didn’t work out that way, although he deputised for Seaman enough times in 2001-02 to qualify for a medal, as Arsenal comfortably won the championship. But he was thereupon allowed to join Everton, where he struggled to be the first-choice goalkeeper.

Having joined Premiership West Ham, he couldn’t get a game and was loaned to Championship Southampton, towards the end of the 2007-08 season, when they had three ’keepers injured. His one-month loan would be extended to two months as, with the club staring relegation in the face, Richard gave the St Mary’s faithful a reminder of what an international goalkeeper looked like, as he conceded only six goals in his seven appearances and the Saints eased to safety.

There must have been many a fan who hoped Richard might sign permanently

but, in a strange twist of events, he re-signed for Ipswich, leaving Kelvin Davis, another former Ipswich ’keeper, to establish himself as a fixture, and a favourite, in Southampton’s goal.

Richard had a couple of good seasons back at Ipswich, but then suffered a succession of injuries that helped to reduce his career thereafter to just three League appearances, one of them for Ipswich on his third coming. In August 2012, at the age of 34, he joined Manchester City as their third-choice ’keeper, behind Joe Hart and Costel Pantilimon. Despite Hart’s pantomime acts at the start of the 2013-14 season, there seemed little prospect that Richard would add to his 380 League appearances and indeed that proved to be the case over the next four seasons up until he announced his retirement at the end of the 2015-16 campaign. He stayed with City afterwards, however, in a coaching capacity.