Richard Adrian Newman (born 5 August 1970) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a utility player.
He notably played in the Premier League for Crystal Palace for several seasons and in the Football League for Millwall, Reading, Brentford and Aldershot Town. Described as a "tough tackler", he also played non-League football for Maidstone United and Cranleigh.
Following retirement he briefly moved into coaching and managed Aldershot Town's reserve team during the 2008–09 season.
Career
Crystal Palace Newman began his career in the youth system at Crystal Palace and signed his first professional contract in January 1988. Palace's promotions through the divisions meant that Newman had a slow start to life at Selhurst Park and he time on loan at Fourth Division club Maidstone United late in the 1991–92 season. After winning a First Division championship medal at the end of the 1993–94 season, he went on to become a regular in the Premier League during 1994–95, making 46 appearances and scoring three goals. Newman left Crystal Palace in July 1995, having made 62 appearances and scored three goals during seven and a half years as a professional at Selhurst Park.
Millwall Newman joined First Division club Millwall for a £500,000 fee on 19 July 1995. He made 41 appearances and scored one goal during a 1995–96 season in which the Lions occupied either of the two automatic promotion places between August and December 1995 and collapsed in the second half of the season to suffer relegation to the Second Division. Newman remained with Millwall for four further seasons in the Second Division and departed The Den in July 2000, having made 168 appearances and scored five goals.
Reading On 18 March 2000, Newman joined Second Division club Reading on loan until the end of the 1999–00 season. He made seven appearances and scored one goal during his spell and joined the Royals on a permanent basis on 25 July 2000. He featured as virtual ever-present during the 2000–01 season, before suffering a cruciate ligament injury after 49 minutes of a 2–2 draw with Walsall on 21 April 2001.
After two operations on his right knee, Newman returned fit for the 2002–03 pre-season. With the Royals now playing in the First Division, a back injury delayed Newman's comeback until 7 September 2002 and he went on to make 32 appearances during the season. He signed a new one-year contract during the 2003 off-season and turned down a move to Leyton Orient to secure another extension one year later. Newman was released by the Premier League-bound club at the end of the 2004–05 season and in just over five years at the Madejski Stadium, he made 137 appearances and scored two goals.
Brentford Newman joined League One club Brentford on a one-year contract on 10 June 2005. The move reunited him with manager Martin Allen, previously assistant manager at Reading. Newman was named captain, but was sidelined by an injury to his right knee in July, which required three operations to correct. Newman finally made his debut in a Football League Trophy first round shootout defeat to Oxford United on 18 October 2005 and played the full 120 minutes. He was a presence in the midfield, amassing 10 yellow cards and one red during the course of the 2005–06 season. Promotion-chasing Brentford's season came to an end after a 3–1 aggregate defeat to Swansea City in the playoff semi-finals. Newman was released in May 2006 and made 39 appearances and three goals during the 2005–06 season.
Aldershot Town Newman dropped down to the Conference Premier to join Aldershot Town on a free transfer on 1 August 2006. He made 41 appearances during the 2006–07 season and signed a new one-year contract at the end of the campaign, but was forced to undergo surgery on a cartilage problem in July 2007. Newman returned to the team on 1 September 2007 and had a successful season, winning the Conference Premier title (which secured promotion to the Football League) and the Conference League Cup. In May 2008, Newman signed a new one-year contract and was named as reserve team coach by manager Gary Waddock. He made 19 appearances during his final season of professional football and was released in May 2009, due to budget constraints. During his three seasons at the Recreation Ground, Newman made 92 appearances and scored two goals.
Cranleigh Newman returned to football when he joined Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) First Division club Cranleigh early in the 2010–11 season. He had a successful first season with the club, scoring 11 goals in 24 appearances and winning promotion to the Premier Division. He played on with the club in the Premier Division for three further seasons and made his final appearance, at age 43, on 25 January 2014.
Career statistics
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupLeague CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsCrystal Palace1992–93Premier League200000—201993–94First Division1100000001101994–95Premier League3536050—463Total483705020623Maidstone United (loan)1991–92Fourth Division101———101Millwall1995–96First Division3612030—4111996–97Second Division4130020004331997–98Second Division 35110401Appearances in Football League Trophy04111998–99Second Division 2400020302901999–00Second Division 140000000140Total150530110401685Reading (loan)1999–2000Second Division71———71Reading2000–01Second Division3903110104412002–03First Division28020101Appearance in First Division play-offs03202003–04First Division 3002030—3502004–05Championship1701010—190Total12118160201372Brentford2005–06League One303600032 appearances in League One play-offs, 1 appearance in Football League Trophy0393Aldershot Town2006–07Conference Premier37040—1Appearance in FA Trophy04102007–08Conference Premier 27310—2Appearances in Conference League Cup03022008–09League Two170100010190Total813600040912Cranleigh2010–11Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) First Division218——21 appearance and 1 goal in Surrey Intermediate League Premier Challenge Cup, 1 appearance in Surrey Intermediate Cup12392011–12Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Premier Division245——43 appearances in Surrey Intermediate Cup, 1 appearance in Surrey Intermediate League Premier Challenge Cup02852012–13Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Premier Division264——32 appearances in Surrey Intermediate Cup, 1 appearance in Surrey Intermediate League Premier Challenge Cup02942013–14Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Premier Division111——32 appearances in Surrey Intermediate League Premier Challenge Cup, 1 appearance in Surrey Intermediate Cup0141Total8218——1219419Career total5223416122027158736
Honours Crystal Palace Football League First Division: 1993–94
Millwall Football League Trophy runner-up: 1998–99
Reading Football League Championship: 2004–05
Aldershot Town Conference Premier: 2007–08 Conference League Cup: 2007–08 Hampshire Senior Cup: 2006–07
Cranleigh Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) First Division: 2010–11
References
External links