Members News: Richard Keogh Signs For Wycombe Wanderers For 2023/24

Richard Keogh welcomed to Wycombe

Richard in the Sky Blue

The Association’s member, popular former Sky Blue defender and ‘Player of the Season’ Richard Keogh is on the move again! The Eire international has recently (4th July) signed for Wycombe Wanderers returning to a club he last played for on loan eighteen years ago! The veteran 36 year old had been released by last club Ipswich Town with whom he had spent the 2022-23 season and played sixteen games.

Richard has succesfully come through difficult times in recent years (see below) so we sincerely hope his new League One footballing challenge will continue the more positive times the wholehearted hard working footballing veteran has experienced since leaving Derby County under a cloud in 2019.

RK joined the Association in 2014 and, though for the most part he has been playing in different divisions to the Sky Blues since he left us for the Rams in 2012 for a transfer fee of £1m, in recent years we have seen him a few times playing against the Sky Blues. For example at Nuneaton in a pre-season friendly in July 2018 RK appeared in central defence for the Rams in their 1-0 win over the Sky Blues. He again faced us on May Day 2021 in Huddersfield Town‘s defence in the 1-1 draw at  with the Sky Blues (below left). In 2012-22 he was at the heart of the Blackpool defence for both games between the clubs drawing at the CBS Arena and losing to the Sky Blues by the only goal in Blackpool!

Richard tackles Viktor Gyokeres

Richard started out as a trainee at Ipswich Town and Stoke City debuting on loan from the Potters at Icelandic loan club  Vikingur in 2004. He joined Bristol City in 2005 on a free and made his Football League debut in September 2005 appearing sporadically for them in his first season as well as spending a month’s loan spell with his new club Wycombe Wanderers in 2005. He then became a regular for the Ashton gate club until 2007-08 when he moved on loan successively to Huddersfield Town, Carlisle United and Cheltenham Town. RK then joined the Cumbrians full time in 2008 where he was a first-team regular finishing with a contribution of 95 appearances and six goals in all competitions.

Cyrille presents RK with CCFPA’s Player of season award

Richard came to the Ricoh in 2010 and once more became a popular, reliable, hard working and almost ever present key player in the team. He played a total of 95 Sky Blue league and cup matches across two seasons, scoring one goal and was named our (and CCFPA’s) ‘Player of the Year‘ for 2011–12 despite the Sky Blues suffering relegation from the Championship. His award was presented by the late Sky Blue and footballing icon (and CCFPA member before his death) Cyrille Regis.

Richard with the Rams

Derby County poached his undoubted leadership qualities by signing him from CCFC for the 2012 season.  He won their ‘Player of the Year‘ Awards for both 2013 and 2016 seasons (and was named in the PFAs 2014-15 ‘Team of the Year’)! He had signed a contract extension with DCFC which would have kept him in the East Midlands until 2022. However an off the field traffic incident with other Derby players left him not only with a serious knee ligament injury but subsequently a disciplinary cancellation of his Rams’ contract after seven year’s service, several as captain. He had pulled on the County first team shirt 356 times and scored a dozen goals!

However, Richard has since received substantial compensation from the Rams for their unwarranted action and, once recovered, in August 2020 signed for Milton Keynes Dons where he played 21 games for the League One club before moving to Huddersfield Town in January 2021 playing the same number of games for the Terriers in the second half of the season. Richard moved on again for the 2021-22 season joining Blackpool on  a one-year contract on 17 July 2021 on a free.

Richard Keogh (Ipswich Town) 2022-23

Richard Keogh in ROI strip

After 31 games for the seasiders Richard was snapped up again by League One Ipswich Town for their 2022-23 campain (above) and now stays at that level for the new 2023-24 campaign with Wycombe Wanderers! We wish him well with his new challenge.

Though born in Harlow, Essex on 11th August 1986 Richard’s qualities have also been recognised by his adoptive country the Republic of Ireland whom he has represented from U19 right up to full international Caps (26 between 2013-19).