Steve Richardson

Steve 'Rico' Richardson started his career with Southampton but after three years at The Dell, he joined Reading in 1982. The pint-sized defender was named as player of the year in his first two seasons for the Royals. He went on to make over 450 appearances for the club, including a Simod Cup victory at Wembley against Luton Town.Steve joined Basingstoke in summer 1995 after a short spell at Newbury and was soon made first team player/coach under Ernie Howe and his assistant Pete Peters.The vocal defender played almost 200 times for the Basingstoke first team before hanging up his boots at the end of the millenium season. He led the side to two Hampshire Senior Cup wins and the second round of the FA Cup.Steve continued as Basingstoke First Team Coach until the appointment of Francis Vines in March 2006, when he was promoted to Assistant Manager. During this time, Basingstoke made the second round of the FA Cup for only the third time ever.After Vines resigned in March 2008, Rico took over as Caretaker Manager until the end of the season and he led the team to another Hampshire Senior Cup victory, the clubs first since he captained the side to two in two seasons in 1996 and 1997.Steve left the club in May 2008 after thirteen years of service. He was awarded with a testimonial which saw Basingstoke loose 5-0 to a Reading XI.