EX-MANCHESTER CITY star and club ambassador Richard Edghill was just as nervous before kick-off against West Ham on Sunday as he was at any time during his 209 games for the club.
Edghill, 49, has worked as a learning mentor at a primary school for the past 14 years and was elated to see that Pep Guardiola’s class of 2023-24 applied the finishing touches to yet another league title this season.
City earned themselves a spot in the record books as the first English side in history to win four successive top-flight titles.
Former right-back Edghill, who played for City between 1993 and 2002, has seen the club grow into a completely different stratosphere since he left some 23 years ago.
Edghill’s football career is summed up by his autobiography title ‘Once a Blue, Always a Blue’.
From getting a bus as a 15-year-old from his Oldham home to the old Maine Road, being part of the YTS scheme, graduating to the first team and now looking after City fans in his ambassadorial role on match days.
It is a life’s journey, with the Blue Moon lyrics forever on playback.
Edghill’s love of the game started as a kid playing in a field opposite his mum and dad’s house in Oldham.
He said: “Being from Oldham, I had gone to Boundary Park with my dad, and Roger Palmer was the big hero.
“But I was put off ever signing for them because of the artificial pitch they had at that time.
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“I was spotted playing for Slumberland Rangers by a guy called Paul Walker.
“I used to get the bus to Maine Road, where I would train on Thursday nights.
“When I left school I joined what was then City’s School of Excellence. I remember signing on the YTS scheme for £29.50 a week in the first year and then it increased to £32.50 in the second year
“I still look back with great memories of working my way up under the guidance of club legend Tony Book.
“It was an amazing feeling when I was offered a three-year contract when I was 17 at £350 a week. I thought I’d won the lottery!
“I was given my debut at Wimbledon. I remember being in the tunnel at Selhurst Park against Wimbledon as this raw 17-year-old kid.
” I looked across and saw Vinnie Jones, Eric Young and John Fashanu. They looked like giants to me, just huge.
“After about five minutes, I was waiting for a Wimbledon player to take a throw and out of nowhere I got this elbow to the side of my head.
“It was Fashanu. He gave me a knowing look and then said, ‘You’re playing well’.
“It was an incredible thing for him to say and it gave me a huge lift.”
Edghill was selected for England Under-21s in 1994, followed by a call-up to the England ‘B’ team.
But with a full England cap on the horizon, Richard’s career suffered a major setback when he was sidelined for 21 months after his knee collapsed following a tackle at Leeds.
He said: “I was out for nearly two years and had nine operations where they had to reconstruct the knee.
“It was one of those horrible moments where I was told I only had a 50-50 chance of being able to play again.
“I was very lucky that I was looked after by a guy called David Dandy.
“Thanks to him I was able to get back and play football for another 12 years. And touch wood, 30 years on the knee is still OK.”
When Edghill returned, so much had changed at the club.
He added: “I was offered a one-year contract by Kevin Keegan at City, but I wanted a longer deal. Keegan said that was all that was on the table.
“I will always be grateful to Ian Holloway, who called me and asked what I was up to.
“He suggested I travel down to London. I joined QPR in 2003 and spent a couple of wonderful years at Rangers.”
In 2005, Edghill joined Colin Todd at Bradford. He said: “I had two good years with them.
“After a spell at Macclesfield, I was 34 and knew my playing days were coming to an end.
“I started studying for my coaching badges but didn’t enjoy it very much. I then started to run my own soccer schools and summer camps, which I found great.
“I was asked if I could work in a primary school, which developed into me joining the school as a PE teacher.
“That was at the Oasis Academy Harpur Mount around 2009 and I enjoy working there as much today as I did when I first started. It’s hugely rewarding.”
