RUFC - Riche Retires

Rotherham United striker, Richie Barker has been forced to retire due to a knee injury.

Richie began his career with Sheffield Wednesday, and, although with them for four years, he never made a first team appearance for them. In 1998 he spent a season with Brighton and Hove Albion, after previously being on loan with them. From there he joined Macclesfield Town and then joined the Millers, where he scored twelve goals in one hundred and forty games. He then went onto play nearly one hundred games for Mansfield and just over sixty games for Hartlepool. He joined the Millers for a second spell, originally on loan before making the deal permanent in January 2009 but only made five starts, the last being on Boxing Day.

Rotherham`s Chief Operating Officer, Paul Douglas, told The Advertiser , 'Richie has a very rare knee condition and the surgeon told him that he risked permanent damage if he tried to get back to the level of fitness required of a professional footballer. It is a shame because Richie gave years of good service to Rotherham United.`

It is thought that Richie, who is thirty-four tomorrow and has some of his coaching badges, will stay in the game in some capacity.

Vital Rotherham want to wish Richie all the best for his future.

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